The event, which will be held 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 2 at Manderino Library, celebrates the importance of a liberal arts education.
Visitors at last year's Liberal Arts Festival look at T-shirts screen printed by the Graphic Design Club.
Cal U will celebrate “Cultures and Arts” at the second Liberal Arts fall festival.
The event, which will be held 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 2 at Manderino Library, celebrates the importance of a liberal arts education by showcasing the departments found within the college — Art and Languages; Communication, Design and Culture; Criminal Justice; English;, History, Politics, Society and Law; Music and Theatre; Psychology; and the Honors Program.
Admission is free, and the Cal U community and public are welcome to attend.
"The liberal arts are an integral part of our lived experiences: how the psyche operates, appreciating beauty, and persuading,” said Dr. Kristen Majocha, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “This festival showcases the College of Liberal Arts in ways that invite participation and build excitement around our majors.
“But the liberal arts do more; we inform the sciences, technology, and practical applications, helping doctors learn bedside manner, creating critical decision makers, reaching digital markets through compelling graphics and design. This day of celebration makes visible these interdisciplinary connections."
More than 400 high school students are expected to attend the festival.
From 10-11 a.m., they will hear presentations from Cal U faculty and guest speakers — including one about Morocco from Oussama Alaoui Ismaili, the University’s third visiting Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant in the Arabic program.
Other presentations will discuss Chinese writing and culture, motifs in early Islamic architecture, and artistic expression and life in the French court. Cal U students from the Department of Music and Theatre will perform, and the history of artifacts and artwork from the Louvre also will be discussed.
All festival attendees may view We Can Do It! WWII, a traveling exhibition from the Senator John Heinz History Center, in association with the Smithsonian Institution, which runs through Oct. 5 on the third floor of the library.
Activities open to the public are scheduled to include performances by the Young and Gifted Gospel Choir, a cappella groups; and African, salsa and Latino bands.
Students from Cal U’s Department of Music and Theatre will perform a series of one-act plays, dance pieces and other interpretative performances.
Other activities and displays include print-making, painting and drawing demonstrations; cultural diversity tables; poetry and prose readings; and medieval sword-fighting demonstrations.
Students and faculty from the College of Liberal Arts also will present academic works and share interactive experiences with visitors.
Andrea Cencich is the event organizer, with assistance from Sabrina Hykes-Davis, Monica Ruane Rogers, Jodie Bonidie, Becky McMillen, Barbara Engle and Darla Holley Holmes.
The Office of the President is the gold sponsor. Co-sponsoring the festival are the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of Art and Languages, and Manderino Library.
For more information contact the Department of Art and Languages at 724-938-4182 or email cencich_a@calu.edu.