Start with the gorgeous University of Washington campus. Add hundreds of talented artists and performers. Combine with UW scholars who speak eloquently about the arts. Stir well, then bake at a balmy 80 degrees.

That’s the tantalizing recipe for the UW Summer Arts Festival, a major campus event to be held July 18 through 22. The Festival will showcase the talents of UW faculty and students plus a variety of other performers, with offerings throughout the day in several campus locations. Nearly every performance will include an educational component—a brief pre-concert talk, a Q&A session, a linked course —reflecting the University’s role as the pre-eminent educational institution in our region.

The Festival was the brain child of faculty in the UW’s arts units, who sought greater visibility for the University’s arts programs and more opportunities to collaborate across disciplines. They received funding through a UW Tools for Transformation grant, and began planning the Festival last year.

“There will be a ton of offerings,” says Hannah Wiley, who is taking a leave from her role as director of the Dance Program to serve as director of the Festival. “We’re setting up the schedule so you can come for a day to see multiple performances, or you can come for several days and see even more without seeing anything twice.”

Finding the right mix of offerings for the five-day Festival has kept Wiley and Festival Manager Risa Morgan jumping for the past year. They developed a Festival theme, Quartets, which has helped guide their choices.

“We’re defining ‘quartets’ loosely,” explains Wiley. “A performance might include four people or four instruments, or it might highlight the work of four choreographers. But nearly every offering at the Festival relates to the theme of quartets in some way.”

The theme seems fitting. After all, the Festival idea emerged because four arts units—the School of Art, School of Music, School of Drama, and Dance Program—were willing and eager to work together. “The directors of the four units are extremely compatible right now,” says Wiley. “All of the units are healthy and doing fine work, and we’re able to think more broadly, beyond what our own unit is doing.” As the Festival plan developed, the Henry Art Gallery and Meany Hall for the Performing Arts became involved as well.

“It’s been great to get to know the artists in other arts units on campus better,” says Wiley. “I think the cross-pollination that’s been taking place as we’ve planned this event is wonderful. It’s going to be an important side effect of the Festival. The result will be a stronger arts community on campus.”

So Many Choices, So Little Time

	Kronos Quartet

So what can Festival visitors expect to see and hear? The renowned Kronos Quartet, known for its fearless dedication to experimentation, will perform. Saxophonist and composer John Zorn will play with Masada, a provocative quartet that defies easy musical classification. And the UW’s talented music faculty will be featured prominently, including the chamber group Soni Ventorum, jazz musician Marc Seales, and many others.

In the visual arts, alumni will take the spotlight in an exhibit at the School of Art’s Jacob Lawrence Gallery. “4 x 4” will highlight the works of 16 visual artists who hail from the School of Art, four from each decade since 1960. Among the alumni representated are glass artist Dale Chihuly and painter Chuck Close—a testament to the excellence of the School. The work of UW art faculty will be on view at Meany Hall and the Ethnic Cultural Center Theatre.

The Chamber Dance Company will perform daily at the Festival.

Then there’s the Chamber Dance Company, the University’s professional dance company in residence, which will perform quartets from four choreographers—Jose Limon, Mark Dendy, Moses Pendleton, and Doug Varone—throughout the week. The dancers will provide background about the choreographers before each dance, enriching the experience for audiences.

And what arts festival experience is complete without a production of Hamlet? The Festival will include a movement-based production of Shakespeare’s quintessential tragedy, drawing on elements of dance, performance art, and the formal styles of Japanese theatre. UW Professors Steven Pearson and Robyn Hunt worked with guest director Susan Finque to shape the script in a true collaboration. Hamlet‘s cast will include eight actors—four faculty and four alumni of the UW’s Professional Actor Training Program.

There’s still more. A four-day series of Native American films will be offered, with several of the filmmakers in attendance. Saxophonist Bert Wilson will perform after Pepper’s Pow Wow, a documentary on contemporary Native American jazz musician Jim Pepper. And Native American comedian Charlie Hill will be on hand when a documentary about his life and humor is presented.

Unexpected Treats

Think you’ve figured out your game plan for the Festival? Be sure to leave time to relax in the quad. You are likely to discover some arts events that aren’t listed in the schedule.

K-12 students participating in educational workshops in the morning will head outside to practice in the afternoon, weather permitting, adding to the event’s festive atmosphere. And the Shakespeare Players—a group of 16 UW drama and dance students—will offer frequent presentations of Shakespeare scenes in the School of Art courtyard.

Wiley hopes these informal events, and the general ambiance of the Festival, will encourage audiences to explore areas of the arts they may not have considered before.

“My hope is that people intending to attend one event will end up in another event, in another discipline. We set up the schedule to create opportunities for that to happen.”

A Chance to Reflect on the Festival’s Offerings

The schedule also provides ample opportunity for visitors to learn about the arts while experiencing them. UW faculty have planned a variety of educational offerings to enhance the Festival, ranging from courses to a seminar series to more informal talks. “If you’re an arts appreciater, you’re probably also a life-long learner,” says Wiley. “There’s an audience that wants to see a performance with the opportunity to talk about it. We’re making sure that happens all across campus.”

ARTS 150, “Experiencing the Arts,” is a new UW course created in conjunction with the Festival. It will be offered during the first term of Summer Quarter, using the Festival as a foundation for talking about art. Developed by drama professor Valerie Curtis-Newton and dance professor Maria Simpson, the five-week course will focus on a different arts discipline each week—drama, dance, music, and art—with the final week reserved for experiencing the Festival performances and exhibits. UW students may take the course for credit; the general public may register for the course through Summer Quarter.

During Festival week, philosophy professor Ron Moore will present a morning lecture series, “Aesthetic Experience and Social Experience,” that explores intriguing and important issues in philosophical aesthetics. A more informal Lunch Hour Lecture Series will focus on a different discipline each day. An evening lecture series is also being planned, ensuring that educational offerings will be available whatever your schedule.

Several panel discussions will take place during the Festival as well. UW President Richard McCormick will participate in a community forum, “Musings on the Future—Arts in the University.” A second panel will discuss “K-14 Arts in the Schools.”

Given the rich tapestry of arts events being offered, does Wiley have any thoughts on which offerings will be most popular?

“I really don’t,” she says. “You can plan a lot of it, but you never know what’s really going to happen—what event is going to take off and be a highlight. That’s the magic of a festival.”

Want to learn more? For a schedule of Festival events and ticket information, contact the UW Summer Arts Festival office at (206) 685-6696 or check out the Festival's web site.

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Children's Workshops for Music Exploration

[Winter 2000 - Table of Contents]