Top 10 Reasons to Give to CFA on BU Giving Day
Top 10 Reasons to Give to CFA on BU Giving Day
At BU College of Fine Arts, we train the next generation of artist-scholars and scholar-artists who are passionate about the arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through the art they make.
To mark the 10th anniversary of Giving Day at Boston University, we are celebrating 10 things that we are proud of at CFA. From constantly crafting new and exciting opportunities for our student artists in our classrooms, on campus, and all over Boston (and beyond), to creating programming that helps our students’ wellbeing, here are 10 reasons to give to CFA this Giving Day.
#1
Breadth of opportunities
A student experience unlike any other
An education from BU College of Fine Arts allows students to get a sense of the professional field through opportunities beyond the classroom. Students benefit from the rich centers of art and culture throughout the city of Boston, New England, and all the way to Europe through study abroad programs!
Music students participate in competitions and take the stage at the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City, as well as perform at BU’s annual concert at the historical and stunning Symphony Hall, home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Theatre students act, design, direct, and write at the award-winning Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre and many work with local Boston theatre organizations during their time as a student at BU. Visual Arts students display their captivating work in galleries all around CFA (such as the Faye G., Jo and James Stone Gallery and 808 Gallery) and participate in fairs, symposiums, and expos.
#2
artist wellness
Providing support for entire artist’s being
CFA students are busy! Homework, exams, rehearsals, studio work, internships… it can easily become overwhelming. That’s why the CFA Student Services team launched a robust series of student-focused events, to support the holistic wellbeing of our students.
The CFA Wellbeing Series is intended for students to learn how to balance all the responsibilities a college student has and know when it’s time to pause and take a break.
“Artists use their bodies and minds in ways that intertwine in the creative process. We want students to become the best artists they can be – to do that, we have to care for their social, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, financial, physical, and environmental well-being,” says Ruthie Jean (CAS’95, Wheelock’98), Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Enrollment.
Wellness events at CFA include the all-time favorite Terrarium Stress Reliever event; workshops on healthy sleep and eating and career and life management; Halloween carnival; CFAmily Jams; and Holiday Cards, Crafts & Cocoa.
#3
Arts for all
Enriching cultural life in BU, Boston, and beyond
A beacon for the arts, CFA hosts hundreds of events year-round. From theatre and opera productions in our mainstage to dynamic and moving exhibitions from guest artists and our students, the BU Arts District shows no signs of slowing down.
Most of our events are free and open to the BU community and the general public. We welcome all to catch a jazz, wind, and orchestra concert at CFA’s Concert Hall or BU’s Tsai Performance Center or spend an afternoon in our many galleries.
We also love knowing that our students are close to some of Boston’s most incredible art organizations, like the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. BU students can get into these venues for free or at a discounted rate through BU Arts Initiative.
#4
Equitable education
Infusing our teaching and learning with new ideas and innovations
At CFA, our students have a vibrant academic experience. Our programs, courses, and curriculum have been reimagined.
We launched BU’s MFA in Visual Narrative where students have the opportunity to craft stories in the medium of comics, long-form graphics, picture books, and transmedia that integrates written and visual language.
Theatre performance students can swap their Rehearsal and Performance (R&P) experience for a semester to explore other aspects of production, in areas like directing, choreographing, dramaturgy, and playwriting.
Bringing visiting artists to campus is an integral part of the academic experience at CFA. BU School of Visual Arts hosts the Tuesday Night Lecture Series, where practicing artists and curators come to BU to present their work and meet with students for individual and group critiques. Our music students benefit from masterclasses and residencies of award-winning artists like Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli (CFA’02, BUTI’98) and composer and pianist Gabriela Lena Frank.
Collaborating with other Colleges, Schools, and Units across BU, CFA students also explore projects on topics that are close to their hearts, from sustainability work to ideas where arts and technology intersect. See how CFA students explore their interests.
#5
professional partnerships
Local to international professional opportunities
CFA has a long tradition of bringing the professional world into our students’ educational experience. It’s wonderful to note that many of our faculty members continue to work professionally in their fields and extend opportunities to our students.
