Launching Boston University Arts
Dear Members of the BU Community:
During my inaugural address, I mentioned initiatives that will launch this year. In October, I announced “Living Our Values.” Today, I am pleased to launch “Boston University Arts.”
Boston University has a remarkable foundation in the arts, across multiple creative disciplines and in several schools and colleges. Already, in my first few months on campus, I have experienced firsthand the magic of the BU Tanglewood Institute, I have been moved by the talent and imagination of the College of Fine Arts, I have seen our proud history in film and television, and I have been impressed by the Wheelock Family Theatre’s impact on the Boston community.
Boston University Arts will build on this strong foundation by establishing a University-wide vision for making the arts front and center across our campuses, while also ensuring that BU is a leader in and a destination for the arts. The initiative will rely on the expertise of two groups headed by CFA Dean Harvey Young. Firstly, the President’s Advisory Council, which includes students, staff, faculty, alumni, and operational leaders, will begin to inform our long-term strategy. And in parallel, the “Arts Everywhere” Working Group will inventory our existing assets, while suggesting and implementing near-term opportunities for enhancing the arts at BU.
These groups will consider the role of the arts in campus design and operations, the commissioning of public art, external partnerships, the arts infrastructure, and engagement with professional artists, among other things. This work has implications for the University’s many missions, and I am grateful to all who have agreed to serve on the Council or Working Group.
As with each initiative, there will be more to share in the coming months, including opportunities for community members to engage in this important work. I look forward to exploring how we can expand the transformative power of the arts at BU.
Sincerely,
Melissa Gilliam
President
*12/8/24 This message was sent to students, faculty, and staff.