The arts
Our Oakland campus is an incubator for studio and performing artists and writers, and a place to showcase their work. You’ll find learning programs, collections, and exhibitions in facilities that are themselves beautiful and inspiring. Come see how creativity thrives through the arts here.
Mills Performing Arts
Mills Performing Arts encompasses boundary-breaking work by faculty, students, and visiting artists in dance, music, theater, and literature and languages. Our variety of events and exhibitions promotes cultural equity, inclusive excellence, and gender and racial justice while strengthening ties to the San Francisco Bay Area. Our community’s artistic offerings are held in different venues throughout campus.
Mills Performing Arts began with the 2018 restoration of Lisser Hall, which was initially erected in 1902 in the center of campus. With its restoration, the historic building was transformed into an elegant event and theater space featuring three unique venues used by Mills Performing Arts.
Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Concert Hall
Littlefield Concert Hall’s unique interior—featuring a colorful tiled ceiling, gold-accented frescoes, and a bold mural that conceals a choir loft—reflects its role as the heart of creative experimentation on the Oakland campus. The venue brings together faculty, students, legends in experimental music, and thought-provoking artists and leaders.
Mills College Art Museum
Named one of the top 50 best college art museums in the country, the Mills College Art Museum is a dynamic forum historically focused on women as creatives and curators. The museum hosts contemporary exhibitions and noted speakers throughout the year. It also provides a space for students to curate, install, and showcase their work for the public and media and gallery owners eager to discover emerging talent.
The Center for Contemporary Music
The CCM has long served as a West Coast hub for experimental music. It is recognized internationally for innovation in electroacoustic and computer music, interactive installations and performances, and sound and performance art. Its facilities include 24-track, electronic, dubbing and editing, and hybrid computer recording studios; a technical and project development lab; a private studio for audio mixing and editing; and a musicianship lab for writing and editing music.
