The Arts Initiative provides opportunities for Stanford students to gain valuable internship and leadership experience in the arts through on campus internship positions, as well as off campus fellowship and internship opportunities at prominent arts organizations such as the Public Theater of New York.

With over 90 arts-related student organizations at Stanford, the extra-curricular arts community makes up a large part of the student population, and is responsible for many of the events, programs and opportunities for students on campus. In conjunction with the Office of Student Activities, SICA staff advise and mentor many of the creative arts groups on campus, providing crucial administrative support and guidance to arts leaders.

The Student Arts Task Force is a group of key student leaders in the arts community that provide a valuable student perspective on various Arts Initiative projects and programs. Students are selected annually through the ASSU Nominations Commission as well as through their outstanding engagement and activism within the campus arts community.

Students are given a chance to voice thoughts, opinions, and share their experiences in the arts. Focus Group Nights are organized around various topics relevant to the Arts Initiative, such as facilities, communications, and events and programming. These discussions bring students together with core groups of staff and faculty involved with the Arts Initiative. Focus Group Nights allow students to engage in a productive and helpful way with the development of core arts projects and programs, and allows administrators to gain deeper insight into the student perspective and situation.

Kimball Hall is an upper-class dorm with an arts and performing arts focus. The mission of Kimball Hall is to bring the arts into residential life. Residents enjoy a host of on and off campus activities, including concerts, ballet, and theater, as well as regular in-house events, workshops and performances with guest artists. Arts Focus Assistants facilitate bringing the arts and performing arts theme into daily life at Kimball Hall.

The Student Organizing Committee for the Arts (SOCA) is one of several umbrella organizations responsible for bringing together the arts community at Stanford. Through it’s many inclusive events and opportunities, SOCA fills a critical niche in the arts community. SICA assists and supports SOCA in its endeavors on campus, including the annual An Art Affair festival in the spring (Stanford’s largest arts festival), the creation of the Arts Guide CD, and coordinating visual arts opportunities across campus.