ARTS
Whether your interests lie on stage, back stage, or in the studio, Lehigh offers rich and vibrant venues to explore your creative interests.
Discover the Arts
Lehigh University offers an exciting arts culture that contributes to the academic and social vitality of campus life. We offer programs and opportunities through academic departments and campus-wide organizations. Students work collaboratively with accomplished faculty, scholars and creative artists, and graduate with the knowledge and experience that prepares them to enter prominent graduate arts programs and industry professions. Student clubs, literary publications and events engage students across all disciplines in the arts throughout their entire academic career.
AAD
Enrolling the third largest number of majors in the college, Art, Architecture, and Design (AAD) has as many undergraduate degree majors as civil engineering, marketing, and the university’s other largest programs. With student interest skyrocketing, the department’s goal is to expand its capacity to accommodate student demand, deliver the most relevant courses for their needs, and bolster student grant and internship opportunities.
To support this, the department also aims to modernize its new but unfinished teaching and research spaces at Mountaintop’s Building C. In addition, due to expected retirements, AAD will soon have the opportunity to hire several key faculty members who will set the course for the department for decades to come.
Nicholas Sawicki, Associate Professor of Art History and Chair
Phone: (610) 758-3718
E-Mail: nis408@lehigh.edu
LUAG
With a collection of more than 17,000 works, the Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG) is a dynamic and diverse resource for students, faculty, researchers, and the local community. These artworks, which range from ancient Chinese ceramics to contemporary photographs, are used as the foundation to spark dialogue across disciplines and around important topics including race, diversity, and politics. LUAG’s mission is to advance critical thinking, cultural understanding, and well-being for campus and community through transformative experiences with art.
LUAG is also a foundational resource for the Department of Art, Architecture, and Design and, in particular, the Museum Studies minor: LUAG’s director serves as faculty in the department, and the galleries and collection spaces are used for teaching and programming. Admission to LUAG and its exhibitions and programs is always free of charge and open to the public – making it a vital community asset. Nearing the 100-year anniversary of its first formal exhibitions program in 1926, LUAG is in a critical moment of change. As the university continues to grow and South Bethlehem undergoes rapid economic development and transformation, LUAG is responding by increasing opportunities for student experiential learning and outreach to the local community. Philanthropy will be key to achieving LUAG’s vision, at the centerpiece of which is a new Lehigh University Museum of Art.
Music
The department has broken new ground at Lehigh in the past several years with a conscious shift from a performance-structured music program to a well-rounded liberal arts model. This allows for a more diverse, creative, and inclusive student experience. While most students in the past have come to the department as experienced musicians, the new, contemporary curriculum invites students who have interests and aspirations in music to engage in a deep and meaningful educational experience.
The department continues to drive program development and support faculty research to enrich students’ creative practice, critical reflection, scholarship, and performance. Optimizing the program to integrate the breadth of cross-disciplinary thinking with the depth of musical training will help drive Lehigh’s reputation as a premier destination for tertiary music education, offering a strong liberal arts college environment backed by theopportunities of a research university.
Tong Soon Lee, Professor and Chair
610-758-4569
tongsoon@lehigh.edu
Theatre
Generations of Lehigh students have found an outlet for creative self-expression and exposure to diverse, new perspectives through the Department of Theatre, which prides itself on continually defying expectations with innovative courses like Hip Hop Theatre and Introduction to Fashion Design. The department attracts students from all over the university and encourages participation at all levels of commitment. Students not only perform on stage, they are also actively engaged in the department’s robust production program, which includes a range of hands-on applications, from scenic and lighting design, set construction and costuming, to directing and stage management.
Today, the department’s emphasis is focused on aligning its season programming and curriculum with areas of student interest, such as playwriting and musical theatre as well as digital and virtual experiences. The department also strives to support faculty projects andresearch, which grow Lehigh’s reputation and create experiences for current students.
Kashi Johnson, Professor and Chair
(610) 758-3636
kkj2@lehigh.edu
Zoellner
The mission of Zoellner Arts Center is to infuse the arts into the life of Lehigh University and the greater Lehigh Valley community by presenting high-quality multidisciplinary programs, by fostering life-long patronage of the arts, and by integrating our educational resources to enhance our human experience. The center fosters collaboration between artists in concert with university faculty, community educators, and students of all ages to highlight the value of the arts. Artmaking has intrinsic value and allows for deeper exploration into our human experience. Integrating the arts across the curriculum builds creative minds which leads to innovation in business, engineering, science, and beyond. Zoellner also connects Lehigh University to its surrounding communities. The center leverages that unique role to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through Zoellner’s education programs, students learn to find their voice and speak up about today’s issues using art as the medium.
Zoellner Arts Center is the physical home of Lehigh University Art Galleries and the Music and Theatre Departments; it hosts many student club activities, as well as campus and community events. Approaching its 25th year, Zoellner is working to expand its physical footprint in order to create a multidimensional space that serves the current needs of faculty, students, and the community.
