This fall, Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) celebrates the return of even more students back in our classrooms and studios as well as the joy of having audiences back for in-person performances. We are also commemorating the 20th anniversary of the College! To mark this occasion, the Center for the Arts and surrounding spaces will come alive with Arts Emerging: A Celebration of Renewal on Saturday, September 25, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The entire community is invited to partake in this indoor and outdoor, family-friendly event that showcases current student and alumni performances, visual art exhibits, interactive gaming activities, an artist marketplace, and more! Food trucks from local eateries, including The Roaming Coyote, The Big Cheese, and East Coast Creamery, will be on hand to feed guests as they participate in a lively schedule of performing and visual arts events occurring outside on Holton Plaza and nearby in Buchanan Hall.
“Arts Emerging is a celebration of the power of the arts to create community,” shares Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts Rick Davis. “With work across our many art forms as well as activities for all ages, we will offer safe, festive, and meaningful reasons to gather and share the energy of our great students and alumni. The arts have become one of Mason’s signature tools for the University to engage with its community, and Arts Emerging is a powerful example of that in action."
The festive evening leads up to the 8 p.m. presentation in the Center for the Arts featuring videos, guest appearances from alumni, remarks by George Mason University President Gregory Washington, and performances by current students and alumni. In addition, School of Dance alumna Sasha Henninger (’09), who made her Broadway debut in Hamilton as #thebullet, will present a special scholarship to a current student, followed by an interactive Fund-A-Student drive.
Proceeds support student scholarships in Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles, and the Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts.
The event is co-chaired by Arts at Mason Board members Steven Golsch (Vice President, People and Culture at NowSecure) and Annie Bolger (Corporate and Client Service Manager and Bank Officer at Sandy Spring Bank).
In regards to working on the event Bolger adds, “Steven and I continue to be thrilled at the opportunity to represent the College and introduce this wonderful and festive event. At a time when things are so unsorted in our world, it’s the arts that refreshes, brings truth, and helps to keep things whole.”
Tickets are $10 and are available to purchase on the Center for the Arts’ website. Tickets for Mason students are free, and sponsorship opportunities are also available.
View the full schedule for Arts Emerging: A Celebration of Renewal here.