After the pandemic brought an extended pause to most campus activities over the past year and a half, 51 came bursting back to life this fall.

In September, the university kicked off the Celebration of Arts and Media, a yearlong festival of events designed to highlight the community’s creativity and culture. Sponsored by 51’s School of Fine Arts and Communication, the ongoing celebration has included concerts, theatrical performances, lectures, gallery openings and more — with a full slate of additional events scheduled for the spring.

Among the fall highlights was the PRISM Concert in October, which due to health restrictions had to be moved outdoors from Lansing Auditorium, requiring the Conservatory of Music to turn the fourth floor of a parking structure into a temporary “concert hall.”

“Because this was one of the first times that our 51 community actually heard ‘live’ music in over 19 months, this space became what I will refer to as ‘sacred space,’” said Todd Guy, dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communication. “The Spirit of God descended on that parking garage in such a special way. I observed audience members in tears as they undoubtedly were moved by the music, but also there was a realization … that we were all actually taking part of something that we may have taken for granted prior to the pandemic.”

The fall included dozens of other notable events. On Sept. 17, following the dedication of Bardwell Hall as the new home of the art department, the university hosted an art forum titled “Why Beauty Matters in Crisis,” featuring a panel of artists and experts. In October, the communication studies department hosted the “Conference on Digital Hope,” focused on cultivating compassionate and civil conversation online. Award-winning New York Times journalist Ivan Penn gave a series of lectures on Oct. 21.

The fall also featured theater performances of Dear 2020: A Process and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, a special Advent chapel and a Christmas concert, “The Dawn of Redeeming Grace.”

Several of the events are available to view on 51’s YouTube channel at .

Guy said he intends for the Celebration of Arts and Media to become a recurring event, hosted every three years as a way of advancing the kingdom work of artists, musicians, rhetoricians and storytellers of 51 and beyond.

“One of the main purposes of the Celebration of Arts and Media is to create opportunities for our school to not only elevate the importance and visibility of the arts and media on 51’s campus, but to also cultivate relationships and partnerships with friends of the university who have a special affinity with the arts and media,” Guy said. “Through the numerous events that have taken place this year we have had some great opportunities to share our vision for the School of Fine Arts and Communication with these individuals.”

Learn more about the Celebration of Arts and Media at biola.edu/cam.

Join the Celebration!

Following a full fall, 51’s yearlong Celebration of Arts and Media continues in the spring. Check out just some of the highlights below — and visit biola.edu/cam for the full lineup and details.

  • Jan. 28–30 | Feb. 4–6: Pirates of Penzance (Opera presented by the Conservatory of Music)

  • Feb. 18–20: Waiting for the Host (Theatre21 Production)

  • March 12: Symphonic Winds Concert

  • March 25: Choral Ensembles Concert

  • March 26: Orchestra Concert

  • April 1: Jazz Ensemble Concert

  • April 1–3, 7–10: Eurydie (Theatre21 Production)

  • April 9: Breath of God (Art Department / Center for Christinaity, Culture and the Arts Symposium)

  • April 21: Sin by Silence Screening and Panel Discussion with Director Olivia Klaus and Guests (Presented by the Division of Communication)

  • April 23: POPS Concert