Gallery front windows show art on the walls and tables and chairs scattered about.

About

 THE ARTS AT CIIS

The Arts at CIIS is rooted in the belief that arts and culture advance civic participation and engagement in our communities, nourish curiosity, and foster discourse across differences about the challenges we share and the future we’re creating. We are committed to supporting the creation and presentation of new and experimental works in all disciplines by artists representing a pluralism of voices, identities, and communities.



We seek to support art works that :

  • are research-based, process-oriented, risk-taking, and critical in nature. 

  • promote pluralism and a complex understanding of our distinct and overlapping histories. 

  • pose critical questions informed by a deep engagement with context, from the local to the international.

  • advance resilient and interdependent communities.

  • are created by emerging artists while presenting a platform for intergenerational dialogue.

  • are in critical dialogue with the history of CIIS, informing and rendering more complex our understanding of that history in the present day. 

  • foster integral and interdisciplinary connections with the CIIS community and academic curriculum.



ABOUT CIIS

California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is an accredited institution of higher education and research where students come to learn experientially what it means to be human in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1968, CIIS has an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students pursuing degrees in 25 academic programs in its schools of Professional Psychology and Health, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Consciousness and Transformation, and Undergraduate Studies. The university operates eight award-winning clinics offering low-cost or no-cost mental healthcare and acupuncture to more than 6,000 clients annually. In addition, CIIS Public Programs presents an exciting array of lectures, conversations, performances, workshops, and conferences for both academic and general audiences. These transformative gatherings at the nexus of spirituality, ecology, social justice, mental health, and creativity serve and strengthen diverse communities throughout the Bay Area, attracting more than 11,000 attendees and 365,000 podcast listeners each year.