Music Center awarded $5,000 grant for Notre Dame’s first arts festival

Earlier this month, the Goshen College Music Center was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Notre Dame Arts Initiative to support the university’s first international arts festival. 

The grant fosters growth in the arts through partner programming for the Notre Dame Arts Biennial, the inaugural international arts festival rooted in Notre Dame and regional tradition. Programming includes theatrical performances, music and dance ensembles and festivals, arts education programs, multimedia installations, architectural exhibits and more. 

At Goshen College, the Arts Initiative grant will help fund the Step Afrika! show set for February as part of the Music Center’s 2026-27 Performing Arts Series. The center hopes to provide free show tickets for K-12 students from local schools.

Goshen College is one of three regional colleges and universities to receive initiative funding. The Notre Dame Arts Initiative said grants were awarded to campuses that “represented a University-wide commitment to interdisciplinary innovation.” In addition to grant funding, awardees will receive administrative support for the planning and implementation of their programs. 

Jeshua Franklin, Goshen College Music Center executive director, said, “More than ever, sustainability in the arts requires partnerships with other organizations, so that we can all succeed together.” 

The theme for the festival’s inaugural year is “Symbiosis.” Drawn from the scientific concept of close, sustained interaction between two species, the theme serves as a call to action: to create and contemplate the arts together.

Festival exhibits, shows and events will run from January to June of 2027 and will take place across various venues. All festival programming is public and predominantly free. 

Other partners and awardees include the Abby Marchesseault Dance Collective, Performing Media Festival in partnership with Indiana University South Bend, South Bend Civic Theatre and the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. 

“I’m grateful that the University of Notre Dame is leveraging its resources for the good of the arts in our entire region,” Franklin said. “Together, we can join hands to accomplish our mission of providing quality artistic programming and educational opportunities for all.” 

To learn more about the Notre Dame Arts Biennial venues, events, exhibits and more, visit https://artsbiennial.nd.edu/ or click the button below.