Overview

The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise & Public Policy is an interdisciplinary arts center aiming to elevate art as a mode of inquiry, a way of understanding, and a celebration of the human spirit at Vanderbilt and beyond.

Through programs that serve Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff as well as the broader Nashville community, the Curb Center positions art as a tool for investigating critical questions, understanding the complex challenges facing our world, and flourishing through creative and artistic expression. The Curb Center’s work comprises two unique yet connected initiatives: the Creative Campus Initiative and the Public Policy Initiative.

The Creative Campus Initiative

Dashon Burton, Grammy winner and assistant professor of voice at the Blair School of music, performs the music of Florence B. Price at the Curb Center. Photo by Terry Wyatt.

The Creative Campus Initiative promotes creative expression through co-curricular learning opportunities and trans-disciplinary programs integrating creativity and artistic engagement into experiences at Vanderbilt University. Creative Campus programs include the Curb Scholars Program for undergraduate students; the Creative Inquiry Grant Program for Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff; and campus arts programming, including exhibitions, performances, artist talks, and more.

The Public Policy Initiative

Allison Orr, community-based dance artist and founder of Forklift Danceworks, leads a dance workshop in partnership with New Dialect, a Nashville dance nonprofit. Photo by Terry Wyatt.

Through the Public Policy Initiative, the Curb Center seeks to infuse art into public life through engagement with communities throughout Nashville. Programs such as the Graduate Public Scholars Program and Community Engagement Boot Camps support students in learning and implementing arts-based community engagement projects in Nashville and beyond, while Arts + Urban Futures invests resources into Nashville’s artistic community by convening a community of practice for leaders of local arts organizations.

Established through the generosity of Mike Curb, Founder of Curb Records and the Mike Curb Foundation, The Curb Center is a resource for creative communities at Vanderbilt and in Nashville. Learn more about our programs or contact us directly for more information.