Visual & Performing Arts

Visuals are decorative and audio is absent.

Create. Explore. Interpret. Innovate.

Welcome future students, friends of the Arts, and the larger La Crosse community! Experience the award-winning exhibits, performances, and shows that thrive in the departments of Art, Music, & Theatre & Dance.

MapVisit us: Truman T. Lowe Center for the Arts, 333 North 16th Street.

Upcoming events

Starts 5 p.m. Fri, Sept. 12 Meditations on Trees and Stones The Art of Jennifer Williams

Starts 10 a.m. Tue, Oct. 21 Fifty Years Later Commemorating the End of the Secret War

Multiple dates (5 upcoming) tick, tick...BOOM!

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thu, Nov. 13 Daniel Adam Maltz Fortepiano American Tour

Starts 5 p.m. Fri, Nov. 21 Senior Art Major Exhibition Opening Reception: November 21, 5-7 p.m.

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sat, Nov. 22 Dramatic Delights Music Scenes from the Stage

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tue, Nov. 25 Jazz Combos Concert

Noon to 1 p.m. Mon, Dec. 1 Artist Talk: Senior Art Major Exhibition Session 1

Noon to 1 p.m. Wed, Dec. 3 Artist Talk: Senior Art Major Exhibition Session 2

Multiple dates (5 upcoming) Ken Ludwig's The Games Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays

7:30 to 9 p.m. Fri, Dec. 5 Jazz Concert ft. UWL Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Orchestra

4 to 5:30 p.m. Sat, Dec. 6 Wind Ensemble featuring H.S. Honor Band

2 to 3 p.m. Sun, Dec. 7 Concert Band Frequency

4 to 5 p.m. Sun, Dec. 7 Symphony Orchestra Transcendence

Noon to 1 p.m. Mon, Dec. 8 Artist Talk: Senior Art Major Exhibition Session 3

Noon to 1 p.m. Wed, Dec. 10 Artist Talk: Senior Art Major Exhibition Session 4

7:30 to 9 p.m. Wed, Dec. 10 Concert Choir & Treble Chorus Holiday Concert

Starts 5 p.m. Fri, Feb. 6, 2026 66th Annual All Student Juried Art Exhibition Reception: February 6, 5 p.m.

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fri, Feb. 13, 2026 Modern Brazilian Jazz Jazz Faculty Recital

2 to 3 p.m. Sun, Feb. 15, 2026 2026 Honors Recital

4 to 5 p.m. Sat, Feb. 21, 2026 Wind Ensemble

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fri, Feb. 27, 2026 38th Annual Big Band Cabaret & Dance Party

Multiple dates (7 upcoming) Machinal

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tue, March 3, 2026 Jazz Combos Concert

7:30 to 9 p.m. Fri, March 6, 2026 Concert Choir & Treble Chorus

2 to 3 p.m. Sun, March 8, 2026 Symphony Orchestra

4 to 5 p.m. Sun, March 8, 2026 Symphonic Band

Starts 5 p.m. Thu, March 26, 2026 Travis Head: Busy Boys, Better Boys Opening Reception: March 26, 5-6:30 p.m.

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sat, March 28, 2026 Chamber Music Concert

Multiple dates (5 upcoming) My Days with Peter Rabbit (and His Friends)

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sat, April 11, 2026 New Composition Recital

6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thu, April 23, 2026 Jazz Combos Concert & Jam Session ArtsFest Signature Event

Starts 5 p.m. Fri, April 24, 2026 Senior Art Major Exhibition Opening Reception: April 24, 5-6:30 p.m.

Multiple dates (7 upcoming) A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

2 to 3 p.m. Sat, April 25, 2026 Symphonic Band ArtsFest Signature Event

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sat, April 25, 2026 Wind Ensemble ArtsFest Signature Event

7:30 to 9 p.m. Wed, April 29, 2026 Treble Chorus

7:30 to 9 p.m. Sat, May 2, 2026 Jazz Concert ft. UWL Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Orchestra

4 to 5 p.m. Sun, May 3, 2026 Symphony Orchestra

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tue, May 5, 2026 Dramatic Delights Music Scenes from the Stage

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fri, May 8, 2026 Choral Union & Concert Choir

A letter from our director

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your incredible support during the first half of the semester! Visual & Performing Arts has experienced record-setting event attendance across our programming - from the first Jazz Concert marking Prof. Jon Ailabouni’s debut as director of the Jazz Program, to the Annual Art Open House, to the gory and fantastic production of Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really. Thank you to donors and patrons alike for your support of the arts at UWL.

Speaking of full houses, I would be remiss if I did not encourage everyone interested in attending tick…tick…BOOM (Nov 7-15) to purchase your tickets today! It is playing in the Frederick Theatre, our smaller venue in Morris Hall – so seating is extremely limited. This show will sell out!

The annual La Crosse New Music Festival returns to Annett Recital Hall November 6, 7, and 8, presenting four unique concert events featuring pieces by living (or recently living) composers that challenge audiences and musicians alike to hear and create sound in new, novel ways. Featuring local and regional musicians, all performances are free and open to the public!

Professor Jennifer Williams solo exhibition, Meditations on Trees and Stones is on display through November 9^th, and then closes to make way for Yours Truly: a senior art major exhibition, with a public opening reception at 5 p.m. on November 21 in the UWL Art Gallery.

So as the days shorten and the leaves turn, come warm up your soul with the incredible programing at UWL’s School of Visual & Performing Arts! If you would like to receive our 2025-2026 season flier, please send your mailing address to vpa@uwlax.edu – or sign up for our VPA digital newsletter by clicking here.

Director of VPACheers!
Pete Rydberg