Rutgers–Camden Celebrates Year of the Arts
The initiative is bringing world-class creative voices to campus while spotlighting and cultivating homegrown talent.
The Rutgers University–Camden community is experiencing the transformative impact of creativity like never before in 2025 through Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis’s Year of the Arts. This celebration brings together internationally renowned artists, local talent, and the Camden community to showcase how music, theater, visual art, literature, and more can entertain, inspire, and unite.
Year of the Arts reinforces Rutgers–Camden’s position as an anchor for cultural growth and community engagement in South Jersey and throughout the Delaware Valley.
This celebration will shine a light on the dynamic culture that enriches our campus while demonstrating the transformative power of the arts. Studies show that college students who are highly engaged in the arts are twice as likely to graduate as their peers with no arts education.
Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis
The scope of Year of the Arts goes beyond performance and exhibition; it underscores the university’s mission to foster creativity, accessibility, and inclusivity through creative expression.
The schedule of events—which includes performances, readings, and art exhibitions both on campus and throughout the region—reflects Camden’s multicultural identity, ensuring the celebration resonates with those from all walks of life. By partnering with local organizations and showcasing diverse perspectives, the university is emphasizing the role of the arts in building community and fostering dialogue.
From February 28 to March 2, the campus will host Festival Mahogany, the first Year of the Arts headline event, featuring virtuosic classical music performances led by award-winning conductor Marlon Daniel.
Other events include the Midnight Notes late-night literary series, art exhibitions marking the 50th anniversary of the university’s Stedman Gallery, and the Mallery Concert Series, a mainstay of the Department of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts (VMPA) since 2008.
Ranky Tanky, a two-time Grammy-winning jazz ensemble rooted in the sounds and traditions of South Carolina’s Gullah region, will bring its lush vocal harmonies and expert musicianship to the historic Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ. The show—much like the band itself—promises a blending of cultures and a collision of the new and familiar. Year of the Arts programming aims to introduce the Rutgers–Camden community to new styles and ideas while relying on the transcendent, universal power of artistic expression to bring diverse audiences together.
“The importance of Year of the Arts as a means of bringing cultural enrichment to our beloved Camden community cannot be overstated,” Chancellor Tillis said. “The celebration is highlighting the depth and breadth of artists who practice their craft in our community and speak to the diverse tastes of our multicultural city. It is a blessing to be experiencing the incredibly unifying power of the arts right here at Rutgers–Camden.”
