The IU Arts and Humanities Council will kick off this year’s inaugural First Thursdays art festival at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Arts Plaza.
First Thursdays festivals are celebrated on the first Thursday of every month during the school year. The festivals highlight the diverse array of arts and humanities found at IU and in the Bloomington community.
The festival will feature work by a variety of local and student artists, as well as musical and dance performances. At 5 p.m., the Latino Studies Program will perform an Afro-Cuban style dance on the main stage near Showalter Fountain. On the second stage by the Eskenazi Museum of Art, Cosmic Songwriters Club will perform from 5-8 p.m. The local non-profit pairs musical duos with solo artists to collaborate on stage.
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Local artist Jenny Ollikainen, better known by her stage name Mythic Times, will showcase her ornate full-face masks during the festival. The elaborate, colorful installations have been exhibited across the US. Mythic Times will take the main stage at 7:40 p.m. to show off their work.
Several professors will offer Flash Talks at the Fountain, a series of short lectures on a range of topics in humanities. Local businesses like Morgenstern’s Books, Lotus Education and Arts Foundation, Constellation Stage and Screen and several others will also have booths at the event.
The First Thursdays festival lasts from 5-8 p.m. It is free to attend and open to the public. For more information, visit the IU Arts and Humanities Council website.
