Arts Division

Which group of mammals has the more "primitive" reproductive strategy — marsupials, with their short gestation periods, or humans and other placental mammals, which have long gestation periods? For decades, biologists viewed marsupial reproduction as "more primitive." But University of Washington scientists have discovered that a third group of mammals, the long-extinct multituberculates, had a long gestation period like placental mammals. Since multituberculates split off from the rest of the mammalian lineage before placentals and marsupials had even evolved, these findings question the view that marsupials were “less advanced” than their placental cousins.

The 1998 drama graduate receives the nation's highest poetry honor.

At the beginning of September, a press release announced that Sylvia Wolf, the director of the Henry Art Gallery since 2008, will be retiring in spring 2023. Across her career, Wolf held a distinct and profound love for the gallery, as well as the university and city with which the gallery’s art, artists, and curators are in relentless dialogue.

Abdiel Jacobsen, a graduate in the Department of Dance and a former Martha Graham dancer, found freedom in hustle, which offers a progressive, gender-neutral vision of partnered social dance.

Kemi Adeyemi, Jasmine Mahmoud, and Nikki Yeboah first met as PhD students in Chicago. Now they pursue scholarship in support of Black arts as UW faculty.

Four Dean's Medalists were selected by the College of Arts & Sciences for their varied and impressive work as UW undergraduates. 

The Burke Museum at the University of Washington in Seattle today announced it is one of six recipients of the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. The award is given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Burke Museum is the only institution in Washington to be selected.

The Burke Museum at the University of Washington in Seattle today announced it is one of six recipients of the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. The award is given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Burke Museum is the only institution in Washington to be selected.

Celebrate Pride Month and the history, progress and power of the LGBTQIA+ community through a collection of works by College of Arts & Sciences faculty, students and alumni.

Despite the pandemic, Darby Sherwood (BA, Drama; Political Science minor, 2022) graduated with a robust resume that includes directing, acting, and playwriting experience.

The UW Choirs celebrated graduating seniors and finished their final concert of the first fully in-person performance year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adelaide D. Currie Cole Endowed Professor of ethnomusicology in the UW School of Music and Chair of the Department of Dance, Christina Sunardi, is interviewed for this article about her life and career.

Arts & Sciences alum Simon Tran says meeting with Barack Obama to discuss careers in public service was "easily the most surreal experience I've ever had."

Solis comes from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and will join the UW on July 1.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced today that the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is among 30 finalists for the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service.