The inaugural , which runs January through June 2027, will feature more than 100 public events, including exhibitions, performances, community workshops, and guest artists slated to visit the South Bend area for a six-month festival of visual, literary, spatial, and performing arts. Most events are free to attend.
The biennial鈥攖hematically focused on the concept of symbiosis鈥攊s produced by the Notre Dame and curated by Initiative Director and Managing Director .
鈥淣otre Dame鈥檚 flourishing is deeply connected to the vitality of South Bend and its surrounding communities,鈥� said 鈥淭he Arts Biennial exemplifies how the University鈥檚 commitment to the arts advances our Catholic mission by using creative expression to foster meaningful cultural exchanges and contribute to a thriving shared home.鈥�
Highlights of the biennial will include a fireside chat with Maya Lin, a visionary artist and architect well-known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Zadie Smith, author of the acclaimed novel White Teeth, and Sougwen Chung, widely regarded as a pioneer of artistic human-machine collaboration and one of Time鈥檚 100 Most Influential People in AI, are two featured speakers at the Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good鈥檚 . Writer and photographer Cig Harvey will deliver the 鈥檚 annual Ruskin Lecture. Claudia Bernardi, internationally known for her work in the fields of visual art, human rights, and social justice, will join for a weeklong residency bridging Notre Dame and South Bend.
鈥淭he Arts Initiative is a powerful catalyst that energizes creative inquiry and practice across the University,鈥� said Schreffler, a professor of art history and associate dean for the arts in the College of Arts & Letters. 鈥淎 massive undertaking like a biennial festival is made possible only through sustained partnerships with the many faculty and staff who bring research and teaching expertise to our public arts programming.鈥�
The and also announced some of their signature biennial programming in partnership with the Arts Initiative. The 96-member National Symphony Orchestra will perform, led by esteemed music director and conductor Gianandrea Noseda, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago will perform at Notre Dame for the first time in nearly 20 years. The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art will unveil an expansive group exhibition of contemporary art, More Than: Artists in Collaboration for a Greater Good, which will remain on view to the public throughout the biennial.
Additional signature programming will be announced throughout the fall before the biennial鈥檚 opening in January.
鈥淚n our era of cultural fragmentation, the biennial鈥檚 inaugural theme of symbiosis is a radical invitation to re-examine our interconnectedness,鈥� Struch said. 鈥淭ogether with more than 85 collaborating campus units and external organizations, we are actively cultivating an arts ecosystem rooted in accessible programming that brings people together.鈥�
Alongside a roster of distinguished visiting artists, the biennial also features public arts programming connected to . For some, this support helps enhance established contributions to the regional arts scene. Fischoff National Chamber Music Association, Notre Dame鈥檚 and , New Industry Dance Company, Performing Media Festival, , , South Bend Civic Theatre, and South Bend Symphony Orchestra are all participating to continue bringing live music, dance, theater, and experimental performance to the region.
For others, Arts Initiative support provides critical resources to help launch new partnerships or new programs. The and Notre Dame鈥檚 have teamed up to design and install public art at Eddy Street Commons, which will be unveiled during the biennial. The Acting Ensemble; Equity in the Arts, an initiative of South Bend Venues Parks & Arts; Merrimans鈥� Playhouse; South Bend Community 91视频 Corporation; and South Bend Museum of Art are each launching arts education programs focused on cultivating the next generation of artists and audiences. The biennial also features regional collaborations beyond South Bend, including with Elkhart County鈥檚 Goshen College Music Center and Michigan City鈥檚 Lubeznik Center for the Arts.
Supported projects also reflect the biennial鈥檚 commitment to global artistic exchange. A guest artist residency with internationally prolific Chinese theater director Wang Chong will culminate in the English-language premiere of his acclaimed Lying Flat 2.0, an immersive, participatory theater work that integrates live-feed video projection and real-time use of AI. Qhapaq Qolla, one of the most influential dance troupes in the Peruvian Andes, will make its US debut in a weeklong residency at Notre Dame. A collaboration with Ukrainian Catholic University and ICONART Gallery in Lviv, Ukraine, brings an exhibition of contemporary Ukrainian sacred art and iconography to campus, and a collaboration with launches a new artist exchange program between Mexico City, Dublin, and South Bend.
For more information about the artists and events featured in the inaugural biennial, visit . Subscribe to the and follow the Arts Initiative on Instagram and Facebook (@artsnotredame) for additional program announcements.
Contact: Erin Blasko, director of media engagement, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu