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Explore the Arts

Arts at Williams provides abundant opportunities for personal growth, learning and expression—from music, performance, and literature to the visual arts and dance—bolstered by a unique synergy between the college and the broader artistic community.
A male students is seen through the frame of a large white sculpture as he walks through a snowy campus. Two female students each hold an end of a piece of paper as they lower it onto a printing press in the printing studio. A male student plays the piano on a stage with a couch and props in the background. Two female students in black and red costumes dance in a performance onstage. A female students kneels on the floor of an art gallery as she works on installing pieces of a paper artwork to the wall. The director and first few rows of an orchestra are seen from above. Two students sit on the floor of a museum gallery as they examine the artwork and take notes. A male student in a red hat works with a design program on the computer in an art studio.

Academic Departments

The arts at Williams are enriched by nationally-recognized departments in English, comparative literature, dance, theatre, music, studio art and art history. Engaging faculty members, active staff members, and dedicated alumni broaden the community and enhance the college experience for arts majors and non-majors alike.
A male student sketches a skull in black charcoal on an easel in a studio art class. Four dancers warm up in a studio space surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. A row of trumpet players in black shirts play during a concert. A graduate art student speaks to a conservationist at the Williams College Museum of Art. A female student wearing all black recites lines in front of classmates in a theater space. Two female students study at a table in Sawyer Library.
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’62 Center for Theatre & Dance

Along with housing the Williams’ theatre and dance departments, the ’62 Center hosts the CenterSeries, performances by visiting artists who run workshops for students. The complex is comprised of three theaters, dance and directing studios and classrooms. The Summer Theatre Lab and the award-winning Williamstown Theatre Festival are also in residence over the summer.
A student actor sits on a stage covered in a white tarp with a bathtub and pile of wine bottles in the background. The Iota Ensemble, featuring a piano, cello, clarinet, keyboard, and xylophone, performs onstage of the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance while colorful graphics are projected on a screen above them. A group of dancers rehearse in the main dance studio of the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance, which is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. The all-glass front lobby of the '62 Center for Theatre Dance is seen from the side while a tour group stops outside its front entrance.
Learn More '62 Center website

Williams College Museum of Art

The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) claims the title of the “largest classroom at Williams.” Established in 1926 as a way for students to experience art up close instead of through textbooks, WCMA has some 15,000 works of art. The museum hosts seasonal exhibitions, offers student programming and holds performances.
Two students sit on the floor of a museum gallery as they examine the artwork and take notes. A large gallery space at the Williams College Museum of Art with colorful prints displayed on three walls. A female student sits on a green stool in front of an encased sculpture in a museum gallery space and takes notes. Students use magnifying glasses to examine art prints at the Williams College Museum of Art. Students sit in in chairs in a circle around a speaker as they give a presentation in a gallery museum space. A student musician plays the tuba in the middle of the rotunda in the Williams College Museum of Art. A class of college students listens and takes notes as a museum curator dictates his process.
Learn More Visit WCMA's website

Student Groups

Student-organized arts groups offer abundant opportunities for personal expression and community engagement. Among the most well-known are Cap & Bells (the oldest continuously running student-run college theater group in the country); the Zambezi Marimba Band; Sankofa, CoDa and Nothing But Cuties (NBC) dance groups; Ephlats, Springstreeters and Accidentals a cappella groups; and Gospel Choir. Students can also serve as a WCMA Agent for Creative Action, join photography and ceramics clubs as well as the musician’s alliance.

 
Two student actors in period costume rehearse lines with a script backstage before a performance. Two student actresses are reflected in a mirror as they do their makeup before a performance. Student dancers dressed in black bottoms and blue tops move in unison onstage. Ephoria, a student-run a capella group, sings at the homecoming football game. Student dancers laugh and hug on the edge of the stage as they take a break during rehearsal. The Zambezi Marimba Band plays at their annual Zambezi Dance Party. Two students can be seen playing marimbas in traditional African shirts. A group of students in colorful and diverse costumes gathers in the quad; one student stands on a ledge in a tiger costume and speaks to the group. Members of the Williams College Marching Band perform on the field during a homecoming football game, dressed in colorful hats.
Learn More Full list of Student Groups

Beyond Campus

Along with the offerings at the College are those of the Tony Award-winning Williamstown Theatre Festival and nearby museums. The Clark boasts an expansive American and European collection and serves as a research institution, and MASS MoCA makes and houses contemporary visual and performing arts that “defy classification” while hosting events like FreshGrass and Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival. The Berkshires’ thriving creative economy stretches into neighboring towns, with Tanglewood, Barrington Stage Company and Jacob’s Pillow a short drive away.
Aerial view of the WILCO outdoor concert at MASS MoCA. Male museum visitor looking at a wall painting by Sol LeWitt. Andris Nelsons conducting the orchestra at Tanglewood. View of the back of he Clark Art Center with reflecting pools. European and American Art displayed inside a Clark Art Institute gallery. Outdoor stage with a dance company performing in front of an audience. Into the Woods cast on stage. Male dancers performing on stage in West Side Story
Explore Arts Events Destination Williamstown
Want to learn more about academics? Dive in
Learn More '62 Center website
Learn More Visit WCMA's website
Learn More Full list of Student Groups
Explore Arts Events Destination Williamstown