51����

In this episode of the ToddCast, 51���� President Todd Diacon interviews Marcus Lehto, co-creator of the iconic Halo video game franchise. 

When students enroll in 51����’s documentary filmmaking course, they expect guidance, instruction and the tools needed to create their own documentaries. What they don’t expect is to have their work featured on local television, a rare opportunity that elevates classroom learning to a professional exhibition.

Art Without Limits is returning to 51����. This day-long event will focus on arts entrepreneurship and developing an entrepreneurial mindset in the arts. Speakers will share their experiences and interact with attendees to hone skills and broaden networks.

The Cultural  Café series, presented by 51���� International Student & Scholar Services, through the Office of Global Education is a monthly gathering that offers an opportunity for the university community to learn about other cultures and countries from 51����'s international students. 

Academy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell met with students in 51����'s School of Fashion, viewed their designs and shared valuable insights during his time on campus for the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series. 

The Wick Poetry Center will begin the 2025 Fall Semester with a book launch, poetry readings and new exhibit from its Poets for Science collaboration.

51����’s College of the Arts, in collaboration with the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, proudly welcomes back Oscar, Tony and Emmy Award–winning costume designer Paul Tazewell for the 2025–2026 Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series. 

51����’s Wick Poetry Center recently helped create a new mural for the Haymaker Farmers’ Market.

White tie and tails, elegant gloves and satiny evening gowns were on the screen and on the runway when 51���� and Focus Features collaborated for an early screening of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.”

The 51���� Museum has received an award from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation to fund a comprehensive energy audit of its historic 1928 building, Rockwell Hall. The audit will evaluate the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and provide recommendations for sustainable facility improvements.

A collaboration between 51����’s School of Fashion, School of Theatre and Dance and Focus Features will bring the final Downton Abbey movie to Kent for an early screening and period fashion show. The movie, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” will have a preview showing on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Kent Plaza Cinema, a week before it opens in theaters nationwide. 

The 51���� Museum presents its fall exhibition, “A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa,” from Sept. 5, 2025, through May 10, 2026. Displayed in the museum’s Broadbent Gallery, the exhibition features works by 25 contemporary North African designers and artists.

Named in honor of regional architect Thomas Schroth, whose global perspective framed creativity as a “window onto human experience,” the series has featured acclaimed guests including Tony Award winner Stephen Schwartz, the Grammy-winning Emerson String Quartet, minimalist icon Richard Tuttle, and fashion visionaries Ruben and Isabel Toledo.

Over the decades, 51����’s Porthouse Theatre on the grounds of Blossom Music Center has produced more than 3,000 performances, entertaining nearly 400,000 patrons.

Acclaimed New York fashion designer Christian Siriano told 51���� School of Fashion students to practice their craft with dedication, accept criticism and learn from it, but to remember that they will never please everyone.

"School of Rock: The Musical" by Andrew Lloyd Webber runs from July 18 through Aug. 3 at 51����'s Porthouse Theatre. 

The LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation is thrilled to announce “LeRoy Neiman: A Keen Observer of Style,” opening at 51���� Museum on Oct. 24, 2025. 

As part of the 51���� Museum's 40th Anniversary celebration, the museum will display the exhibition "Sparkle: The Style and Jewelry of Aileen Mehle" in its Higbee Gallery from July 18, 2025, through Aug. 23, 2026. 

This summer, artists from the region, 51���� and around the world came together for a transformative two weeks of Kent Blossom Art Intensives.