Catch vibrant arts events across Emory this month

By Jay Hammond Oct. 8, 2025

“Quick Split,” an exhibition of paintings by Brooklyn-based artist Lindsay Burke, opens on campus in October. Photo by Matt Grubb.

As the leaves begin to turn and the air grows crisp, October offers vibrant artistic experiences across Emory’s campus. From stirring concerts to innovative dance works and films that challenge the imagination, this month provides opportunities for reflection, inspiration and delight.

Experience the world through a new lens.

On Thursday, Oct. 9, audiences are invited to a free screening of “King Coal” at 7 p.m. in the Rita Anne Rollins Building, Room 102. This lyrical documentary weaves together memory and myth to examine the past, present and shifting identity of coal communities in Appalachia, offering a poignant meditation on heritage and change. Ticket reservations are encouraged.

The Emory Cinematheque continues its fall series, looking back on 1975, with films such as “Deathrace 2000” (Oct. 15) and “Dog Day Afternoon” (Oct. 22). Together, these films invite audiences to reflect on questions of politics, spectacle and human resilience while capturing the restless cinematic spirit of the 1970s. All screenings take place at 7:30 p.m. in White Hall, Room 208, and are free.

Later in the month, Alice Rohrwacher’s award-winning film “La Chimera” will be shown on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. in White Hall, Room 205. A poetic drama, the film follows Arthur, a young tomb raider haunted by lost love, as he journeys between the living and the dead, between memory and myth. Blending elements of romance, adventure and spiritual longing, the work offers a haunting meditation on love, loss and the search for meaning. The event is free and no registration is required.

View art galleries across campus.

The Schatten Gallery in Woodruff Library hosts “Striking Characters: Typewriters, Literary Worlds, and the Art of Tim Youd,” featuring Youd performing live at the typewriter from 1-5 p.m., Sunday-Friday, through Friday, Oct. 17. This exhibit highlights the typewriter’s profound role in shaping literature, art and political resistance, featuring works from the Rose Library archives alongside Youd’s retyped diptychs. Visitors can also view multiple typewriters from across the decades. The exhibition and performances are free and open to the public.

The Michael C. Carlos Museum welcomes Emory students for Student Studio: Guided by Guides on Friday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. in the Tate Room. The program is free and open to all students, who will join Emory student guides for short, unique tours inspired by the “Insistent Presence” exhibit. A hands-on project created by the guides themselves will follow.

The Emory Visual Arts Gallery presents “Quick Split,” an exhibition of paintings by Brooklyn-based artist Lindsay Burke, opening Thursday, Oct. 9, and running through Friday, Dec. 12. Burke’s work examines the human body as both image and structure, weaving themes of vulnerability, resilience and transformation into striking compositions. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Connect with main character energy.

Theater at Emory presents “The Restoration Project: Be the Main Character of Your Own Story,” a recurring series running at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays from Oct. 7 through Nov. 11, in Rich Memorial Building, Room 210. Free and open to the public, this project invites participants to devise an original cabaret while exploring the history of the form. The program serves as the first step toward creating a queer cabaret for Emory, welcoming singers, writers, dancers, actors and anyone eager to be part of a bold and beautiful collective project.

The Carlos Reads Book Club hosts a discussion of Romeo Oriogun’s “The Gathering of Bastards” on Monday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Carlos Museum Board Room. Led by Nathan Suhr-Sytsma, associate professor of English, this session will explore Oriogun’s lyrical exploration of migration, borders and belonging. Registration is required, with a fee of $25 for members and $35 for nonmembers, which includes a copy of the book.

Then, on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m., the Carlos Museum welcomes Oriogun back for “An Evening of Poetry,” joined in conversation by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and Charles Howard Candler Professor of English and Creative Writing Jericho Brown. Oriogun will read from “The Gathering of Bastards,” a collection that traces forced journeys across Africa, Europe and the United States. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition “Insistent Presence: Contemporary African Art from the Chazen Collection,” the evening is free and open to the public with registration required. The exhibition will be open for viewing prior to the program, starting at 5 p.m.

A companion “Writing Workshop with Romeo Oriogun” takes place Friday, Oct. 24, at noon in the Carlos Museum Board Room. Open to Emory students, this workshop offers an opportunity to engage directly with Oriogun on themes of identity, migration and resilience through creative practice.

