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.