The community is invited to experience the arts being created by UAB students and faculty with this curated list of performances and happenings.Enjoy the arts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this spring with concerts, musical theater, an art exhibition, student films, poetry and more.
Arts Week, a spotlight on student and faculty creativity, is presented by the UAB College of Arts and Sciences. This year, Arts Week runs from March 30 through April 9. Events and performances will showcase students from the departments of Art and Art History, Communication Studies, English, History, Music, and Theatre. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community are invited to experience the arts on campus and in the community with this curated list of performances.
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Monday, March 30
- UAB Department of Music presents the PRISM concert, 7 p.m. in UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. This annual showcase features students and faculty in solo, chamber and large ensemble performances, ranging from classical, jazz and gospel to computer music and beyond. Tickets are $25; $20 for UAB faculty and staff; free for any students with ID. Premium ticket packages are also available. Buy tickets or call the ASC Box Office at 205-975-2787.
Thursday, April 2
- UAB Department of Art and Art History Faculty Open Studios, 5-8 p.m. 2300 Building, 2300 Seventh Ave. South. The Open Studios event is designed to highlight the range and depth of the department’s faculty research with a behind-the-scenes look into the spaces where they make their artwork and the distinct methodology behind each faculty member’s process. Free.
Friday, April 3
- Opening night for “Dear Evan Hansen,” presented by Theatre UAB and Red Mountain Theatre, with shows through April 19, at RMT, 1600 Third Ave. South. This critically acclaimed and Tony Award-winning 2015 musical is making its RMT debut through this collaboration of college and professional theater, now in its third year. All his life, Evan Hansen has felt invisible. When a tragic event shocks the community, Evan’s choices — and lies — leave him at the center of the turmoil. As Evan works through his adolescent confusion, grief and the pressures of the online world, it becomes the story of the universal need to find acceptance. Tickets start at $40. Use the code EVAN7 for a $7 discount off adult tickets. Buy tickets.
- UAB Department of Music Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert, 7 p.m. UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Free admission.
Tuesday, April 7
- Opening day for the UAB Department of Art and Art History’s BFA Exhibition, in UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, 1221 10th Ave. South. An intensive exploration across a range of disciplines, the BFA program of study at UAB prepares students to pursue careers as artists and designers or continue to graduate school. AEIVA is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Free admission.
Wednesday, April 8
- UAB Department of English Mersmann Poetry AwardsMersmann Poetry Awards, 6 p.m., in University Hall, Room 2007, 1402 10th Ave. South. Given in honor of Jim Mersmann, Ph.D. — a professor emeritus known for his fantastic reading style — this award recognizes marvelous readings of poetry. Students are encouraged to read an original poem and/or a poem by another poet. First- and second-place prizes will be awarded for best original poem and best-read poem by another poet.
Thursday, April 9
- Media and Film Open House, presented by the UAB Department of History, UAB Department of Communication Studies and Media Studies, 4-6 p.m. in the Media Commons in Heritage Hall, 1401 University Blvd.
- Magic City Shorts: Student Film Showcase, presented by the UAB Department of History, UAB Department of Communication Studies and Media Studies, 6-8 p.m. in the Hill Center Alumni Theater, 1400 University Blvd.
- UAB Department of Music Honors Recital, 7 p.m., Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. Free admission. More than 20 years ago, the UAB Department of Music began an opportunity for students to perform in a spring honors recital. Each of the applied music faculty recommends their top performers, who audition for outside adjudicators. Those chosen by the adjudicators are named the best performers.