The has awarded 38 grants to foster sustained growth in the arts through partner programming for the inaugural , scheduled for January through June of 2027. Awardees include 16 regional community partners, 19 campus units, and four locations, with another 60 campus units and external organizations involved as collaborators. In addition to funding, partners receive administrative support from Arts Initiative staff for planning, implementation, and promotion.
Projects include theatrical premieres, regional dance and music festivals, multimedia installations, visual art and architecture exhibitions, high-impact arts education programs, international artistic exchange, and more. Biennial programming is open to the public, and events will be held on Notre Dame鈥檚 campus, in and around South Bend, and at select global locations.
Occurring every two years, the biennial is an international arts festival rooted in the creative spirit, intellectual energy, and iconic traditions of Notre Dame and the region. Predominantly free programming across the visual, spatial, literary, and performing arts will contribute to the region鈥檚 long-term flourishing by enhancing quality-of-life and quality-of-place and by providing new platforms for arts research to positively impact the public.
In his inaugural address, urged the Notre Dame community to be builders of bridges to live out our mission as a leading global Catholic research university. The biennial is one of the most visible ways the Arts Initiative is responding to that call.
鈥淭his scale of coordination and collaboration is unprecedented,鈥� said , director of the Notre Dame Arts Initiative. 鈥淲e are grateful to all of our partners for bringing their energy and leadership to fully realize the vision of the biennial鈥檚 inaugural theme of symbiosis: a call to contemplate mutually-beneficial relationships through the arts and create them together in practice.鈥�
Community partners leading biennial programming reflect the strength and diversity of arts and culture across the region. Participating regional community partners include:
- Abby Marchesseault Dance Studio
- Acting Ensemble
- Equity in the Arts, an initiative of South Bend Venues Parks & Arts
- Goshen College Music Center
- Fischoff National Chamber Music Association
- The History Museum
- Lubeznik Center for the Arts
- Merrimans鈥� Playhouse
- New Industry Dance
- Performing Media Festival, produced in partnership with IU South Bend
- Saint Mary鈥檚 College, Department of Art
- South Bend Civic Theatre
- South Bend Community 91视频 Corporation
- South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership
- South Bend Museum of Art
- South Bend Symphony Orchestra
Campus units awarded funding for partner programming similarly span artistic media and represent a University-wide commitment to interdisciplinary innovation. In addition to projects housed in arts departments, campus efforts are also being led by the , , the , and a range of interdisciplinary centers and institutes.
Beyond robust support for partner projects, the biennial also closes gaps in cultural access by attracting prominent artists to the region and making the highest-caliber arts experiences available to the public. In addition to world-class artists hosted by the Arts Initiative, signature performances, convenings, and exhibitions aligned with the biennial鈥檚 inaugural theme will be hosted by the , the , and the .
A dual emphasis on local and visiting artists is a hallmark of Notre Dame鈥檚 biennial. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not aware of any other U.S. university currently curating a biennial of this nature and scale,鈥� said , Arts Initiative managing director. 鈥淓stablishing a groundbreaking biennial in northern Indiana, a place with an evolving but often overlooked arts scene, will advance the region as a global gathering place for arts and inquiry.鈥�
鈥淭he Notre Dame Arts Biennial reflects what鈥檚 possible when our community and local institutions work together. This effort will activate our public spaces, support local artists, and strengthen the connections that make South Bend a vibrant place to work and live.鈥�
The Arts Biennial launches at a pivotal moment for the arts across the region and on campus. Informed by its Catholic character, the University鈥檚 most recent identifies the arts as a key priority and calls for deeper engagement with South Bend and the region. The South Bend-Elkhart region also recently adopted a new . The biennial builds on these developments by nurturing the arts as a shared community asset that strengthens social bonds and shapes place-based identities.
鈥淭he Notre Dame Arts Biennial reflects what鈥檚 possible when our community and local institutions work together,鈥� said South Bend Mayor James Mueller. 鈥淭his effort will activate our public spaces, support local artists, and strengthen the connections that make South Bend a vibrant place to work and live.鈥�
A detailed schedule of public programming will be available online at in August 2026. remain open through April 30, 2027. To be the first to receive biennial announcements, .
颁辞苍迟补肠迟:听Rebecca Struch, Arts Initiative managing director,聽574-631-9845,聽rstruch@nd.edu
Originally published by at on July 06, 2026.