Christopher Edwards, Senior Lecturer at BU School of Theatre, is the Artistic Director of the award-winning Actors’ Shakespeare Project in Boston. ASP launched its 10th season with the thriller Let the Right One In, which was produced in collaboration with BU School of Theatre and performed at BU’s Joan & Edgar Theatre. “Boston is a city full of universities; building deeper relationships with these institutions is mutually beneficial for Boston theatre practitioners at all levels,” said Edwards. “This piece specifically suits this collaboration as ASP has a Resident Acting Company of deeply experienced mature actors and BU has incredible young talent enrolled in the School of Theatre.”
At BU School of Visual Arts, professional partnerships include yearly exhibitions in galleries in Boston, New York, and a bi-annual exhibition in Venice, Italy. Visual arts students also promote their talent and work at Art@Sloane, a biannual art exhibition at Sloane House, Boston University’s Presidential Residence.
In addition to partnerships with Carnegie Hall and Symphony Hall, BU School of Music is also affiliated with numerous organizations like the contemporary music ensemble Alea III, the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the world-renowned Muir String Quarter (SOM’s next director Michael Reynolds is the founding cellist of the Muir String Quarter).
#6
strong alumni community
Once a Terrier, always a Terrier
Our CFA alums are on the go, making art and making impact around the world. BU brings them back together!
We see alums return to campus to direct theatre shows, like Rosalind Bevan (CFA’19) who has worked as a director, producer, and casting director throughout the Boston scene. Roz returned to BU in 2023 to direct Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet, making it Roz’s first time directing a production in BU’s Booth Theatre.
We also love finding out when a group of BU alums are working together in a show, concert, or exhibition! Eight BU alums were involved in the Broadway show, Good Night, Oscar. Some were in the cast and others had roles in design, production, and management.
Our alums are coming up with solutions to problems, like Kamal Ahmad (CFA’16), curator-director of Piano Craft Gallery, who felt frustrated in realizing there was no formal connection among different MFA programs across Boston. So what did Kamal do? Connecting with SVA faculty members like Josephine Halvorson, a CFA professor of art and chair of the school’s MFA painting program, Kamal brought together graduate-level artists by hosting an exhibition at his gallery.
At CFA, we celebrate our alums through features in our award-winning CFA magazine. We also recognize inspiring BU alums who have outstanding achievements in their careers, communities, and in service to the arts at CFA’s Distinguished Alumni Awards.
#7
promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion
Celebrating and representing all voices
As outlined by Boston University Diversity & Inclusion (BU D&I), BU’s story “is constantly evolving, informed by a rich history of inclusion and a present day influenced by thousands of unique perspectives.”
BU D&I works collaboratively, with academic leaders across Boston University, including the College of Fine Arts, to build a positive and inclusive campus environment, and ensure “pathways to success and participation are open to every member of the BU community.”
Our community of alums, students, faculty, and staff are empowered to make art accessible for all. Take a moment to learn about Spencer Hart-Thompson, a vocal performance major who was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome at the age of 16. Undiscouraged, Spencer began to record an album, then embarked on a long-term research project aiming to expand accessibility and accommodations for those with disabilities. He then conceived a hybrid concert/lecture, Music Through the Scope of Disability.
Lina Gonzalez-Granados (CFA’20), LA Opera’s Resident Conductor, is conducting change by opening doors for more women of color in classical music. And classical singer Patrick Dailey (CFA’14) is paying it forward to the next generation of collegiate singers by putting them in the setting “so they get that on-the-job training, the real-life experience—that’s one thing I really wanna make sure that they have.”
At CFA, each School has initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the arts community.
#8
bu bands
Music-making opportunities for all BU students
There are many ways for BU students from every major to get involved with performance ensembles through BU School of Music and BU Bands. Our ensembles provide meaningful music-making opportunities and serve as a great musical outlet for our students.
As a BU Bands member, students are a part of the BU soundtrack and feel proud to show off their Terrier pride! BU Bands program performs for over 200,000 people at over 150 events each year. In addition to performances on campus, some of our ensembles travel often for shows, competitions, tournaments, and concerts.
