Visual and Performing Arts - NMU Events and Announcements

Visual and Performing Arts

CO/LAB Dance Company is NMU’s resident on-campus dance company — an exciting opportunity to train in an environment modeled after a professional company while building your artistry, versatility, and collaborative skills. Company members participate in weekly company class and rehearsals every Friday from 1–5pm, working with faculty and guest artists to create and perform original work.

Auditions: Friday, April 24 at 1:00PM in McClintock 117. All participants should complete the audition form as soon as possible.

Commitment: Full academic year
2026–2027 Season Performance: March 18–20, 2027

Featured repertoire for the 2026–2027 season includes:

• A classical ballet production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream choreographed by Karina Johnson
• A contemporary ballet set to excerpts from Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons choreographed by Christopher Houston

In addition to Friday rehearsals, company members participate in:

• Pre-semester Choreography Bootcamp: August 17–21, 2026
• Additional rehearsals as season performance approaches: typically weekday evenings (except Sundays), 7–10pm
• All rehearsals required, including tech and dress rehearsals

CO/LAB offers a focused, supportive environment designed to help you grow as a performer while experiencing the expectations and rewards of company life. This is a fantastic opportunity to work closely with peers and faculty, develop professional habits, and perform in a fully produced concert as part of NMU Theatre & Dance’s vibrant season.

Audition specifics and a link to fill out your audition form (which must be completed in advance) are included HERE.

Learn more about NMU Theatre and Dance and CO/LAB Dance Company!

Visual and Performing Arts

The NMU Percussion Ensemble has been rehearsing all semester! They are excited to welcome Scott Pellegrom, a drum coach and clinician who specializes in creativity and improvisational techniques, to their program!

Join us for this free concert on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 3:00 pm!

Visual and Performing Arts

The NMU Opera Theatre Workshop will present scenes from Street Scene, an American opera by Kurt Weill, on Thursday, April 2, 2026. This performance features student performers alongside collaborative pianist Father Ryan Ford.

The NMU Opera Theatre Workshop is a one-credit course that meets on Thursdays. 

Visual and Performing Arts

The Department of Music Faculty is pleased to announce the roster of performers for the 2026 Performance Scholarship Competition!

Ava Brege, mezzo-soprano
Claire Boyle, percussion
Simon Claybaker, piano
Liam Coenen, alto saxophone
Kaitlyn Levine, trumpet
Jessica Schrader, soprano

To be eligible for this competition, students must be pursuing a major in the NMU Department of Music, be enrolled in lessons, and be nominated by their instructor.

Scholarship awards will be given to first, second, and third place competitors in amounts of $1000, $750 and $500.

Join us for this friendly competition on Wednesday, March 25, at 7:30 PM in Reynolds Recital Hall!

Visual and Performing Arts

Join NAE for a night of comedy featuring Impractical Joker Sal Vulcano! The event, part of the Everything’s Fine Tour, will take place on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at Vandament Arena, with doors opening at 6:15 PM and the show beginning at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $5 for NMU students (limit one per ID) and $15 for community members, and can be purchased at tickets.nmu.edu

Visual and Performing Arts

April 16 - May 1 
Winter 2026 NMU School of Art & Design Senior Exhibition 

Graduating seniors from concentrations across the NMU School of Art and Design present their artwork. This exhibition features artists in the following areas: Ceramics, Digital Cinema, Graphic Design, Illustration, Metalworking, Painting and Drawing, and Photography.

Featured artists include Madison Buszka, Clara Chambers, Livia Ganley, Katelyn Ginger, Aubrey Huddleston, Victoria Iporre Buitrago, Savannah Johnson, Maggie Jordan, Lexi Klamer, Jane Konigsberg, Gianna Madero, Molly Mannor, Paige Miller, Lex Roach, Elliot Smith, Will Voss, Elyse Wejrowski, Aila Weycker, Taryn Whitney, and Breeze Wojciechowski. 

Closing Reception: Friday, May 1st, 7-9 pm 
Film screening: 6:30 pm 
8 pm - Please join us for the awards. 

Thank you to the Friends of the DeVos for sponsoring the Gold Award and the NMU School of Art & Design for sponsoring the Silver and Bronze Awards. 

Visual and Performing Arts

April 16 - May 1 
Winter 2026 NMU School of Art & Design Senior Exhibition 

Graduating seniors from concentrations across the NMU School of Art and Design present their artwork. This exhibition features artists in the following areas: Ceramics, Digital Cinema, Graphic Design, Illustration, Metalworking, Painting and Drawing, and Photography. 

Featured artists include Madison Buszka, Clara Chambers, Livia Ganley, Katelyn Ginger, Aubrey Huddleston, Victoria Iporre Buitrago, Savannah Johnson, Maggie Jordan, Lexi Klamer, Jane Konigsberg, Gianna Madero, Molly Mannor, Paige Miller, Lex Roach, Elliot Smith, Will Voss, Elyse Wejrowski, Aila Weycker, Taryn Whitney, and Breeze Wojciechowski. 

Closing Reception: Friday, May 1st, 7-9 pm 
Film screening: 6:30 pm 
8 pm - Please join us for the awards. 

Thank you to the Friends of the DeVos for sponsoring the Gold Award and the NMU School of Art & Design for sponsoring the Silver and Bronze Awards. 

Visual and Performing Arts

Celebrating Legacy: Lake Superior Art Association in the Permanent Collection

On View: March 19, 2026 – March 19, 2027

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Lake Superior Art Association (LSAA), the longest-running arts organization in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In celebration of this legacy, this exhibition brings together past and present LSAA members from the museum’s permanent collection. A collection that was created in a variety of mediums, including ceramics, sculpture, photography, printmaking, collage, textile, and painting. The artwork offers glimpses into their observations and experiences of everyday life expressed through abstract, representational, and functional forms.

Artists include: Bobbi Ameen, Claire Bennett, Barry Bernstein, Helen Bice, Ben Bohnsack, Sally Brebner, Jon Brookhouse, Thomas Cappuccio, Alice Carr, May Cebalo, Sallie Chisholm, Kathleen Conover, Cynthia Coté, Jack Deo, Verna Depro, Nita Engle, Linda Ferguson, Wayne Francis, Christine Garceau, Vivian Glass, Paul Grant, John Gustafson, Niel Haapala, Elizabeth Hadley, Bill Hamilton, Claire Harkin, Ken Hatfield, John Heath, Kaye Hiebel, Marc Himes, John Hubbard, Kathy Carlton Johnson, Celia Kelly, Diane Kordich, Maude Kronquist, Robert LaLonde, Stella Larkin, Vida Lautner, William Leete, Yvonne Lemire, Marj Lehwald, Maggie Linn, Carl Mayer, Mark Mitchell, Josephine Morris, Tyyne Ostlund, Carol Phillips, Vicki Phillips, Bernard Park, James Quirk, Ed Risak, Sue Robishaw, Ann Russ, Christine Saari, Steve Schmeck, JoAnn Deuel Shelby, Betty Shirtz, Patty Smith, Helen Steinho, and Patrick St. Germain.

Visual and Performing Arts

4Reels Digital Cinema club presents the 24 Hour Film Challenge, an event where you compete to create the best film in just 24 hours. The winners of the challenge will receive free filmmaking equipment! This event is open to NMU students and community members, and can be completed in teams or solo. All equipment and editing software will be provided. 

Visual and Performing Arts

Join us on Sunday, March 15, at 3:00pm in Reynolds Recital Hall for a collaborative concert with the NMU Choirs and Wind Ensemble! This is a pairing you don't want to miss, and the best part, it's free!