Arts and Heritage Contribution
Student Club Events
Piano Night
GUST hosted a Piano Night featuring a series of live musical performances that brought together students, faculty, and community guests for an evening celebrating creativity and artistic expression. The event showcased talented performers from across the university, contributing to the cultural life of both the campus and the wider community. Piano Night stands as one of the many ways GUST nurtures the arts, encourages student talent, and enriches Kuwait’s cultural landscape.
Music Night
December 26, 2024 | Music Club
The GUST Music Club hosted their lively Music Night on campus in December of 2024; an event that quickly became one of the year’s most attended community events.
The night featured performances not only from GUST student musicians but also from a few local indie bands who were invited to join the lineup. The mix of styles—acoustic sets, band performances, and student solo acts—created a fun, open atmosphere that encouraged people from both inside and outside the university to come together and enjoy an evening of live music. Some of the music acts were accompanied by poetry readings as well.
What made the event especially meaningful was that it was completely free and open to the public. Families, students, and visitors from the wider community were able to attend, turning the event into a shared cultural experience rather than a campus-only activity. This reflects GUST’s commitment to making the arts accessible and supporting student creativity in a way that reaches beyond the classroom.
College of Arts and Sciences Events
International Cultural Day
November 11, 2024 & December 11, 2025 | Humanities & Social Sciences Department
An annual tradition run by our Humanities & Social Sciences department, this event is a celebration of the different cultures that live in Kuwait. Our community celebrate the diversity of the country by organizing an International Cultural Day that introduces our students to different cultures and traditions by inviting several embassies spanning four continents. Some of the countries included for the first annual cultural day were India, South Korea, Egypt, Romania, Papa New Guinea, and Japan. The roster expanded for the second annual event with the inclusion of Nigeria, Turkey, France, etc.
The event featured vibrant booths offering traditional food, cultural displays, music, and interactive activities that allowed visitors to immerse themselves in different global experiences. Each embassy was also allowed to present their culture in various ways. Some brought in food and drinks, others showcased important iconography from their countries, and some prepared music and dance routines.
Talent Show
The English Department organized a Talent Show event, which included auditions on February 10, 2025, followed by the main event on February 17, 2025. Talents showcased during the event were singing, instrument playing, poetry writing and reading, and more.
Best Orchestra
GUST's Dr. Martin Loyato performed with Orchestra Sabor Sabor in Barcelona and won the prestigious Best Orchestra Tour award at the Arc Awards in November 2024.
Thomas Edison Music Awards
April 25-27, 2025
The Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards—more widely known as "The Eddies"—is an annual music prize awarded to multiple artists with categories differentiating each one.
In 2025, GUST's own Dr. Martin Loyato was nominated with his group "Bright Dog Red" for Jazz Artist of the Year. They also performed during the Awards, which was conducted in the United States.
Book Launches
November 18, 2024 | English Department
This event by the English Department, and hosted by the GUST Library, unveiled Gulf Women’s Lives: Voice, Space, Place.The book delves into women’s narratives, examining how they construct their identities as gendered individuals and authors, engage with public and private spaces, and assert voice and agency in various spheres. Among its contributors is GUST’s own Dr. Shahd Alshammari, renowned for her work in Disability Studies, autoethnography, and women’s illness narratives.
The event also celebrated Dictionary of Life, a unique manuscript compiled in alphabetical sequence, by GUST's English Literature students with each student contributing reflections inspired by one letter of the alphabet. Originating from Dr. Alshammari’s literature course, this creative project uses words to capture the essence of life and its defining moments.
"Landfill Harmonic" Documentary Showcase
May 6, 2025 | Humanities & Social Sciences Department
GUST screened a documentary titled "Landfill Harmonic", which inspired meaningful dialogue around creativity, resilience, and the power of music to drive social and environmental change. This screening inspired students and showed them that sustainability and the arts are not mutually exclusive, that you are able to contribute to world's sustainable practices and express your desire for art (music or otherwise) simultaneously.
Movie Nights
Throught the Year | Mass Communications & Media Department | English Department
Two departments from the College of Arts & Sciences prepared a number of move nights spread across the 2024-2025 academic year. These events featured cozy seatings for students along with a variety of snacks and drinks.
The purpose of these nights is to allow students the space to enjoy movies and art in between their studying sessions for exams and projects. The students not only interact more outside of the classroom, they are given the setting to discuss and critically think about the plots, storylines, and lessons to be taken from the movies they watch.
Some of the movies included in these screenings are E.T., Treasure Planet, Longlegs, etc.
