Support the Arts

Inspiring Creativity: The Arts at Holy Cross

Art has the power to ignite the imagination, to transform thinking and to open a window to the world around us.

Connecting the past, present and future, the arts at Holy Cross cultivate creativity in our students, fostering multimodal, interdisciplinary experiences necessary for the leaders of tomorrow. A central tenet of Jesuit spirituality, the arts provide a powerful lens through which we can examine all manner of topics and imagine positive ways to shape the world. 

Study of the arts nurtures the development of myriad skills – the ability to challenge, provoke, engage, problem-solve, communicate, lead, build teams, create, and take informed risks – that are essential in a 21st-century global economy fueled by change and innovation. Promoting engagement with diverse ways of knowing and being, the arts connect theory, experience and practice, expanding conversations for everyone in our community. We are committed to advancing artistic endeavor as a force for addressing the world’s most-pressing challenges and empowering Holy Cross students to instigate positive change in their local, national and global communities.

Together, We Animate a New Era of Expression

Standing as a gateway to campus, the Prior Performing Arts Center plays a critical, transformational role in the life of the College, our students and the greater community. 

Celebrating artistic excellence, risk-taking and boundary-crossing, the performing arts center attracts eclectic, cutting-edge artists across a range of disciplines. The College’s programming opens our students’ minds to new ways of thinking and engaging with the world while deepening our already vibrant relationship with the local community. 

Those passionate about the Arts know that interactive, creative instruction lays the groundwork for the pursuit of academic excellence and personal growth for our students. The innovative environments of the center have been designed to amplify a variety of pedagogies that nurture and empower collaboration, imaginative performance and creative production. 

Whether through theatre, dance, music, visual arts, or interdisciplinary work bridging the arts and other fields, the center inspires boundless exploration of creative expression – for students, faculty, community members and artists from around the world. The arts encourage learning, doing, discovering and expressing intellectual openness; catalyze experimentation and taking informed risks; provoke, reflect and engage; and illuminate and seek purpose.