Relax during an array of musical performances.

The Atlanta Master Chorale kicks off its season with “Homecoming” on Friday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m. in the Schwartz Center of Performing Art’s Emerson Concert Hall. This program marks the return of artistic director Eric Nelson, bringing voices together to celebrate the warmth of coming home. Tickets are available on the Schwartz Center’s website.

Third Coast Percussion will be joined by Salar Nader on tabla (inset photo) Friday, Oct. 17. Photos by Saverio Truglio and Nilesh Patel.

Outdoor music comes alive with Jazz on the Green, held Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m. on Patterson Green. This free event invites audiences to gather for an evening of student-performed jazz standards surrounded by the energy of campus.

The Candler Concert Series welcomes Third Coast Percussion and Salar Nader performing “Murmurs in Time” on Friday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. in Emerson Concert Hall at the Schwartz Center. Sharing works by the late composer Zakir Hussain, the program blends the beautiful sounds of Hindustani classical music with the iconic sonic profile of this Grammy Award–winning percussion ensemble. Reserve tickets through the Schwartz Center’s website.

The Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta (ECMSA) presents the Waits Chamber Music Concert, featuring the Vega Quartet in an evening that showcases their artistry in full force. At 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, audiences can expect timeless group and solo performances of Dvorak, Beethoven, Paganini and Brahms in Cannon Chapel. This performance is free and open to the public. In addition, celebrate spooky season with ECMSA’s Halloween Concert, happening on Friday, Oct. 31, at noon in Emerson Concert Hall. Free and open to the public, this concert features the frightening “Danse Macabre” by Saint-Saëns and Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” quartet.

The Atlanta campus Homecoming and Family Weekend 2025 kicks off with a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Friday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. in Emerson Concert Hall. This monumental work unites the Emory University Symphony Orchestra and University Chorus in a soaring presentation of classical compositions. The event is free, but tickets are required.

The weekend closes with the Emory Wind Ensemble performing a selection of classic wind band repertoire and newer works on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m. in Emerson Concert Hall.

Explore meaning through movement.

The Performing Arts Studio hosts “Voices in Motion/Voces in Movimiento: Music, Dance and the Dynamics of Community Survival” on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. This innovative community engagement event explores how Atlanta and Southern immigrant communities use music, dance and movement to navigate today’s political landscape.

Audiences will experience performances, discussion and interactive sessions — including a community panel, a salsa dance lesson with Paso Fino, live music from the Oaxacan Philharmonic Band of North Carolina, and a late-night set by DJ and La Choloteca founder Josephine Figuroa. This collaborative event, presented in the context of the Society for Ethnomusicology Annual Meeting, is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and registration is available through Eventbrite.

Appreciate arts at Oxford.

Arts at Oxford presents a series of performances, exhibitions and student projects throughout October, welcoming the fall atmosphere to its serene campus.

The “Docta: Graffiti Artist Exhibition,” hosted byCheikh Ndiaye, assistant professor of African studies, will be held on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 5:30 p.m. on Tarbutton Porch. Docta, a graffiti artist of Senegalese origin and considered one of the pioneers of African graffiti, is known for blending wild style, bubble, 3D and African masks under a vivid, layered atmosphere. His art carries strong social messages that resonate across generations, offering both resistance and awareness around conscience, dignity and human rights. This event is free and open to the public.

OxTheatre presents “Hakawatis: Women of the Arabian Nights” by Hannah Khalil Oct. 23-25 in Tarbutton Performing Arts Center. A tyrant gets revenge for his wife’s infidelity by wedding, bedding and beheading a new bride every day. Years later, only five brides-in-waiting remain. These women are unapologetic and united in their fight to keep themselves — and womankind — alive. Drawing on the Arabic tradition of the hakawati (storyteller), the play is a powerful exploration of solidarity and survival. Tickets are available for purchase through the OxTheatre website.

Lean into seasonal fright with the Spanish Scary Film Festival, held Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. in Humanities Hall, Room 202. Created by students from Maria Gonzalez Davis’ SPAN 205 class, the festival offers thrills, chills and short films in Spanish. Free pizza will be provided for attendees. This event is free and open to the public.

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