Creative Activities

In the name of art

Following a thorough vetting by faculty members and the Faculty Senate, and approval by the president and Board of Regents, the WSU Department of Fine Arts is now the WSU Department of Art. The name change reflects the breadth and depth of the artistic areas available at WSU, yet the use of the singular “art” is […]

International composer presents a Palouse soundscape

Since coming to Washington State University from Malaysia in August, Yii Kah Hoe has ventured with his microphone into nearby woods and forests, along rivers and streams, and even out onto an icy pond to capture the music of nature. An internationally recognized musician and composer, and the university’s first Fulbright scholar in residence, Yii […]

AAPI students work together on art for racial healing

On Jan. 17, in a bustling hallway on the main floor of WSU Pullman’s Compton Union Building—known by students as the “CUB”—some people had stopped to stare. In between the crimson pillars was a long panel half-painted in earthen shades, periwinkles, and soft warm tones. Off to the side, the accompanying sign read: “AAPI Mural.”

Power of Poetry

From her theater work to becoming editor-in-chief of a literary journal, Noelle Niemeier is determined to prove writing is just as important as careers in STEM. Niemeier, an English major on the creative writing track, wanted to work in writing ever since she was a little kid. She began journaling song lyrics and channeling her […]

Faculty quintet wins national competition

After a year-long process of adjudication, a quintet featuring WSU School of Music faculty has been named the winner of the 2022 American Prize in Chamber Music Performance. The Pan Pacific Ensemble brings together talented soloists committed to performing music by composers from Asia and the Americas, and passionate about commissioning, promoting, and recording new […]

Jazz Big Band wins magazine award

Throughout the pandemic, the WSU Jazz Big Band stayed focused on their craft, leveraging Zoom and other technologies to practice, perform, and record music together while physically distanced. This spring, DownBeat magazine awarded the band its 2022 Graduate College Large Jazz Ensemble Award, recognizing the quality of the band’s asynchronous

Making a splash

Never underestimate the power of an elective, advises  Matt Ellison (’92 business) and GurglePot founder. “It gets people out of their comfort zone,” he says. “That’s the beauty of going to college and broadening your knowledge. At some point in life that random class could become the most important one you ever took.” For him, […]