What’s the biggest arts celebration on campus each year?

That’d be the one and only Arts Bash, baby! And it’s coming up on Wednesday, Aug. 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Library Plaza.

Imagine the plaza full of free food, booths, live entertainment, interactive art, the chance to learn about arts offerings at the U and earn a free t-shirt. Live performances, student films, free giveaways and all the information you need to access the hundreds of arts offerings on campus each year thanks to the U’s award-winning Arts Pass program which turns your UCard into a ticket to the arts.

Swing by the Art & Art History booth to make a tie-dye shirt or stop by the Utah Center for Vocology booth to see demonstrations on easy exercises you can do with simple straws and cups of water to keep your voice healthy. 

On the stage, we’ll see performances from the Michie Jazz Quintet from the School of Music, the Department of Theatre and the School of Music. Plus, we’ll see student films from the Department of Film & Media Arts.

All arts organizations on campus will be there for you including each of the five academic units in the College of Fine Arts and our Arts Ed and ArtsForce pals, plus our three professional affiliates on campus (UtahPresents, Pioneer Theatre Company and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts). We’ll also have Red Butte Gardens, the Union Programing Council, Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, and the Marriott Library represented.

We can’t wait to see you. Let’s go!

Why do we throw this party for U students?

To celebrate all the arts have to offer at the University of Utah, of course. From our famous Arts Pass program that allows students use their UCard to access hundreds of arts experiences on campus each year for free or deeply-discounted prices to learning about all the majors, minors, grad programs, and non-majors courses in the College of Fine Arts five academic units (Art & Art History, Dance, Film & Media Arts, Music, and Theatre and our Arts Ed programs.).

The U’s commitment to the arts and creativity

A growing body of research shows that arts experiences can positively impact students’ lives – including enhancing health and well-being, tolerance, empathy, literacy, critical thinking, community building skills, and even graduation rates. Plus, the arts provide us all valuable moments of respite, reflection, and connection.