Institute for Diversity in the Arts and Black Performing Arts Division
The Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA) is an interdisciplinary program in the humanities that involves students in the study of culture, identity and diversity through artistic expression. The Committee on Black Performing Arts (CBPA) and the Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA) merged in Autumn 2005. The mission of IDA/CBPA is to engage artists, students, and the local community collaboratively to create performance and visual art that examine the intersections among race, diversity, and social action through programming that includes artist residencies, classes, workshops, public performances, a lecture series, and symposia. The division produces annual student productions and is a resource for student organizations promoting artistic expression through the exploration of the impact of ethnic representation in the arts, literature, media, and pop culture. The programs prepare students for work in areas including the arts and community development. Students have gone on to graduate-level critical studies, M.F.A. programs, public service, government and politics, arts administration, and teaching. Students can pursue an IDA concentration through the Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity major; students can also emphasize Black performance through the African and African American Studies major.