Spaces

If you love the sound of bells, Beaumont Tower in the center of “old campus” is the place to visit. The tower has a carillon, a musical instrument consisting of at least two octaves of bells arranged in a chromatic series and played from a keyboard that permits control of expression through variation of touch. Carillonists play the MSU carillon at noon on Wednesdays during the school year, Wednesday evenings during the Muelder Summer Carillon Series, and for special tours and events.

The Billman Music Pavilion is a 37,000 square feet state-of-the-art facility, purpose-built for music study, practice, and performance, and includes four performance and recital halls and 45 additional practice rooms. The enhanced facilities ensure a 21st-century learning environment for all music students while celebrating the history of the original College of Music 1939 building constructed through the Works Progress Administration.

The MSU Broad Art Museum features exhibitions of local, national, and international artists, a permanent collection of over 10,000 works, dynamic public programming, and the Center for Object Research and Engagement. Opened in 2012 and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, it is one of only five international museums designed by Pritzker Prize- winning architect Zaha Hadid.

The Kresge Art Center is home to the Department of Art, Art History and Design. The department offers undergraduate and graduate studies in apparel and textile design, art education, art history and visual culture, graphic design and studio art (ceramics, drawing, electronic art and intermedia, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture). The Kresge Art Center is also home to many galleries, exhibit spaces, and a Visual Resource Library.

The iconic MSU Auditorium had been home to performing arts on campus since 1939. It features the Studio 60 Theatre, a smaller performance venue located in the lower level, which provides a space for students and faculty to teach and experiment with new learning tools in media, acting, and lighting. The Fairchild Theatre, physically connected to the MSU Auditorium to the east, hosts rehearsals, lectures, classes, theatre performances, and MSU Opera Theatre productions.

The MSU Main Library includes the Hollander MakeCentral: Makerspace, an alternative learning environment and gathering space that encourages cross-discipline collaboration, experimentation, and learning. The MSU Libraries are also committed to holding, preserving, building, and making accessible rare materials and special collections. The Stephen O. Murray and Keelung Hong Special Collections contains over 450,000 printed works, manuscripts, archival collections, and ephemera.

The MSU Museum is an interdisciplinary museum featuring exhibitions and programming that prompts open exploration, expression, experimentation, and curiosity about the world. Established in 1857, the museum’s collections and specimens are used as a catalyst in teaching, learning, and research. It is Michigan’s first Smithsonian Affiliate.

The Residential College for Arts and Humanities (RCAH) is home to the LookOut Gallery, a museum-grade exhibition space that features a curated exhibition schedule showcasing artistic work by local and national artists, as well as MSU students, staff, and professors. RCAH is also home to the Center for Poetry, the only space on campus dedicated to the art of poetry, and its own theatre and art studio.

Formerly known as the Performing Arts Teaching Laboratory, the Scene Shop is where all the sets for the Department of Theatre and the College of Music opera program get their start. The 9,370-square-foot size of the facility sets it apart, allowing for two shows to be worked on at the same time, and the 22-foot clearance ceilings ensure that students can construct scenery in full.

Summer Circle Courtyard is an outdoor performance venue located in a courtyard between the Kresge Art Center and the Auditorium Building. It features three tiers of built-in seating for 400 surrounding a circular sub-stage. It is home to the MSU Department of Theatre’s annual Summer Circle Theatre, which offers free theatre to Mid-Michigan audiences of all ages.

(SCENE) Metrospace is operated by MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design. Located in downtown East Lansing, it was founded in response to the State of Michigan’s “Cool Cities” economic growth initiative, and hosts a variety of exhibitions, artists-in-residence performances, and student showcases for the public.

The MSU Union Art Gallery opened during the fall of 2016 on the second floor of the MSU Union. It is programmed and operated by the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University. The 900-square-foot space hosts 6 to 8-week exhibitions featuring work by alumni, contemporary artists, and special curated exhibitions from collaborators on campus.

Since opening night of its first performance in 1982, Wharton Center hosts prominent local and touring productions, as well as commissions new works by up-and-coming artists. Wharton Center has two theatres—Cobb Great Hall, the larger venue known for its continental seating, and the Pasant Theatre, a smaller thrust stage that allows for more intimate interaction between performers and the audience.

Established in 1873, the Beal Garden is the longest running continuously operated botanical university garden in the United States and illuminates the interconnectedness between people, plants, and place. Located in the heart of MSU’s campus, the garden features a dynamic collection of over 2,000 botanicals situated on the Red Cedar River.

WKAR Public Media features arts and culture programming and local news coverage online and broadcast for mid-Michigan, including classical, folk and jazz listening streams, video shorts featuring MSU arts destinations, performances from PBS and Tiny Desk concerts from NPR, and much more. WKAR studios and offices are located in the Communication Arts and Sciences building on MSU’s campus.