Wilmington’s commitment to the arts and arts education enriches the quality of life for its residents.

We are fortunate to live in a community that values art and supports artists, allowing us to enjoy and experience art in so many forms.

The UNCW College of Arts and Sciences is proud to be part of this network. Through events that highlight student and faculty scholarship in the arts, the college contributes to the cultural life of UNCW’s campus and the community.

Housed in UNCW’s Cultural Arts Building, the departments of Music, Theatre and Art and Art History prepare students for careers in the arts, and at the same time serve as cultural and educational resources for residents of the Cape Fear region and beyond.

Students in these departments can earn a B.A. in music or a B.M. in music education, a B.A. in theater, or a B.A. in studio art, art history or digital arts. They study with internationally recognized artists and enjoy an abundance of performance opportunities.

Many of the degree programs offer a customizable track that can be tailored to students’ professional interests. The North Carolina Arts Council notes a 21 percent increase in creative occupations from 2006-15 and a nonprofit arts and culture industry worth $2.12 billion.

In addition to positively affecting the state’s growing creative economy, arts education enriches the quality of life for those living in our community.

UNCW’s Department of Music offers public concerts, lectures and master classes throughout the year, including the annual UNCW Jazz Festival and Summer Jazz Workshop, featuring faculty, UNCW students and high school students from across North Carolina.

Each year, the UNCW Department of Theatre presents a series of productions featuring an eclectic mix of contemporary and reimagined classical theater on both the Main and SRO Blackbox stages. The productions consistently garner recognition and acclaim, and they enable UNCW’s theater students to receive hands-on experience.  

The gallery in the Cultural Arts Building is a resource for students and faculty in the Department of Art and Art History, as well as the campus and the community. The gallery hosts international, national, student and faculty exhibits, and holds a reception for each show; the public is invited to attend. Other community events include lectures with UNCW faculty or visiting artists and studio art demonstrations.

All three departments connect the campus and the community through the arts.

The College of Arts and Sciences’ mission is multi-layered. We prepare students to be engaged citizens, to have the skills to flourish in their professional and personal endeavors, and to enrich the community and the world. I encourage you to visit our campus and enjoy the countless opportunities for education, entertainment and engagement made possible by UNCW student and faculty scholarship.

For more information about upcoming events, visit uncw.edu/music/, uncw.edu/theatre and uncw.edu/art/.

Aswani Volety, Ph.D., is dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology. Volety earned a Ph.D. in marine science from the College of William & Mary, and a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Andhra University. The College of Arts and Sciences is UNCW’s largest academic unit, employing over 450 full-time and 150 part-time faculty members and awarding approximately three quarters of the university’s academic credits. Volety serves as the chief academic, fiscal and administrative officer of the college, which is responsible for educating students across the arts, sciences, humanities and social sciences, and includes the UNCW Center for Marine Science. Volety is also the current president of the Southern Association of Marine Labs.To learn more about the UNCW College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.uncw.edu/cas. Questions and comments can be sent to [email protected].