“The band is the thumping heartbeat of the University. It is audible school spirit and pride. Campus would be thriving, but a lot duller without the BU Bands.”
–Aaron Goldberg, BU director of Athletic Bands, Big Band conductor, and senior lecturer in music.
#9
State-of-the-art venues and facilities
Renovating and building new studios, practice rooms, and performance spaces
At CFA, we’re constantly looking at ways to enhance the areas in which our students learn, practice, study, and create!
Our award-winning Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre and CFA Production Center, which was funded in part by a naming gift of $10 million from BU trustee Steve Zide (LAW’86) and named after Steve’s theatre-loving wife, Janet Zide’s parents, Joan and Edgar Booth, has been listed among the best architectural structures around the globe and provides theatre performance and design and production students with limitless opportunities to experiment and innovate. It’s also earned the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification for its green features, including operations and maintenance of a resource-efficient, healthy, and cost-effective space.
Our printmaking program is housed in an expansive workshop with state-of-the-art facilities including four lithography presses, five studios, five large-format printers, six etching presses, and more!
CFA has been recognized for preserving historic buildings and landscapes, while also transforming our venues and facilities to be more inviting to the Boston community, through the 2022 Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award from Preservation Massachusetts. From 2018 to 2020, CFA had extensive renovations completed, including the installation of arched, expansive windows that allow passersby to see the inside of BU’s Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery and bring in natural light to our CFA Student Lounge where student-focused events and events with Dean Harvey Young are held throughout the year.
#10
Premier summer youth programs
Shaping future artists
Beyond a wide variety of programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, CFA hosts and partners with premier learning and artistic experiences for pre-college level student-artists.
BU Tanglewood Institute, the premier summer training program for talented young musicians, is located in the beautiful Berkshire mountains of Lenox, Massachusetts just down the road from the Tanglewood Music Center: the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Through BUTI’s special relationship with the BSO, students learn and grow through intensive programming in the presence of some of the world’s greatest music professionals and teachers.”
BU School of Visual Arts’ Summer Institute (VASI) offers high school students (ages 15–18) an intensive visual arts program designed to help them build exceptional portfolios and get a taste of the collegiate art school experience. In addition to classes and studio time, students visit and study works of art in area museums, participate in special workshops, and experience life as a BU Terrier.
BU School of Theatre offers the BU Summer Theatre Institute (BUSTI), a four-week pre-college experience, where high school students passionate about the theatre arts hone their technique, depth of intellectual and artistic questioning, playfulness in collaboration, and ability to tell a dynamic story through the theatrical medium.
CFA is also proud to partner with Wheelock Family Theatre. Founded in 1981 and adopted into BU in 2018, Wheelock Family Theatre is one of the largest professional theaters in Boston with performances having been seen by more than one million people. Its impressive outreach to Boston and Greater Boston schools enables Wheelock Family Theatre to entertain and educate approximately 15,000 visiting schoolchildren every year.
Giving a gift to CFA can be a wonderful way to support arts education and contribute to the growth and development of talented individuals. It is an investment in the future of the arts, education, and cultural enrichment. Participate in this year’s BU Giving Day on April 3, 2024!
Make a Difference this Giving Day
Your gift to the College of Fine Arts, BU Art Galleries, BU Arts Initiative, BU Bands, BU Tanglewood Institute, or Wheelock Family Theatre transforms the lives of students and supports everything from need-based scholarships and career-changing training opportunities to community-based programs and technological advancement.
Thanks to our 2024 Giving Day sponsor and CFA Dean’s Advisory Board member, Frank Ginsberg (CFA’65), every 125 donors to CFA unlocks $5,000 in bonus funds until we hit our goal of 250 donors. Frank is the founder, chairman, and CEO of AFG& (formerly known as Avrett Free Ginsberg), a global full-service advertising agency based in New York City. Frank returned to BU in 2022 as the CFA Convocation Speaker for the Class of 2022.