Cultural Resources

Entries appear in alphabetical order. Click on a link to be taken to the entry below.

The HCC is an internationally renowned organization which includes a Conference and Symposia Program, a Theater Program, a Music Program, the Hofstra Museum, and the publications of the proceedings of the Hofstra Cultural Center conferences and the scholarly journal Twentieth-Century Literature. The activities of each of these units augment the offerings of the academic departments of the University.

The Conference and Symposia Program develops educational programs related to the cultural and interdisciplinary experience of students, faculty, staff, alumni and international scholars; plans and coordinates conferences in the fields of the humanities, business, law and the sciences to promote the University as an international arena of scholarly thought and to foster Long Island as a cultural entity. The Center sponsored more than 100 conferences and has won international recognition for its Women Writers’ Conferences and for its Presidential Conference Series, which started in 1982 with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Centennial Conference, continued thereafter, with conferences on Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush. A regular series of conferences on popular culture personalities have also been included with conferences on Babe Ruth, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and George Gershwin. Most recently conferences have focused on Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Melville’s Moby-Dick, John Steinbeck and the 300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg. Forthcoming conferences will include Don Quixote, F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Jefferson Clinton.

The Theater Program of the Hofstra Cultural Center was founded in 1985, and offers a series of performances during the fall and spring semesters, often designed to augment conferences organized under the auspices of the Conference and Symposia Program. Casts may include students, faculty, members of the administration, alumni as well as performers from the local community and professional guest artists. The Theater Program also includes Hofstra USA Productions, founded in 1983.

The Music Program of the Hofstra Cultural Center includes The International Concert Series and special musical events in conjunction with conferences and symposia. The Hofstra Cultural Center arranges concerts on campus and has developed exciting working relationships with the Consulates of Austria, Germany, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, France, Russia and many other countries. Musicians from these countries perform on campus as part of the International Concert Series. The Conference and Symposia Program, the Theater Program and the Music Program maintain offices in the Student Center.

The Museum includes three dedicated indoor exhibition spaces and the outdoor sculpture collection on Hofstra’s north and south campus areas. It has been honored with accreditation by the American Association of Museums for achieving the highest professional standards in Hofstra’s continuing effort for excellence in art and artistic endeavors. The Hofstra Museum collection of almost 5,000 objects is one of the most valuable at a university in the greater New York area and contains major works of art, specializing in modern European and American painting, sculpture, photographs and prints as well as Asian, Oceanic, African and Pre-Columbian art. The Museum is responsible for over 85 pieces of outdoor sculpture in various locations throughout the 240 acre campus. Walking tour maps can be found in the galleries. The Museum coordinates about 12 exhibitions annually and provides occasional special lectures and accompanying programs. When possible, the Museum coordinates exhibitions to receive educational support through the Conference and Symposia Program.

The dedicated indoor exhibition areas of the Hofstra Museum include the Emily Lowe Gallery; the David Filderman Gallery and the Rochelle and Irwin A. Lowenfeld Conference and Exhibition Hall.

The Long Island Studies Institute, part of the Special Collections Department, is a major center for the study of Long Island’s local and regional history. Located at 619 Fulton Avenue, on Hofstra’s West Campus, the Institute consists of both a research facility and a program of meetings, exhibitions, conferences and publications. The site also serves as a repository for records, both archival and published; books; pamphlets; maps and microfilm.

All musically qualified students are invited to join the musical organizations on campus: University Concert Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Mixed Chorus, University Chorale, Collegium Musicum, Opera Theater, Jazz Ensemble, New Music Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, String Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble and the Chamber Singers. Details regarding auditions, rehearsal schedules, etc., are available from the Music Department.