Feb. 13, 2025
Contact: Sara Diedrich, diedrichs@missouri.edu
Step into a world of inspiration and artistic brilliance at the University of Missouri's annual Chancellor’s Arts Showcase on Friday, February 21, at the Missouri Theatre. Mizzou’s biggest night of student artwork, performance and design, this event celebrates the imagination and talent of more than 100 Tigers across various disciplines.
The showcase, hosted by the College of Arts and Science, is free and open to the public.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Visual arts and innovative design spanning installations in the Missouri Theatre lobby and neighboring Columbia Art League. Doors open to the community at 6:30 p.m.
- Music, drama and short films produced and performed by Mizzou students and faculty will be showcased on the Missouri Theatre stage starting at 7:30 p.m.
- Forward-thinking architectural and interior design concepts and solutions.
- Garments and textiles created using innovative tools and techniques.
One of the highlights of the evening will be the debut of original music by student composer Giovanni Porfirio, winner of the 2025 Sinquefield Composition Prize awarded by the Mizzou School of Music and the Mizzou New Music Initiative. Porfirio is a composer from Sao Paulo, Brazil, currently pursuing a master’s degree at Mizzou. His compositional philosophy centers on the fusion of harmonicity, or defined pitches, and inharmonicity, or undefined pitches, influenced by his experience with electroacoustic music.
“My intention is to create a fusion of contemporary music and Bossa Nova, a Brazilian genre that incorporates elements of jazz and Samba,” he said. “Additionally, the piece will feature influences of French Impressionism and Spectralism, particularly in the orchestration, which echoes the textures and atmospheres characteristic of those styles.”
Also showcasing new work will be Avery Dixon, a senior art major from Columbia, Missouri. Over the past three years, Dixon has honed a signature style to her ceramic work. At the event, she will debut her piece, “Burgundy Heart Shaped Medallion,” which expands upon her technical skill and doubles as an ode to a song her father used to sing to her as a child, weaving personal nostalgia into her evolving artistic expression.
“I typically coat red earthenware clay with white slip then use sgraffito to carve through the slip to reveal imagery in that rich red color,” Dixon said. “This piece is different from some of my others as it includes some black slip around the window for added contrast against the white rays, and I inlaid white slip for those lines instead of carving through it as I usually do.”
For her exhibit, Emme Taylor, a senior architectural studies major from Ankeny, Iowa, designed an assisted living facility located at a pre-existing site of a health nursery school in Örkelljunga, Sweden, which was designed to instill healthy habits in the children. Inspired by a deep commitment to serving others, she sought to integrate innovative design solutions that enhance the quality of life for residents. Her vision was further shaped by the experiences of older family members.
“I wanted to help redefine the current stereotype of assisted living facilities by designing an environment that emphasizes individuality, inclusivity, safety and innovative care all while allowing the residents to feel comfortable and welcomed in a new environment,” Taylor said. “I challenged myself to meet the diverse needs of multiple residents, find balance between safety and comfort, and design spaces that allow for both privacy and social interaction.”
Registration is not required to attend the Chancellor’s Arts Showcase, but you can opt register in advance.
