Annual UVA Arts Welcome Picnic

SAVE-THE-DATE

UVA Arts Welcome Picnic
Sunday, August 30, 2026 • 6:00-8:00pm
Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds
Open to all UVA Faculty, Staff & Students

We can't wait to WELCOME YOU!!

Sign up for the UVA Arts newsletter below to get updates!!

UVA Arts invites all UVA faculty, staff, & students to the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds for a FREE picnic from 6:00 to 8:00pm with performances, information tables, and food and drinks!! Come learn about curricular, extra-curricular, programmatic, and volunteer opportunities from the Visual & Performing Arts & Architecture departments, programs, and community.

Performances all evening!

Example of Department Happenings (subject to changes & more to come):

Strike a pose at the UVA Arts Photo Booth — take home a photo from the night!
Score a FREE UVA Arts T-shirt — plus totes, buttons, stickers & more!
Get your own Horoscope Haiku created just for you at the Creative Writing table.
Challenge your friends to a giant game of Lawn Jenga with the School of Architecture.
Add a little positivity to the picnic at Student Health & Wellness’ Affirmation Station & Community Mandala.
Make your own button with The Fralin Museum of Art.
Create a pin at UPC’s Pin-Making Station.
Spin the WTJU/WXTJ Prize Wheel for a chance to snag some radio swag!
Enter to win Virginia Film Festival merch — and find out how to volunteer at the Festival.
Enter the Virginia Theatre Festival merch giveaway — plus learn about summer job opportunities.
Grab UVA Acts goodies including frisbees, mints, pens, stickers, lip balm, magnetic clips & more — and learn about paid student acting opportunities.
Pick up art-inspired goodies from The Fralin and Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection.
Stock up on Art + Art History swag with T-shirts, stickers & more.
Snag Arts Libraries swag & stickers.
Collect stickers, postcards, buttons, totes and other surprises from arts departments and programs throughout the picnic!

Picnic from Harvest Moon: Grilled Hamburgers, Veggie Burgers, and Hot Dogs; Smoked Pulled Pork BBQ; Southern Style Cole Slaw; Herbed Potato Salad, Grain Mustard Vinaigrette, Cornichons and Pickled Red Onion; Watermelon Slices; Assorted Cookies and Brownies + FREE KONA ICE!!!

Participating Departments & Programs: Architectural History, Architecture, Art History, Arts Libraries, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, The Fralin Museum of Art, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Landscape Architecture, Miller Arts Scholars, Music, Public Service Pathways, Student Council: Arts, Student Health & Wellness, Studio Art, University Career Center, Urban & Environmental Planning, UVA Acts, UVA Arts, UVA Arts Box Office, Virginia Film Festival, Virginia Theatre Festival, WTJU 91.1FM, & WXTJ Radio

Please note: The Culbreth Parking Garage will be open & FREE, but Culbreth Road will be closed for the event, access will be available from University Avenue (not Rugby Ave).

Rain Location: Drama Building: Food in the Lobby; Tabling will be in Helms Theater

Graciously sponsored in part by the UVA Arts Council. THANK YOU!!

Performances all evening!

K-Edge Dance Crew is a K-Pop interest dance crew that focuses of spreading the appreciation of Korean Culture through Korean pop music. We participate in dance showcases and cultural events.

AKAdeMiX Dance Crew, also known as the Mix, was formed in 2010 by Hoos who prided themselves on diversity in dance and culture. We are an open style dance crew incorporating many different genres of dance into our choreography. Our members come from a wide range of dance backgrounds, from no experience to years of classical/studio training. AKAdeMiX aims to embolden the UVA and DMV dance community by acknowledging the inspiration we take from foundational styles, spreading the love for dance, and always striving to be better.

Some of our previous achievements include: 2nd place at Prelude DMV 2015 and 2016, 2nd place at Prelude Carolinas 2017, Best Theme at World of Dance Boston 2016, and 1st place at Prelude DMV 2018.

During the school year, we perform at various UVA and DMV events; from CultureFest in the Fall at UVA, Prelude DMV in the winter, Coalescence and Momentum in the spring, we love performing and putting forward our sets. Outside of these large events, we also work on many smaller projects throughout the year such as short covers; all of our videos are available on our YouTube and Instagram. We are always looking for new opportunities to perform and engage with the greater DMV community, so please feel to reach out to us via email or Instagram.

University student band No Composure released their first EP titled “Everything Happens” Friday. The indie rock project consists of three of the band’s original songs, and was recorded last fall at Spacebomb Studio in Richmond. The band primarily plays covers, but following positive reception to their original music in a performance at John Paul Jones Arena last spring, No Composure decided to professionally record and publish their own tracks for listeners.

The band started when third-year Commerce student Ayman Haque and third-year College student Lucas Ihnat met in 2023 at a University Records jam session — a gathering where musicians can play together without any pressure — the fall semester of their first year. Both played guitar, and Haque sang lead vocals. They connected over covering British band Radiohead’s music, and the pair started their own band shortly thereafter. Read more...

Described as an “intrepid percussionist” by Fanfare Magazine, I-Jen Fang has a career as a solo performer, chamber musician, orchestral player, and teacher. She joined the faculty of the Music Department at the University of Virginia in 2005 and serves as the Principal Timpanist and Percussionist of the Charlottesville Symphony.

As a soloist, I-Jen has performed in Taiwan, U.S., Austria, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and South Africa. She was also the featured marimba soloist with the Charlottesville Symphony in 2006 and 2010.

As a chamber musician, I-Jen has performed or recorded with artists such as Keiko Abe, Gregory Beyer, William Cahn, Christopher Deane, Mark Ford, Dave Hall, Edward Janning, Heini Kärkkäinen, Sivan Magen, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Jan Müller-Szeraws, Diane Pascal, Minna Pensola, Carsten Schmidt, Ed Smith, Nanik Wenton, Nyoman Wenton, EcoSono Ensemble, Cantata Profana, Attacca Percussion Group, DaCapo Chamber Players, Victory Hall Opera and Charlottesville Opera. She has appeared in Staunton Music Festival, Wintergreen Festival, Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, Heritage Theater Festival, Greencastle Summer Music Festival (IN), DRUMFEST XXVIII (Poland), International Viola Congress, National Flute Association Convention, Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) Conference, Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) and Regional PAS Day of Percussion. She is also a founding member, with Ayn Balija, of the Piedmont Duo, which explores the sonic possibilities of the viola and percussion. In 2024, the duo was invited to perform in Hungary and Brazil.

Keep an eye out for some larger-than-life visitors! Fantastical CREATURES from UVA’s Stan Winston and Steven Warner Festival of the Moving Creature will roam the picnic, bringing a little spectacle, surprise, and magic to the Arts Grounds. Designed, built, and brought to life by UVA students, these giant moving creations blend art, engineering, puppetry, and performance—and you might just find one wandering your way!

The Cavalier Marching Band, affectionately known as the CMB, is the premier marching ensemble at the University of Virginia. They truly consider each other family, and for many members of the Cavalier Marching Band, the best friends they make in their entire college career, they met on the first day of their first band camp. It is extremely common for band members to live together, to take classes together and to even join other extra-curricular activities together.

WTJU 91.1 FM enriches the culture of Virginia and extends the educational mission of UVA by bringing together diverse individuals and communities through exceptional music and conversation. WXTJ 100.1 FM is UVA’s freeform student radio. Students do it all, from hosting radio shows to organizing live music events to connecting with UVA’s music community. WXTJ started as a webstream in late 2013. Since April 13, 2016, it has been pushing out 23 watts of pure freeform power from its transmitter on Observatory Hill.