CSUB Arts & Humanities

05/20/2026

Join us at CSU Bakersfield for a special screening of Karmele (2025), directed by acclaimed Basque filmmaker Asier Altuna.

📍 The Doré Theatre at CSUB

📅 Friday, May 22

🚪 Doors Open: 4:30 p.m.

🎬 Screening Begins: 5:00 p.m.

Free admission and parking in Lot C.

Following the screening, director Asier Altuna will participate in a Q&A conversation with the audience.

Presented in Euskara with English subtitles, Karmele tells a powerful story of resilience, exile, and dignity during and after the Spanish Civil War. Inspired by real events and the novel Elkarrekin Esnatzeko Ordua (Time to Wake Up Together) by Kirmen Uribe, the film follows Karmele Urresti and Txomin Letamendi as they build a life across France, Paris, Caracas, and Bilbao in the face of displacement and political upheaval.

We hope you’ll join us!

05/15/2026

🎓✨ GRAD PROFILE: Lucy Fitzgerald finds her canvas at CSUB 🎓✨

Fitzgerald always dreamed of being an artist and creating, and began pursuing her art history degree in higher education at Los Angeles Valley College in 2014 where she graduated. But, something was missing.

In 2021, she moved to Bakersfield and enrolled at Bakersfield College as an art major. Now, Fitzgerald is preparing to graduate from CSUB with her bachelor's degree in studio arts.

“I like being able to create something new out of pre-existing materials. That’s what I find very exciting and a lot more expressive than other types of art,” she said. “I like being able to express the weird and fun ideas that pop in my head and translate them into an object that other people can be exposed to and explore those ideas.”

She has also become an instructor when she partnered with her friend to create the Bakersfield School of Art and Music in 2020, providing low-cost lessons to students of all ages.

This is just the beginning.

Read about her journey and what's ahead of her after commencement: https://bit.ly/4358bRw

05/14/2026

🎬 Behind the Scenes: Inside the Heart of the Film Industry

Recently, our Digital Media students with Communications professor, Joe Ren had the exciting opportunity to visit FotoKem and Apture in Los Angeles for an immersive, behind-the-scenes experience in professional film production.

From exploring advanced lighting setups and production workflows to engaging directly with industry professionals, students gained valuable insight into the fast-paced world of media and entertainment. The visit offered more than technical knowledge. It provided inspiration, mentorship, and a clearer view of the many career pathways within the industry.

Experiences like these help bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world practice, empowering students to see their creative passions in motion.

05/08/2026

Future journalists in the making! 📰✨

We were proud to welcome ~60 eighth-grade students from the Harambe program, a pre-admissions initiative supporting students primarily of color, for a day of exploration, inspiration, and hands-on learning at the university.

As part of this special event, students were “admitted” for the day and experienced college life by diving into interactive workshops across our four colleges. In our journalism session, students didn’t just learn, they did.

Led by Professor Bianca Moreno alongside our amazing Runner students, participants broke into small groups focused on:

📸 Photography
🎥 Broadcasting
🎙️ Podcasting

Each group gave students the chance to step into a real college-style class for an hour, building skills, asking questions, and discovering what it’s like to pursue a major in journalism.

05/07/2026

Join us in congratulating Katherine Kennedy of the CSUB Class of 2026, recipient of The George Award!

Named in honor of founding CSUB Art faculty member George Ketterl, an internationally exhibited artist and dedicated educator, this award recognizes an outstanding art major selected by a guest adjudicator from the Here/Now Senior Exhibition.

Guest adjudicator Emma Saperstein recognized Katherine’s work Pink Noise for its “confident negotiation between materiality and digitality,” where weaving becomes both tactile surface and pixel-like structure—offering a compelling critique of technological mediation while remaining deeply physical.

We also celebrate this year’s runners-up, Kara Amos, Isabel Benavides, and Sarai Ontiveros, whose works reflect powerful storytelling, emotional depth, and thoughtful explorations of contemporary life.

Congratulations to all of our talented artists for an inspiring exhibition and for continuing the legacy of George Ketterl’s commitment to art and education. 🎉

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

Tonight!!!

Join us and the Bakersfield College Performing Arts Department Orchestra for our final concert of the season tonight at 7:30pm in the Doré Theatre! Tickets are available online or at the door.

🎟 ➡ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988859899498?aff=oddtdtcreator

05/06/2026

Join us in celebrating an extraordinary milestone! 🎶

We’re excited to invite you to the Senior Recital of Carlos Aguayo, featuring Jordan Williams on piano.

Carlos was recently honored at the College of Arts and Humanities Honors Convocation, receiving the Presser Scholar Award, Outstanding Student in Music, and the Outstanding Bachelor’s Student for the College of Arts and Humanities! An incredible achievement!

Now, experience his artistry live as he performs works by Telemann, Handel, Mozart, Debussy, Hindemith, and Poulenc. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear one of our most accomplished students share his talent. It's going to be a beautiful evening of music you won’t want to miss.

📅 Tuesday, May 12, 2026
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 CSUB Music Building, Room 127

05/04/2026

🎓✨ Congratulations to our College of Arts and Humanities Honors Students! ✨🎓

On April 30, 2026, the College of Arts and Humanities proudly recognized our outstanding honors students during the Honors Convocation at the Walter Stiern Library, Dezember Reading Room. It was an inspiring afternoon celebrating the hard work, creativity, and dedication of these incredible students.

We loved seeing so many proud families and friends in attendance. It was truly a special moment for our community. We can’t wait to see what’s next for each of you. The future is bright!

04/24/2026

👉 Art + Science Under the AH Canopy 🌿🐦

Yesterday at the ESA event, the College of Arts and Humanities canopy turned into a mini field lab for bird lovers and artists alike. Huge thanks to Dr. Fran Fairbairn (Professor of Philosophy) for creating such a welcoming space and encouraging students to slow down, observe, and sketch the birds around us.

Dr. Fairbairn shares:
“This Red-winged Blackbird piece started as a digital illustration I created in Adobe Illustrator and turned into a poster using Adobe Express—both now available to CSU students for free through the new Adobe partnership (yes, I’m excited about that grant 😉).

The bird facts and field knowledge behind the work come from courses I’ve taken through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where I also contribute illustrations for their programs. And a fun milestone: some of my drawings will be featured in the 2027 edition of Steve Kress’ The Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds: Creating Natural Habitats for Properties Large and Small.”

Art + science + a little time outdoors = a pretty great combination.

04/23/2026

Join us for the next event in the Spring 2026 Colloquia Series hosted by the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

We’re pleased to welcome Ralph H. Craig III, Assistant Professor of Religion at Whitman College, for his talk:

“Knowledge and Skill: Models of Buddhist Preaching, Past and Present.”

📅 Friday, April 24, 2026

🕒 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

📍 Humanities Complex, Room 1109

This event is free and open to the public. We invite students, faculty, and community members to join us.