2023 Arts and Communication Festival

Performance: Gator Beat Gators Drumline
April 3, 2023
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Mural Area 

Kick off our two-week festival with the percussive rhythms of the Gator Beat Gator Drumline. These students may have different majors, but they all share a love of performing!

Performance: UHD K-Pop Dance Club
April 4, 2023
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Mural Area 

Join UHD students for a performance that celebrates Korean pop music and dance!

Artist Talk: "DEIA: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in Theatre Arts"
with Edgar Guajardo, Technical Director, The Deluxe Theatre
April 4, 2023
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
O'Kane Theatre

Join local theatre professional Edgar Guajardo for a discussion of the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in Houston theatre!

Performance: Dance Afrikana
April 5, 2023
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Mural Area

Enjoy a performance of local group Dance Afrikana, whose mission is to crate a world where people of the African Diaspora are empowered and connected through the African dance tradition, and where dancers have the safe space and platform to grow artistically.

Communication Studies Speaker Event: "Communicating Through Comics" 
April 5, 2023
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
In Person: Robertson Auditorium 

Comics aren't just for kids! Join our esteemed panel as we explore a new way to communicate and learn through comics.

Panelists:

Jarrod L. Perez, Art Director and Creative Consultant

Dr. Darius Benton, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies

Dr. Anthony Ramirez, Assistant Professor of Communications Studies

Artist Talk: with Jarrod L. Perez, Artist
 "Cooking up Comics with Toonzday: A Talk with a Local Creator about the Creative Process"
April 6, 2023
11:30 a.m.. - 12:15 p.m.
N823

Local Comic Artist, Writer, and Creator Jarrod L. Perez will offer a Q&A session about his own creative process. Students, faculty, and staff are welcome to drop in and learn more about the art of comics!

Reception for UHD Student Art Exhibit
April 6, 2023
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
O'Kane Gallery

Celebrate the opening of a new exhibit of art created by UHD students! Light refreshments will be served.

Reception for The Book Club Play
Play by Karen Zacarías
April 6, 2023
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
O'Kane Theatre

Join Director of O'Kane Theatre and director of The Book Club Play by Karen Zacarías for light refreshments to mark the opening of this play, which runs April 6-15. 

Loads of laughter and literature collide in this smart hit comedy about books and the people who love them. Ana is a Type A personality who lives in a letter-perfect world with an adoring husband, the perfect job and her greatest passion: Book Club. But when her cherished group becomes the focus of a documentary film, their intimate discussions about life and literature take a turn for the hilarious in front of the inescapable camera lens. Add a provocative new member along with some surprising new book titles, and these six friends are bound for pandemonium. Sprinkled with fun theatrical references to documentaries and novels galore from Moby Dick and Age of Innocence to Twilight and The Da Vinci Code, this buoyant comedy on contemporary culture will have everyone laughing … and reflecting. The Book Club Play is a delightful play about life, love, literature and the side-splitting results when friends start reading between the lines.   Play performances April 6 - 15, visit O'Kane Theatre website for dates and times. 

Performance: Gator Groove
April 10, 2023
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Mural Area

Enjoy the smooth and vibrant work of UHD's own multicultural student band at a lunchtime performance!

Artist Talk: "Building Communities Through Art" with Rebecca Bass, Artist
April 10, 2023
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Milam Room

Local artist Rebecca Bass discusses the life of an artist in Houston and how art and community come together.

Elevator Pitch Contest
April 11, 2023
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
N1099

Come give a 30 to 90 second pitch about either yourself or an organization you represent – for a chance to win a gift card of up to $50! 

This contest is open to all current UHD students. There's a limit of 20 entrants, and it's first-come, first-serve. The entries will be judged by a team of experienced faculty, and they will choose the top three pitches.

After the event the judges and any other attending faculty will offer feedback about the specific pitches and advice to help you make them better. Since this event is happening the day before the internship fair, this is a valuable opportunity for you to practice your elevator pitches in the hopes of landing that perfect internship. This could be the start of a great future.  

If you are unclear about elevator pitches, these two links might help:

• Example 1 on YouTube
• Example 2 on YouTube

Arts & Communication Studies Internship Fair
April 12, 2023
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
A300
Meet with local organizations to discuss available internships!  The Art + Communication Internship Fair serves two purposes: introducing our students to the wide range of non-profit and business organizations our city has to offer and connecting those organizations with candidates for internships.

Master of Arts in Strategic Communication Showcase
April 12, 2023
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
O'Kane Theatre Lobby

Stop by the O'Kane Theatre lobby to enjoy the work of our graduate students! 

Graduate students in the Master of Arts in Strategic Communication (MASC) program have been working on a service learning project to analyze online communication materials and make recommendations to enhance the online presence of our community partners. Stop by anytime during the event to see conference-style poster presentations of their work and meet faculty in the MASC program. 

Performance: Too Much Lights Make the Baby Go Blind
April 13, 2023
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Mural Area

Did you miss UHD Drama's Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind?
Sample this piece of work developed by UHD students!

Performance: Steps for Dancing
April 13, 2023
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mural Area

Close out our festival with us as we enjoy a performance of Indian dance by local dance group and school, Steps for Dancing, which aims to build a love for dancing in anyone!