By Marina Gomberg, associate director of communications and marketing for the College of Fine Arts

On Wednesday, Aug. 30 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., the arts at the University of Utah are taking over the Marriott Library Plaza. We’re talking about a massive stage, live performances, interactive art, free food, free T-shirts, free swag and all the info you could ever want on the different ways to experience the arts on campus.

Before we go any further. You know about Arts Pass, right? That you can use your UCard to get free or discounted tickets to literally hundreds of arts experiences every year? Dance performances, concerts, plays, exhibitions, film screenings and more — and it even includes access to the newly reimagined and reopened Utah Museum of Fine Arts, as well as UtahPresents and Pioneer Theatre Company.

We’re thrilled to host all five academic units in the College of Fine Arts. They’ll be there to let you know what non-major classes you can take to supplement your education, how to major in the arts and what experiences they’re providing throughout the year for all U students, faculty and staff. Plus, we’ll have all three professional arts organizations (UMFA, UtahPresents and Pioneer Theatre Company) there along with our friends from ArtsForce, the Marriott Library’s Creative & Innovation Services and our presenting sponsors from the A. Ray Olpin Student Union.

We’re excited to welcome to the main stage (although not necessarily in this order):

• The Department of Theatre’s musical theatre program will perform numbers from their season opener “Steel Pier” and the Musical Theatre Ensemble will also grace the stage for some high-energy musical goodness.
• Artists Reconnecting Together is a student group affiliated with the U’s School of Dance that seeks to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations between current students and alumni. They’ll perform excerpts from several works, some set to the jazz tunes of Kris Johnson, professor in the School of Music.
• Speaking of which, the University of Utah Jazz Nonet led by Johnson is also set to perform. The tunes these cool cats (our words, not theirs) play are not to be missed!
• School of Dance student Jalen Williams will change out of his dance gear and into some street clothes donning his stage name, Jaywill, for an incredible live rap performance.
• The School of Dance will also present a stunning ballet performance, a modern dance performance called “Vividly Kinetic I” and an Arts Bash favorite, the modern dance improv jam.
• The School of Music’s Infrared is a small vocal ensemble that will also be on stage belting out the best of pop a cappella.

More and more research is showing the positive impacts of the arts on education. The findings are significant, exposure to the arts is linked with better critical thinking skills, greater social tolerance, a greater likelihood of seeking out art and culture in the future and better workforce opportunities.

Maybe that’s why we’ve issued more than 100,000 Arts Pass tickets over the years.

So, come. Experience. Enjoy. And start thinking differently.