Center for the Arts

Gallery Exhibitions

Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul

The iconic photographs of Larry Hulst capture the freewheeling energy of live music and the enduring visual spectacle of rock’s greatest performers. From Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix to David Bowie and Lauryn Hill, Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues and Soul brings together over 70 images of legendary musicians and singers across three genres and generations. The exhibition charts Hulst’s extraordinary path through the pulsing heart of the most exciting live music of the last century, showcasing a unique visual anthology of rock, blues, and soul music from 1970–1999. These images, which have been featured on album art and Rolling Stone spreads, convey Hulst’s lifelong passion for the magnetism, immediacy, and unpredictability of live music. With photos that also document the unforgettable voices of funk, punk, and beyond, Front Row Center grants viewers an all-access pass to some of the most memorable performances in popular music history.

GALLERY TALK by Prof. Ken Womack: June 2 at 5:30 PM

The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD

Hamlet

When Australian composer Brett Dean’s Hamlet had its world premiere at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2017, The Guardian declared, “New opera doesn’t often get to sound this good … Shakespeare offers a gauntlet to composers that shouldn’t always be picked up, but Dean’s Hamlet rises to the challenge.” On June 4, this riveting contemporary masterpiece appears live in cinemas, with Neil Armfield, who directed the work’s premiere, bringing his acclaimed staging to the Met. Many of the original cast members have followed, including tenor Allan Clayton in the title role. Nicholas Carter makes his Met debut conducting a remarkable ensemble, which also features soprano Brenda Rae as Ophelia, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly as Gertrude, baritone Rod Gilfry as Claudius, and bass-baritone John Relyea as the ghost of Hamlet’s father.

Tuesday Night Record Club

Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, the Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle

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 Bruce Springsteen’s The Wild, the Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle.

Tuesday Night Book Club

Ford Madox Ford’s The Good Soldier

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 month’s novel is Ford Madox Ford’ The Good Soldier.

Performing Arts Series

Robert Klein

Robert Klein is a pioneer in modern stand-up comedy who has inspired heavyweights like Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. For more than forty years, he has entertained audiences, and he continues to have an acclaimed career in comedy, on Broadway, on television, and in film. Born in the Bronx, he was a member of the famed “Second City” theatrical troupe in Chicago. Robert has been nominated twice for Grammy Awards for “Best Comedy Album of the Year” for his albums “Child of the Fifties” and “Mind Over Matter.” In 1975, Klein was the first comedian to appear in a live concert on Home Box Office. He has gone on to do nine one-man shows for HBO and received his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music and Lyrics in 2001 for Robert Klein: “Child in His 50’s.” His most recent special for HBO, “Robert Klein: Unfair and Unbalanced” aired on June 12th, 2010 and earned him a second Emmy nomination in 2011 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

Opening Act: Max Adolf '22 & Jenaé Louis-Jacques '23

Great Art on Screen

 Pompeii: Sin City 

An exploration of Pompeii, a city cloaked in mystery and depicted through images and words by the great artists and writers who experienced and imagined it over the course of history: from Pliny the Younger to Picasso, from Emily Dickinson to Jean Cocteau.  Famously known for the catastrophic volcanic eruption which buried Pompeii along with its inhabitants over 2000 years ago, Pompeii: Sin City hosted by Isabella Rossellini offers audiences an extraordinary snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment of burial, showing how its citizens lived their lives, spent their free time, experienced pleasure, passion, religion and ultimately, their fate.

National Theatre: Broadcast in HD

Henry V

Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) plays the title role in Shakespeare’s thrilling study of nationalism, war and the psychology of power.  Fresh to the throne, King Henry V launches England into a bloody war with France. When his campaign encounters resistance, this inexperienced new ruler must prove he is fit to guide a country into war. Captured live from the Donmar Warehouse in London, this exciting modern production directed by Max Webster (Life of Pi) explores what it means to be English and our relationship to Europe, asking: do we ever get the leaders we deserve?

Special Event

Monmouth University Music & Arts Festival 2022

Monmouth University’s Summer Music and Arts festival is now in its third season—and it’s first as an in-person event – in the theatres and galleries across campus. With family-friendly programming, student performances, a visual arts exhibit and an eclectic evening concert – there truly is something for everyone to enjoy.

Performing Arts Series

Special Event

An Evening of Poetry, Jazz and “Harp”Beats with Kuf Knotz and Christine Elise, Robert Pinsky, Digba Ogunbiyi Quartet and Gregory Schwartz

Join us for an evening of an evening of Poetry, Jazz and “Harp”Beats featuring – Kuf Knotz and Christine Elise’s hip-hop poetry with bluesy beats supported by the harp, New Jersey native and former Poet Laureatre Robert Pinsky ‘s “PoemJazz” with a reading and performance of poems in concert with a variety of jazz improvisations. Also featured on the evening’s bill are the Digba Ogunbiyi Quartet playing original compositions that are deeply rooted in Ogunbiyi’s Nigeria roots yet highly informed by his years of studying Jazz, and an opening set by Gregory Schwartz, former recipient of the Poet Laureate of Asbury Park award.

Tuesday Night Record Club

The Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat

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 Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat

Great Art on Screen

Botticelli: Florence and the Medici

Florence in the era of the powerhouse Italian statesman, politician and patron Lorenzo de’ Medici, was the heart of Renaissance art and culture. One artist, above all others, was able to evoke the lights and shadows of this unforgettable era: Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510). Through Botticelli: Florence and the Medici, we re-live Florence and all its art workshops through Botticelli’s life, his collaborations, his challenges and successes. From the outset of Botticelli’s career under the wing of the Medici family, he established himself as the inventor of an ideal beauty, seen in works such as The Allegory of Spring and the Birth of Venus. The death of Lorenzo de Medici marked the downward spiral of the Florentine master, who was destined to be forgotten for over three centuries, but the rediscovery of Botticelli by the Pre-Raphaelites reignited a genuine fascination with the artist and sparked a Botticelli-mania which continues to this day. 

Tuesday Night Book Club

Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita

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 month’s novel is Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita.

Great Art on Screen

Venice: Infinitely Avant Garde

A tour of the magical city, Venice: Infinitely Avant Garde showcases masterpieces by Tiepolo, Canaletto, Rosalba Carriera and the intellectuals who fell in love with Venice: from Canova to Goethe, Lord Byron to Walter Scott, down to the great Hollywood stars drawn to its yearly Film Festival. 1600 years after its legendary foundation, Venice continues to be unique for its urban landscape and for its rich history, but above all, the city is unique for its identity, which combines the charm of decadence with the excitement of being on the cutting edge. 

Tuesday Night Record Club

The Pretenders, Pretenders

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 Pretenders, Pretenders.

Tuesday Night Book Club

Carson McCullers’ The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,

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 month’s novel is Carson McCullers’ The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.

Tuesday Night Record Club

The Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed

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 Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed.

Tuesday Night Book Club

Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer

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 month’s novel is Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Water Dancer.

Performing Arts Series

Roger McGuinn

As a co-founder of The Byrds, Roger McGuinn is firmly established as an indisputable industry icon. From his signature 12-string Rickenbacker sound, to his instantly recognizable vocals on hits like Turn, Turn, Turn, Eight Miles High and Mr. Tambourine Man, Roger McGuinn didn’t just make music; he made history.

Tuesday Night Record Club

Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly

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 Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly.

Tuesday Night Book Club

John Irving’s The Cider House Rules

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 month’s novel is John Irving’s The Cider House Rules.