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Arts

Thomas Jefferson understood the power of art to instruct and enlighten, to delight the senses as well as touch the mind. In his famous letter to Joseph Priestley, Mr. Jefferson counted the fine arts among the "useful & practicable" subjects worthy of study.

Although a lack of resources kept Jefferson from including the arts among the branches of knowledge originally taught at the University, today's students benefit from distinguished programs in the visual arts, drama, and music with diverse resources in libraries, museums, classrooms, theatres, and studios.

Check out the University's Arts Web site and the Virginia 2020 Commission on the Fine and Performing Arts.

The McIntire Department of Art houses the Fayerweather Gallery, which exhibits work by faculty and students as well as nationally recognized artists. Administered by the faculty and operated by students, the gallery is an integral part of the teaching program and a cultural resource for the community. The Fiske Kimball Fine Arts Library supports teaching and research in the fields of art and architecture.

The University of Virginia Art Museum exhibits art from around the world dating from ancient times to the present day. In addition to its permanent collection, the Museum presents an ongoing schedule of changing exhibitions.

The Department of Drama houses modern facilities to accommodate its classroom, studio, and production activities and includes two theatres--the 595-seat Culbreth and the 200-seat Helms. The department has recently expanded its commitment to film studies and is now the home of the annual Virginia Film Festival. The festival brings classic film screenings, new releases, and rarely seen works by independent filmmakers to Charlottesville.

The popular Heritage Repertory Theatre offers the University and area community traditional and innovative drama and musical theatre during the summer months. Past productions have included Anything Goes, Proof, and Comic Potential.

The McIntire Department of Music offers a pioneering program that balances study in academics and performance within a liberal arts environment. Department resources include the largest music library in Virginia and the Virginia Center for Computer Music for work in computer sound generation.

Numerous faculty- and student-directed ensembles and community performance groups can be found in the Charlottesville area, including a symphony orchestra, chorus, chamber choir and orchestra, swing orchestra, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, early music ensemble, new music ensemble, opera workshop, and various a capella singing groups.