About

The Notre Dame Arts Biennial

Rooted in the belief that the arts are essential to communal flourishing, the Notre Dame Arts Biennial, the flagship endeavor of the University’s Arts Initiative, is an international arts festival rooted in the creative spirit, intellectual energy, and iconic traditions of Notre Dame and the surrounding region. Drawing inspiration from established biennials yet distinct in its integration of research and teaching, it combines the University’s scholarly and artistic networks with the energy of a contemporary arts festival.

Every two years, the Notre Dame Arts Biennial transforms the region and select global sites into vibrant spaces of creative encounter through an unprecedented combination of regional arts leadership and world-class visiting artists who produce performances, exhibitions, and educational experiences. Diverse and predominantly free public programming in visual, spatial, literary, and performing arts strengthens regional and global partnerships, facilitates symbiotic exchange through sustained community-campus interactions, and provides new platforms for arts research to positively impact the public. The inaugural biennial’s theme is symbiosis, and programming is scheduled for January through June of 2027.

At a pivotal moment for the arts both on campus and across the South Bend–Elkhart region, the biennial creates enduring opportunities to shape a shared cultural future with local arts leaders, as well as industry and government partners, and positions the region as a global gathering place for arts and inquiry.

Inaugural Curators: Michael Schreffler and Rebecca Struch


The Notre Dame Arts Initiative 

Launched in 2024, the Arts Initiative at the University of Notre Dame spearheads collaborative research projects in the arts, promotes strategic curricular innovation, and produces high-visibility, high-impact public programming that involves substantial partnership across the region and around the world. The Arts Initiative is one of the key priorities of Notre Dame’s strategic framework, bringing together the people and programs of the University’s extended arts community to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and define the arts as vital to community life.

Notre Dame has been a nurturing home for the arts since 1842. With each generation, the University has reaffirmed its commitment to artists and audiences, expanding creative practice, deepening engagement, and investing in spaces that bring the arts to life. With the launch of the Arts Initiative, Notre Dame has become a dedicated partner in the region’s artistic growth, championing the arts for good to enrich local life and cultivate a vibrant arts community for all.

Meet the Arts Initiative Team

  1. Man with short dark hair and beard, wearing a black suit and light blue shirt, smiling. Gray background.

    Michael Schreffler

    Director, Arts Initiative; Associate Dean for the Arts, College of Arts and Letters; Professor of Art History

  2. Smiling woman with dark wavy hair and gold hoop earrings wears a royal blue v-neck top outdoors.

    Rebecca Struch

    Managing Director

  3. Smiling woman with short brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a green coat and silver leaf earrings, outdoors with fall foliage.

    Laura Winkle

    Program Manager

Special Thanks

These individuals provide critical campus leadership in steering the operational logistics of the inaugural biennial. Their invaluable support serves as a true embodiment of the inaugural theme—symbiosis—highlighting the power of collaborative work to bring a shared vision to life.

  • Erin Blasko, Director of Media Engagement
  • Michael Daly, Senior Director and Associate University Architect, Planning Design and Construction
  • Richard Forrester, Associate Director, Academic Finance
  • Kate Garry, Executive Director of Academic Communications
  • Carrie Gates, Director of Story Development
  • Emily Monacelli, Associate Director of Academic Communications
  • Tim Legge, Director of Design and Brand Identity
  • John Lloyd, Senior Associate General Counsel
  • Sean Martin, Senior Associate Director at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
  • Tim Sexton, Associate Vice President for Public Affairs
  • Lee Sicinski, Executive Director, University Events
  • John Slott, Senior Web Content Strategist
  • Scott Tingwald, Director of Special Projects

The biennial also benefits from the expert consultation and strategic guidance of the Arts Initiative's executive committee.

Cover artwork throughout this website is provided by various artists and arts scholars.