Jake Yuzna (Filmmaker and Monmouth University Assistant Professor)
Artist Talk
March 11, 2026, 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Pozycki Hall, Lecture Hall 115
Join us as we welcome the Department of Communication’s newest faculty member to campus, Assistant Professor Jake Yuzna, who will share an artist talk and selects from their creative practice. Yuzna is a filmmaker, artist, and curator whose work often explores evolving identities, subculture, and genre. Their films have been presented at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, London Film Festival, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Walker Art Center, and the British Film Institute, among others. In addition, their work has been distributed by NetFlix, Hulu, PBS, and Arté Television, among others. Yuzna is the first American feature director to win the Teddy Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival and has received additional grants and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Capital Foundation, Frameline Foundation, McKnight Foundation, IFP MN, FilmNorth, as well as a Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award in Directing from the American Film Institute. Yuzna has also curated projects and exhibitions for the Walker Art Center, Performa: The NYC Biennial of Performance Art, the Moscow Biennial of Contemporary Art, the City of Los Angeles, and SCCA-Center for Contemporary Art–Ljubljana. Their scholarship has been collected by Yale and New York Universities and they have been a contributor to Artforum Magazine since 2020.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact ArtNOW’s chair, Prof. Dickie Cox.
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Classic for a Reason: Steely Dan’s Aja
Join music historians Ken Womack & Kit O’Toole as they revisit classic record albums. With Classic for a Reason, Ken & Kit will take listeners on a guided tour of our history’s most enduring popular musical accomplishments.
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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 in Long Branch. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Queen and The Beatles at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight.
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 Here Comes the Sun, Yesterday, I Want to Break Free, Bohemian Rhapsody, and more!
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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 in Long Branch. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Queen and The Beatles at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight.
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 Here Comes the Sun, Yesterday, I Want to Break Free, Bohemian Rhapsody, and more!
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Featuring Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and More
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Long Branch. This 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 works such as The Four Seasons and Thaïs: Méditation.
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Coldplay vs. Imagine Dragons
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never before. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Coldplay vs. Imagine Dragons at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight.
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 The Scientist, Viva la Vida, Radioactive, Believer, and more!
Please note that these events are presented by Fever Up.
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Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
Candlelight Concerts were 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. Featuring works from Fleetwood Mac, Candlelight Concerts allow audiences to connect with the most iconic pieces of the greatest composers and listen to the top hits of well-known artists in a different way.
The string quartet has a tentative program that includes Rhiannon, Gypsy, Landslide, Don’t Stop, and many more!
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The Lord of the Rings
The Fellowship lives on through the music from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings like never before with Candlelight: The Lord of the Rings in Long Branch. This exclusive tribute concert, performed by a talented string quartet, will bring the unforgettable music from the films to life. Join us for a night that celebrates the music behind the heroic journey of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Get your tickets today!
🏰 There’s no strict dress code, but guests are encouraged to embrace the spirit of Middle-earth— Dress as your favorite character or let the magic of the films inspire your look.
Program- Top hits from The Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring, Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All, Concerning Hobbits, Amon Hen, The Breaking of the Fellowship (feat. “In Dreams”)
The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers: Foundations of Stone, The Riders of Rohan, Evenstar, Gollum’s Song
The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King: Minas Tirith (feat. Ben Del Maestro), The Ride of the Rohirrim, The Black Gate Opens (feat. Sir James Galway), The Return of the King First, The Grey Havens (feat. Sir James Galway), Into the West
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Seen & Unseen, Charles Sills’ Memorial Group Art Exhibit
On View: November 1 – December 10, 2025Opening Reception: November 7, 6-8pmGallery Hours: 9am-7pm | Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm | Saturday & SundayIn 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?Seen & Unseen is guest curated by Vaune Peck, founding Director of Monmouth University’s Center for the Arts. For three decades, Peck has led the Center’s comprehensive programming in the performing and visual arts, bringing a dynamic range of cultural experiences to the community. The gallery exhibition showcases the works of 25 members of Monmouth Arts for the organization’s Charles Sills’ Memorial Group Art Exhibit, which is held in various galleries throughout Monmouth County.Participating Artists: Marilyn Baldi, Richard Berger, Patricia Butynski, Kimberly CallasCharles, New Jersey Blind Citizens Association, Summer Deaver, Justin DeMattico, Dawn DiCicco, Jacki Dickert, Shari Epstein, Eva Marie Faith, Beverly Haber, Meg Hadley (Jesusjoints Art), Jude Harzer, Nancy Karpf, Jill Kerwick, Belle Koblentz, Lea Lumière, Carol Magnatta, John Paul Nicolaides, Cheri Pessutti, Susu Pianchupattana, Mona Pollard, Ellen Rubinstein, Sandy Taylor -
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 in Long Branch. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Queen and The Beatles at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight.
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 Here Comes the Sun, Yesterday, I Want to Break Free, Bohemian Rhapsody, and more!