Stanford Arts

We are a constellation of institutions, departments, programs, and people that aims to unleash the full potential of the arts on campus and in our communities.

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David Lang with students from Doerr School of Sustainability | Photo by Laura Evans

David Lang’s Sustainable Music

Composer David Lang returns to Stanford this February for the premiere concert performance before and after nature, a rumination on nature and humanity. The project began with a Stanford Live commission and open invitation that led to new connections and collaboration with the Doerr School of Sustainability.

Explore the commission

Viewers spin acrylic columns filled with seawater and iron filings at the unveiling of Sea of Dust. The installation will be on display at the Yang and Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building through the 2024 academic year. (Image credit: Steve Fisch)

From Sea to Studio

Doerr School of Sustainability Visiting Artist collaborates with Oceans researchers at Hopkins Marine Station

In a stunning blend of art and oceans research, Stanford's latest interactive exhibit promises to ignite a wave of optimism for ocean conservation. Visitors to the newly unveiled installation can immerse themselves in a dynamic, sensory experience that highlights the beauty and fragility of our marine ecosystems.

Dive Deeper

“An Expanded Lens” provides new and returning visitors with different interpretations of the permanent collection. | Andrew Brodhead

The Anderson Collection celebrates 10 years

Since its opening in 2014, the Anderson Collection at Stanford University has become a home to thousands of students, faculty, staff, artists, and community members. Two anniversary exhibitions invite visitors to share the Anderson family's love of living with art and experience masterworks in a welcoming environment.

Explore the home

Korakrit Arunanondchai, Shore of Security, 2022. Repurposed wooden doll house made by the artist's mother, wood, house paint, polyurethane, fabric sculpture, ceramics, snake skeleton, LED lights. 60 in. x 29 ¼ in. x 29 ¼ in. (152.4 cm x 74.3 cm x 74.3 cm). Courtesy the artist and C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels / Los Angeles. Photo: JSP Art Photography

‘Spirit House’ illuminates the spiritual and spectral boundaries between life and death

A major survey at the Cantor Arts Center showcases an intergenerational range of emerging and established contemporary visual artists of Asian descent.

The Cantor Arts Center presents Spirit House, a major group exhibition foregrounding how contemporary artists of the Asian diaspora challenge the boundary between life and death through art. On view from Sept. 4, 2024, to Jan. 26, 2025, the exhibition comprises nearly 50 works of art by 33 artists, including large-scale paintings, digital media, ceramic sculpture, photography, and significant new acquisitions within the museum’s permanent collection.

Encounters: Where Creative and Scientific Inquiry Meet

A new limited series podcast from Denning Visiting Artist Janani Balasubramanian

What happens when art meets science? Stanford alumni and host Janani Balasubramanian returns to campus to explore the dynamic intersection of these two disciplines throughout their residency in the Denning Visiting Artist Fund. Discover how interdisciplinarity drives breakthrough, from the physics of the interstellar medium to the myths of ancient times, featuring leading researchers and innovators.

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Meet Artists

Engaging the audience in the play, Valentina teaches audience members one of the dances. Photo courtesy of Harrison Truong.

Postdoc Spotlight

Ali Namayandeh

Wildfire Impacts on California Farmworkers

Stanford’s new Doerr School of Sustainability is integrating theater and environmental justice with the premiere of “Hidden Strawberries,” a play by Ali Namayandeh. Debuting from October 16-19 at the Stanford Live Bing Studio, the production focuses on the experiences of California farmworkers affected by escalating wildfires.

Discover their work

student spotlight

Katie Han

"It's been a super fun challenge to be able to push the boundaries of what you can do with simple materials..."

If at any point you found yourself in the mix of Stanford's diverse student arts scene over the past four years, there's a good chance you crossed paths with Katie Han.

Discover their work