Center for the Arts

Gallery Exhibitions

Born to Run 50: Photographs by Eric Meola

This exciting new exhibit celebrates the photography of Eric Meola, whose iconic photo of Springsteen and saxophonist Clarence Clemons graces the Born to Run album cover.  The free exhibit will be open to the public in Monmouth University’s Rechnitz Hall DiMattio Gallery from Friday, September 5 through December 18, 2025. See gallery hours and more here.

Gallery Exhibitions

Dennis McNett and Ben Venom: Double Trouble

Monmouth University, Department of Art & Design, in collaboration with Parlor Gallery in Asbury Park is pleased to present Double Trouble, a groundbreaking exhibition uniting the strong works of Dennis McNett (Wolfbat) and Ben Venom. McNett’s large-scale wood carvings and intricate prints stand in powerful dialogue with Venom’s punk-infused quilts and textile works. These boundary-pushing artists transform traditional techniques into bold cultural statements that challenge, provoke, and inspire.

Gallery Exhibitions

Seen & Unseen, Charles Sills’ Memorial Group Art Exhibit

In illuminating what has been hidden—by history, by progress, or by the limits of perception—Seen & Unseen seeks to reclaim and reframe the narratives that shape our cultural and emotional landscapes. Through painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, the exhibition invites both artists and audiences to consider: What do we overlook in our daily lives? What deserves to be remembered? And how do the spaces we inhabit reflect the spaces within us?

Candlelight Concerts

Christmas Classics

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Long Branch. Get your tickets now to discover Christmas Classics at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight. The Concertize String Quartet has a tentative program featuring both new and classic Christmas music!

Candlelight Concerts

Tribute to Adele

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never before. Fever Up’s concert series was created with the intention of democratizing access to classical music, and the space and performers are illuminated by thousands of candles to create a truly magical experience. The String Quartet has a tentative program that includes songs such as Hello, Rumour Has It, Set Fire to the Rain, Rolling in the Deep, and many more!

Performing Arts Series

Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea

Celebrate the magic of the season at the annual holiday concert with Father Alphonse Stevenson and the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea! This beloved tradition fills Pollak Theatre with the sounds of a 42-piece orchestra, talented soloists, and timeless holiday classics. Join us for an uplifting evening of music and joy as we welcome the spirit of the season together

Art on Screen

Exhibition on Screen – Rembrandt

An intimate, expert-guided exploration of a landmark Rembrandt exhibition, revealing the artist’s late-life masterpieces and offering fresh insight into his creative genius and enduring legacy.

Tuesday Night Book Club

Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children

Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack, each month we’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion! This week’s book is Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of India’s independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem grows up to learn the ominous consequences of this coincidence. His every act is mirrored and magnified in events that sway the course of national affairs; his health and well-being are inextricably bound to those of his nation; his life is inseparable, at times indistinguishable, from the history of his country. Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with India’s 1,000 other “midnight’s children,” all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts. This novel is at once a fascinating family saga and an astonishing evocation of a vast land and its people–a brilliant incarnation of the universal human comedy. Twenty-five years after its publication, Midnight’ s Children stands apart as both an epochal work of fiction and a brilliant performance by one of the great literary voices of our time.

Candlelight Concerts

Tribute to Queen and The Beatles

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Queen and The Beatles at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight. The String Quartet has a tentative program that includes songs such as Here Comes the Sun, Yesterday, I Want to Break Free, Bohemian Rhapsody, and more!

Adult Education Series

Disco Inferno!, Part II

Class Schedule: December 11, 16, & 18, 2025 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

By the late 1970s, disco dominated the airwaves and conquered film, television, advertising, and fashion. Its ubiquity, however, led to an inevitable backlash in the form of Chicago’s infamous “Disco Demolition Night” event at Comiskey Park.  Did that signal the end of the genre?  Hardly—it merely changed labels, transforming its sound and becoming “House” or “Electronic Dance Music (EDM).”  In the present day, artists such as Dua Lipa, Beyoncé, and Sabrina Carpenter have incorporated the sound into their own music.

Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

Candlelight Concerts

Coldplay vs. Imagine Dragons

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Long Branch. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Coldplay vs. Imagine Dragons at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight. The String Quartet has a tentative program that includes songs such as The Scientist, Viva la Vida, Radioactive, Believer, and more!

Candlelight Concerts

Christmas Classics

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Long Branch. Get your tickets now to discover Christmas Classics at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight. The Concertize String Quartet has a tentative program featuring both new and classic Christmas music!

Candlelight Concerts

Christmas Classics

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Long Branch. Get your tickets now to discover Christmas Classics at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight. The Concertize String Quartet has a tentative program featuring both new and classic Christmas music!

SOLD OUT

The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD

Andrea Chénier

Giordano’s passionate tragedy stars tenor Piotr Beczała as the virtuous poet who falls victim to the intrigue and violence of the French Revolution. Following their celebrated recent partnership in Giordano’s Fedora in the 2022–23 Live in HD season, Beczała reunites with soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Chénier’s aristocratic lover, Maddalena di Coigny, with baritone Igor Golovatenko as Carlo Gérard, the agent of the Reign of Terror who seals their fates. Met Principal Guest Conductor Daniele Rustioni takes the podium to lead Nicolas Joël’s gripping staging, which will be transmitted live from the Met stage to Pollak Theatre on December 13. 

Art on Screen

Goya: Visions of Flesh and Blood

Discover the genius of Goya- Spain’s master of the modern portraiture- in this cinematic journey through the National Gallery’s landmark exhibition. This heir to Velázquez and inspiration to Picasso redefined modern art.

Please note that this event, originally scheduled for October 13, has been rescheduled to December 15. All tickets previously purchased will remain valid for the new date.

Tuesday Night Record Club

The Band, Music from Big Pink

It’s just like book club but with albums! With new advances in technology, the way we consume music through our devices, apps and on demand streaming services like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes is making the idea of the “album” as an art form extinct. Get together with other music enthusiasts on Tuesday nights to discuss some of the greatest records of all-time! Listen to the album beforehand and then come prepared to discuss. This event will feature The Band, Music from Big Pink.

Free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Candlelight Concerts

Tribute to Queen and The Beatles

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Queen and The Beatles at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight. The String Quartet has a tentative program that includes songs such as Here Comes the Sun, Yesterday, I Want to Break Free, Bohemian Rhapsody, and more!

The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD

I Puritani

Giordano’s passionate tragedy stars tenor Piotr Beczała as the virtuous poet who falls victim to the intrigue and violence of the French Revolution. Following their celebrated recent partnership in Giordano’s Fedora in the 2022–23 Live in HD season, Beczała reunites with soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Chénier’s aristocratic lover, Maddalena di Coigny, with baritone Igor Golovatenko as Carlo Gérard, the agent of the Reign of Terror who seals their fates. Met Principal Guest Conductor Daniele Rustioni takes the podium to lead Nicolas Joël’s gripping staging, which will be transmitted live from the Met stage to Pollak Theatre on December 13. 

Tuesday Night Book Club

Truman Capote, In Cold Blood

Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack, each month we’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion! This week’s book is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.  As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.

Candlelight Concerts

Best of Bridgerton on Strings

Dearest Reader, Lady Whistledown has already given her verdict: the event of the season is here! Join us for a magical live music performance with Candlelight: Best of Bridgerton on Strings in Pollak Theatre. Surrounded by the soft glow of candlelight, listen to your favorite melodies from Shondaland’s ‘Bridgerton’ series on Netflix, reimagined by a talented string ensemble. Ready to make amazing memories? Get your tickets today!