Arts and Culture

D.C. Advantage: Arts and Culture

Washington, D.C. offers a variety of opportunities for students to deepen their appreciation for and understanding of the arts. Moreover, the unique setting of the city enriches the Institute’s academic programs. From the Library of Congress to the historic Woodstock Library at Georgetown University, from the National Institutes of Health to the National Academy of Sciences, from Mount Vernon to the Kennedy Center, educational and research opportunities abound.

To complement the numerous local activities that are free of charge, such as the Smithsonian museums located around the National Mall, every semester the Institute sponsors a limited number of student tickets to performances by local groups such as the Washington Bach Consort, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Performing Arts Society, and Chantry. Concerts, lectures, and other events are offered regularly at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, and the Franciscan Monastery.

The Institute encourages attention to beauty as an essential dimension of building a culture of life, not only the beauty of human works but also the beauty of creation. Places like the U.S. National Arboretum, Rock Creek Park, and the East Potomac Park in Washington D.C. make it possible to contemplate this beauty through nature.