Theater
As a聽聽student, you鈥檒l聽act, direct and design productions, exploring your gifts and getting hands-on experience while unpacking the faith and social justice aspects of your work. Cast and crew regularly gather with professors for 鈥�faith roundtables鈥� to discuss implications of plays, community response and more.

Art
If you鈥檙e a聽, you鈥檒l聽work with professor Cyndi Gusler, creator of聽, a runway show of innovative attire created entirely from cast-off materials. Highlighting sustainable styling and the choices we all make in life, the show聽.

Music
厂迟耻诲别苍迟听听辞蹿迟别苍听, like聽linking music with digital media聽for a career in sound design and movie scoring. Or you can weave music with peacebuilding to do conflict transformation through musical productions, or with nursing to do music therapy. 2012 graduate Charise Garber, now in med school,, music and biology, and explored聽how the mind is influenced by music.

Digital media and photography
聽majors learn聽digital imaging, photography, videography, motion graphics, design, audio and more聽in a thriving program that is one of the most popular in our university. You can聽. Student and graduate work has appeared in such outlets as Time Magazine, The New York Times, and The Hill (serving the U.S. Congress).

Language and literature
Mastery of聽听补苍诲 appreciation of literature contribute to success in almost every walk of life. Perhaps you鈥檒l聽write original poetry and fiction聽for Phoenix, EMU鈥檚 literary and visual arts journal,聽engage with notable authors visiting campus聽for the聽, do a writing internship at a non-profit, or hone your language skills to bring change in cross-cultural settings all over the world.

Find meaningful work in your field

98% of聽EMU聽graduates are working, engaged in service or in further study within 12 months of graduation.听Nearly 90% are employed within their field of study.听Check out what two聽EMU聽arts alumni are doing now:

• Katie Goins Frewens, an聽, earned a doctorate of musical arts and now teaches middle school music to urban teens. While a student, she was the piano rehearsal accompanist for the聽听补苍诲 sang with聽.

• Matt Pearson combined a聽听飞颈迟丑听听补苍诲听尘颈苍辞谤蝉聽to prepare for his goal of becoming an ordained Methodist minister. While a student, Matt acted and directed in the majority of MainStage productions, founded an improv troupe still going strong today, and interned at Second City Improv in Chicago. He went on to earn a divinity degree, and in 2012 became a youth pastor in California.

Contact us

Start the conversation by聽, scheduling a聽, talking with a professor or coach, or聽.听See what life is really like at our Christian university like no other!

EMU students and Cyndi Gusler, a professor at EMU, put on the Winter 2007 Collection of Reclaimed Fashion, otherwise known as the “trash fashion show”.

Click here for more photos!

Cyndi Gusler’s pants crinkle as she walks. But with pink feathers in her hair and plastic bags around her wrists, who would ever notice?

Her Technicolor getup practically blends into the crowd.

It’s Thursday night and Gusler, a professor at EMU, is backstage at The Winter 2007 Collection of Reclaimed Fashion, otherwise known as her final exam.

She and a dozen students organized the event to show off a semester’s work turning high fashion on its head.

Gusler’s capris, fashioned from the paper packaging of teabags, were one of nearly 50 “recycled” outfits featured in the fashion show.

Haute Couture vs. Trash

It’s either haute couture or trash, depending on how you look at it.

Most of the pieces modeled Thursday were bizarre (plastic bottle headpieces, window-blind dresses, Christmas tree tinsel pants). Yet, some are passable as street attire (a duct-tape top, remarkably, and at least two dresses that have lived former lives as shower curtains).

Sure, it’s weird. But, can’t the same be said for spending the thousands of dollars it costs to own the latest bag, dress, jacket, whatever?

Gusler’s class challenges consumerism head-on.

“This class is about so much more than fashion,” student and designer Mattie Horning said. “People just use and use and use. It’s all about consumption. This class has taught me to look at my closet in a different way.”

See photos from the fashion show!

Horning, a sophomore, recruited two or three friends to model her designs and wore one herself Thursday night. A pair of “old man’s running shorts” were redesigned into a skirt.

“I just painted over the ugly ’80s pattern,” she said.

Horning twisted an old T-shirt into a top and knitted hand warmers to complete the outfit.

“I can take what I have and make it better,” Horning says.

Megan Good, a senior in the class, made her dress from purple burlap, leftovers from a wall covering.

“I just started with the fabric and saw how it moves, like any designer would,” Good explains.

She finished the creation with matching purple duct tape.

“Duct tape is amazing. You can find it in almost any color,” she explained.

Gusler is thrilled.

“I am so impressed with their innovation. They have so many ideas,” she says after the show. “Our emcee had to literally staple his pants, ones made of garbage bags, onto himself moments before the show.”

Standing Room Only

The audience apparently was impressed, too. The sold-out event drew hundreds to the university. Dozens were turned away from the door.

“It’s amazing that so many people came,” Horning says. “This is all about sustainable style and the choices we all make. Trash can look pretty hot.”