Arts Community

At The University of Iowa, students have always had a variety of opportunities to act, sing, dance, write, play music, and express themselves creatively through Iowa’s many arts and performance activities and venues. Now students can enrich their experience at Iowa by choosing to live in the Arts Living-Learning Community.

The community is open to first- and second-year students who enjoy the visual, creative, and performing arts. Preference is given to students majoring in these disciplines, but students in any major are welcome.

Activities include attending events on and off campus with special benefits such as open rehearsals, pre- and post-performance discussions, and backstage access for certain events.

The community encourages attendance and involvement with the Division of Performing Arts (including the Department of Dance, School of Music, and Department of Theatre), the Department of Art and Art History, Hancher Auditorium, University Museums, and other community arts and cultural organizations.

Students may be offered:

  • Free or discounted tickets
  • Field trips to events
  • Access to faculty and staff within the Division of Performing Arts
  • Lots of fun social activities!

Required course

Current first-year students in this community are required to take a first-year seminar in the Fall Semester called Works of Art.

In this hands-on seminar, students will explore their personal approach to art and share it with each other. This process will take place in three ways.

  • Each student will have the opportunity to present a work of art they have created or to which they have a strong response. They will talk about it in both personal and conceptual terms, sharing their passion for the art and their knowledge of the craft.
  • Students will attend different arts events drawn from music, dance, theatre, cinema and the visual arts. Each event will be preceded by a session during which the instructor will prepare students for the experience, and will be followed by a discussion about the event. Students will also write a response paper about each event.
  • As a final project, interdisciplinary teams of 3-4 students will form to create a short new work of art and have 30 minutes to present it to the class and discuss it with their fellow students.

Accepts first-year and returning students

This community accepts first-year students and returning second-year students.

How to apply 

Select this living-learning community as your priority assignment on your housing application, which will be available online through yourAdmissions Profile on ISIS beginning in early November 2011 for students admitted for fall 2012.

For more information

For more information, contact Hillary Foster in the Division of Performing Arts at 319-335-2700.