Center for the Arts

Tuesday Night Record Club

Crowded House

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 Crowded House’s debut album.

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

Tuesday Night Book Club

Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

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 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow. This improbable story of Christopher’s quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

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!

Art on Screen

Exhibition on Screen – The Danish Collector

This cinematic journey traces the dynamic rise of the Impressionists through the eyes of visionary collector Wilhelm Hansen, from the streets of Paris to his stunning estate at Odrupgaard.

Tuesday Night Record Club

Jeff Buckley, Grace

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 Jeff Buckley’s Grace.

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

National Theatre: Broadcast in HD

A Streetcar Named Desire

The fastest-selling production in the Young Vic’s history, directed by Benedict Andrews and filmed live in 2014, received critical acclaim and 5-star reviews. It is one of National Theatre Live’s most popular titles and has been watched by 1.2 million people worldwide.

Candlelight Concerts

Neo-Soul and Hip-Hop Favorites

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 Neo-Soul and Hip-Hop Favorites at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight. The String Quartet has a tentative program that includes musicians such as Lauryn Hill, Miguel, Childish Gambino, Alicia Keys, and more!

Art on Screen

Exhibition on Screen – Girl with a Pearl Earring and Other Treasures from the Mauritshuis

Get exclusive access to the Mauritshuis, the jewel-like gallery that houses Vermeer’s The Girl with a Pearl Earring, uncovering the painting’s mysteries through insights into the artist’s life and work

Tuesday Night Book Club

Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian

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 Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Based on historical events that took place on the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s, Blood Meridian traces the fortunes of the Kid, a fourteen-year-old Tennesseean who stumbles into the nightmarish world where Indians are being murdered and the market for their scalps is thriving.

Adult Education Series

Classic for a Reason: The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds

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.

Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

Gallery Exhibitions

Into the Wild, Art Exhibit by Eileen Kennedy

Eileen Kennedy’s narrative art explores the relationship between contemporary humans and the natural world. The artist holds a BFA from Pratt Institute. She also studied at the Arts Students League of New York, the Hartford Art School, and numerous workshops. Kennedy has exhibited throughout the mid-Atlantic region and beyond including the Brooklyn Museum, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Monmouth Museum, Widener University Art Museum, Attleboro Arts Museum, Painted Bride Art Center, AIR Gallery, Blue Mountain Gallery, Monmouth University, Williams Center for the Arts, Manifest Center for the Arts, Dacia Gallery, Lore Degenstein Gallery and others. Her works have been featured in the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Newark Star Ledger, American Art Collector Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur Newsletter, Create Magazine and other publications.

Artist Reception: Friday, Sept. 26, 6-8pm Gallery Exhibit: September 1 - October 25, 2025

Tuesday Night Record Club

Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run

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 Born to Run and is offered both in person and via Zoom. Bob Santelli and Ken Campbell will be our special guest co-hosts!

Please note: This event will take place in Pollak Theatre. If you’re attending virtually, a Zoom link will be sent upon registration

Candlelight Concerts

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.

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.

Art on Screen

Exhibition on Screen – Hopper: An American Love Story

Delve into the life, art, and enduring influence of Edward Hopper, revealing the enigmatic man behind America’s most recognizable imagery through expert insights and a vivid portrait of 20th century American life.

Tuesday Night Book Club

Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall

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 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

Adult Education Series

Disco Inferno!, Part I

Class Schedule: September 11, 16, & 18, 2025 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Dance music had existed since at least the 1930s, but the beat took on a new meaning in the 1970s. The four-on-the-floor beat, wah-wah guitar, horns, funky bass, and soulful vocals invited people from various backgrounds onto the floor.  The craze may have ended by 1980, but the music never died; instead, the genre transformed into other genres such as House and Electronic Dance Music (EDM).  Disco Inferno, a two-part course, will explore the history of disco, from its origins through its heyday and beyond.

Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

Candlelight Concerts

From Bach to 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 From Bach to the Beatles at Pollak Theatre under the gentle glow of candlelight. The String Quartet has a tentative program that includes music from both composer J.S. Bach and the band The Beatles.

World Cinema Series

Evil Does Not Exist

This is the Institute for Global Understanding (IGU) and the Center for the Arts at Monmouth University’s first Pearson’s World Cinema Series (PWCS) movie and discussion event of the fall semester on Thursday, September 25th, at 6:05PM in the Great Hall Auditorium. We will screen the movie Evil Does Not Exist (2023), directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, followed by a post-screening Q&A session hosted by Dean Dave Golland and with Prof. Chris DeRosa as discussant. A post-screening discussions and refreshments will follow.

Adult Education Series

Creative Writing (Introduction)

Class Schedule: September 25, 30, and October 7 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Introduction to Creative Writing: Character Development: Whether you are embarking on your memoir or crafting your first work of fiction, the task of the writer is to develop compelling characters that connect with readers. Taking the “me out of memoir” allows you to develop your parents and loved ones as characters. In this three part course, we will utilize description, dialogue, and action to create characters that resonate with readers of any genre. No experience necessary, just a willingness to create characters to jump off the page!

Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.