CSUB Arts & Humanities

Be part of a new tradition at CSUB! Enroll now!!

The College of Arts and Humanities is proud to launch its inaugural Mariachi Ensemble. Open to all majors, this exciting new course celebrates the rich musical traditions of our region while creating new opportunities for students to perform, connect, and make history.

🎶 MUS 1270 (82851)
📅 Tuesdays | 7–10 p.m.

Join us at CSU Bakersfield for a special screening of Karmele (2025), directed by acclaimed Basque filmmaker Asier Altuna.

📍 The Doré Theatre at CSUB

📅 Friday, May 22

🚪 Doors Open: 4:30 p.m.

🎬 Screening Begins: 5:00 p.m.

Free admission and parking in Lot C.

Following the screening, director Asier Altuna will participate in a Q&A conversation with the audience.

Presented in Euskara with English subtitles, Karmele tells a powerful story of resilience, exile, and dignity during and after the Spanish Civil War. Inspired by real events and the novel Elkarrekin Esnatzeko Ordua (Time to Wake Up Together) by Kirmen Uribe, the film follows Karmele Urresti and Txomin Letamendi as they build a life across France, Paris, Caracas, and Bilbao in the face of displacement and political upheaval.

We hope you’ll join us!

🎓✨ GRAD PROFILE: Lucy Fitzgerald finds her canvas at CSUB 🎓✨

Fitzgerald always dreamed of being an artist and creating, and began pursuing her art history degree in higher education at Los Angeles Valley College in 2014 where she graduated. But, something was missing.

In 2021, she moved to Bakersfield and enrolled at Bakersfield College as an art major. Now, Fitzgerald is preparing to graduate from CSUB with her bachelor's degree in studio arts.

“I like being able to create something new out of pre-existing materials. That’s what I find very exciting and a lot more expressive than other types of art,” she said. “I like being able to express the weird and fun ideas that pop in my head and translate them into an object that other people can be exposed to and explore those ideas.”

She has also become an instructor when she partnered with her friend to create the Bakersfield School of Art and Music in 2020, providing low-cost lessons to students of all ages.

This is just the beginning.

Read about her journey and what's ahead of her after commencement: https://bit.ly/4358bRw

🎬 Behind the Scenes: Inside the Heart of the Film Industry

Recently, our Digital Media students with Communications professor, Joe Ren had the exciting opportunity to visit FotoKem and Apture in Los Angeles for an immersive, behind-the-scenes experience in professional film production.

From exploring advanced lighting setups and production workflows to engaging directly with industry professionals, students gained valuable insight into the fast-paced world of media and entertainment. The visit offered more than technical knowledge. It provided inspiration, mentorship, and a clearer view of the many career pathways within the industry.

Experiences like these help bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world practice, empowering students to see their creative passions in motion.

Future journalists in the making! 📰✨

We were proud to welcome ~60 eighth-grade students from the Harambe program, a pre-admissions initiative supporting students primarily of color, for a day of exploration, inspiration, and hands-on learning at the university.

As part of this special event, students were “admitted” for the day and experienced college life by diving into interactive workshops across our four colleges. In our journalism session, students didn’t just learn, they did.

Led by Professor Bianca Moreno alongside our amazing Runner students, participants broke into small groups focused on:

📸 Photography
🎥 Broadcasting
🎙️ Podcasting

Each group gave students the chance to step into a real college-style class for an hour, building skills, asking questions, and discovering what it’s like to pursue a major in journalism.

Join us in congratulating Katherine Kennedy of the CSUB Class of 2026, recipient of The George Award!

Named in honor of founding CSUB Art faculty member George Ketterl, an internationally exhibited artist and dedicated educator, this award recognizes an outstanding art major selected by a guest adjudicator from the Here/Now Senior Exhibition.

Guest adjudicator Emma Saperstein recognized Katherine’s work Pink Noise for its “confident negotiation between materiality and digitality,” where weaving becomes both tactile surface and pixel-like structure—offering a compelling critique of technological mediation while remaining deeply physical.

We also celebrate this year’s runners-up, Kara Amos, Isabel Benavides, and Sarai Ontiveros, whose works reflect powerful storytelling, emotional depth, and thoughtful explorations of contemporary life.

Congratulations to all of our talented artists for an inspiring exhibition and for continuing the legacy of George Ketterl’s commitment to art and education. 🎉

Tonight!!!

Join us and the Bakersfield College Performing Arts Department Orchestra for our final concert of the season tonight at 7:30pm in the Doré Theatre! Tickets are available online or at the door.

🎟 ➡ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988859899498?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join us in celebrating an extraordinary milestone! 🎶

We’re excited to invite you to the Senior Recital of Carlos Aguayo, featuring Jordan Williams on piano.

Carlos was recently honored at the College of Arts and Humanities Honors Convocation, receiving the Presser Scholar Award, Outstanding Student in Music, and the Outstanding Bachelor’s Student for the College of Arts and Humanities! An incredible achievement!

Now, experience his artistry live as he performs works by Telemann, Handel, Mozart, Debussy, Hindemith, and Poulenc. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear one of our most accomplished students share his talent. It's going to be a beautiful evening of music you won’t want to miss.

📅 Tuesday, May 12, 2026
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 CSUB Music Building, Room 127

🎓✨ Congratulations to our College of Arts and Humanities Honors Students! ✨🎓

On April 30, 2026, the College of Arts and Humanities proudly recognized our outstanding honors students during the Honors Convocation at the Walter Stiern Library, Dezember Reading Room. It was an inspiring afternoon celebrating the hard work, creativity, and dedication of these incredible students.

We loved seeing so many proud families and friends in attendance. It was truly a special moment for our community. We can’t wait to see what’s next for each of you. The future is bright!