First Thursdays

First Thursdays showcase the diversity of arts and humanities at IU Bloomington and offer a welcoming environment for students, faculty, staff, and community members to explore new creative outlets. Previous iterations have included everything from opera to breakdancing, stage-fighting to clay-throwing, and much, much more. Each event is a unique opportunity to experience the wonderful work of artists, performers, and scholars from all across campus and around town.

The April First Thursdays will be a festival of art, ideas, and community featuring 2 performance stages, 80+ activity booths, 20+ arts vendors, food trucks, giveaways, and more. Special activities this month include the 1776 Trail in partnership with the College of Arts & Sciences, the McKinney Int'l Artist in Residence Lecture in partnership with the Eskenazi School, and extended hours programming in all buildings around the Fine Arts Plaza!

Performances

Main Stage on IU Auditorium Steps
4:00 - InMotion Dance Company
4:35 - Merrily We Roll Along showcase by IU Musical Theatre
5:10 - Jacobs School Saxophone Ensemble
5:45 - Eleanor & Dario (in partnership with Lotus Blossoms)
6:35 - AAAI Soul Revue

Second Stage on Eskenazi Museum Lawn
4:00 - Puppetry Performance
4:30 - Babel Theater Project
5:00 - Cosmic Songwriters
6:00 - Maxwell Dogwood (Live from Bloomington)

1776 Trail

In partnership with the College of Arts & Sciences, the festival will feature a trail of faculty-led activities related to America's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Attendees can stop by the following booths and venues to engage with various artistic, humanistic, and scientific ideas that date back to 1776 and still resonate today. This program is part of America 250 at IU Initiative.

American Sign Language Program
Roots of American Sign Language - Martha's Vineyard Sign Language pre-1776

Center for Language Technology
Which Language was spoken where in 1776?

Department of Chemistry
A Chemical Revolution: The Discovery of Oxygen

Department of History
Declaring Independence with the Dept. of History + 1776 History Wordle Challenge

Department of Mathematics
Colonial Math

Department of Political Science
Quill Writing

Department of Statistics
Statistics: Then and Now

Eskenazi Museum of Art
George Washington's portrait by Gilbert Stuart

IU Auditorium
The Social History of Indiana mural by Thomas Hart Benton

Lilly Library
The Declaration of Independence: The Motives, The Moment

Political and Civic Engagement Program (PACE)
Civic Salon + Voter Registration

Indoor Programming

• Extended hours until 7pm
• Artist Talk - Rania Matar: Where Do I Go? @ 5pm
• Vital Ecosystem Artwork Performance @ 5:30pm
• Activity booths, hands-on craft activity, and more

• Extended hours in Grunwald Gallery until 7pm
• McKinney Int'l Artists-in-Residence Talk @ 6pm
  • Marharyta Zhurunova | Land Art in Ukraine

• Extended hours in Hall of Murals until 7pm 

• Extended hours until 7pm
• 1776 Trail activity booths + Declaration of Independence display
• Comic Book pop-up exhibition