Arts Circle

With world-class exhibitions and performances, the Arts Circle welcomes patrons, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the larger community alike. It’s easier than ever to take in many wonderful and diverse experiences, all on one campus.

The stunning new Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts has taken its highly anticipated place on the Northwestern campus to act as the hub of the new, multidisciplinary Arts Circle. The Ryan Center’s gleaming surfaces, green spaces, and spectacular views of both Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline bring our facilities into harmony with our storied reputation in the arts.

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Ryan Center exterior
Interior of Ryan Center
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⭐ Arts Circle

Northwestern's Arts Circle is home to a number of venues: Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, which hosts performers and speakers throughout the year; the Block Museum, our free art museum; the Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts; and the Marshall Dance Center.

There are over 80 student-run productions at Northwestern every year, ranging from theatre productions like 9 to 5 (2020), to a Burlesque show, lmprov groups, and much more. Arts at Northwestern include the whole student body and all of our student-run performance organizations are open to all majors.

Also in the Arts Circle is the Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, the home building for the Bienen School of Music. The Ryan Center is one of our newest buildings, completed in 2015, and houses faculty offices, student practice rooms, classrooms, and studios as well as a 400-seat recital hall.

The Bienen School of Music is a conservatory-style school and requires an audition during the application process. Students in Bienen also have the opportunity to complete the Dual Degree program, which is a 5-year program in which students receive two separate
Bachelor's Degrees from Bienen and another undergraduate school on campus. The combination of a conservatory curriculum and access to a large research university makes Bienen unique among its music school peers.

⭐ Arts - Student Stories

"I was really into dance and choreography in high school but hadn't found a path to pursue it in my first year at Northwestern. A friend in my a cappella group was music directing a student-run musical her second year here and told me they were in need of
someone to choreograph the show, something that I had never done on my own but was really excited about. She put me in contact with the director, who sat down with me to talk about the exact responsibilities and his vision and expectations for the show. By the end of that meeting, everything was set and I was already working on choreographing a number for the dance call. Even though I am an engineer, it was never called into question whether I was qualified. I was simply really excited about the process and had a passion for dance and choreography, which was enough to be given the responsibility. Through that process, I met even more friends in the arts that I now support in more productions, and also know that I can audition and be a part of more shows and it will never be weird that I don't study it!" —Tricia, McCormick '21

"I joined a hip hop group, Refresh Dance Crew, my first year on campus, and every quarter since then I've gotten the chance to perform in front of hundreds of students and collaborate with other dance groups at Northwestern. I knew that I loved dance before I came to college, but I've grown so much as a dancer since joining this group and have loved sharing my passion with my team and the larger Northwestern community. " —Jordan, School of Education and Social Policy '21

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