About

The Arts Circle is your destination for the arts at Northwestern.

With world-class exhibitions and performances, the Arts Circle welcomes patrons, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the larger community alike. It’s easier than ever to take in many wonderful and diverse experiences, all on one campus.

The stunning new Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts has taken its highly anticipated place on the Northwestern campus to act as the hub of the new, multidisciplinary Arts Circle. The Ryan Center’s gleaming surfaces, green spaces, and spectacular views of both Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline bring our facilities into harmony with our storied reputation in the arts.

At Northwestern, we say that “AND is in our DNA.” Which is why the Arts Circle brings together theater AND visual arts AND music AND film AND dance AND literary arts AND much more.

Visitors to the Arts Circle will enjoy the current cadre of artists and performers while imagining who will be next to take a Northwestern direction to fame on larger stages both nationally and internationally.

The Arts Circle also celebrates artistic collaborations across all disciplines. About our Arts and Culture.

The Arts Circle represents the next chapter in Northwestern’s long history of excellence in the arts – a future filled with extraordinary promise, committed to continued influence in the world.