Cornell Biennial

Every other year, the Cornell Council for the Arts curates an arts festival on campus that is free and open to the public. The curator (director of the CCA) selects a theme to guide the creation of the Biennial. Past themes have covered topics including uncertain futures, ecology and the digital age, survival, empathy, and nanotechnology.

The Biennial is a semester-long compilation of attractions and performances, involving as many as 40 artists and events with at least a dozen Cornell-affiliated artists. The CCA holds an internal competition to provide up to $8,000 for novel, inspiring, and impactful artistic projects led by Cornell faculty and students. A curatorial committee, comprised of faculty and student representatives from a variety of disciplines, determines which Cornell projects will receive funding. The curator also seeks to include a range of invitational artists from various stages in their careers, aiming to curate a diverse array of artworks on campus.

The sixth Cornell Biennial has not been scheduled. Until then, we welcome you to view the artists and events of our first five Biennials.

2022

2020

2018

2016

2014