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Arts and culture


MSU has a vibrant arts community featuring award-winning museums, diverse performances, and a culture of artistic and creative expression. 

Discover the hundreds of performances, exhibitions and special programs that enrich the lives of Spartans and the local community.



Concerts and music

Students enjoy more than 150 concerts every season ranging from renowned performance series and major ensembles to artists like Panic! at the Disco and Chance the Rapper.

All students, regardless of major, have the opportunity to participate in a variety of student ensembles like the Spartan Marching Band or one of the other six bands, three jazz ensembles, two orchestrasMusique 21, two opera productions and seven choirs. Smaller venues on campus offer weekly open mic nights with themed performances like acapella or comedy nights.

Shows and films

The Residence Hall Association puts on a number of special events featuring guests like Seth Meyers.

The East Lansing Film Festival, Digital Media Art and Technology Lab, and MSU Telecasters club give students access to state-of-the-art production equipment and platforms to share and broadcast content. Students also can visit the Campus Center Cinema, which shows free movies Thursday through Sunday every week.

Theatre

The Wharton Center is Michigan's largest presenter of performing arts with four unique stages on campus. The Wharton Center brings the best Broadway shows, the finest classical musicians, unrivaled dance companies and high-profile, A-list performers to mid-Michigan. Students can purchase deeply discounted tickets from $15 to $25.

The Department of Theatre sponsors a wide variety of dramatic and musical theatre productions featuring MSU students across six theatres on campus.

Museums and collections

Students can choose to visit a wide variety of free museums, collections and galleries across campus.

Art spaces include the Broad Art Museum, which was featured in the movie Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the (SCENE) Metrospace gallery. Both spaces feature contemporary art, and the Broad Art Museum is devoted to significant art from around the globe.

The MSU Museum is a science and culture museum with three floors of exhibits and features the only full-mounted dinosaur skeletons in mid-Michigan.

Abrams Planetarium hosts weekend constellation programs, telescope observation sessions in the MSU Observatory, and a Relaxing Under the Stars program designed as a mid-day stress reliever.