Appalachian State University / The Arts and Humanities

Art for Life

The Arts and Humanities at App State

App State presents vibrant arts and humanities programs that enrich the cultural and intellectual climate of the campus and region. Join us for an event, performance, exhibition or workshop — you can find one almost every day of the year, for nearly every age level and interest.

By the numbers

600+

arts and humanities events on campus annually
6

free student workshops each week at the Turchin Center
10

departments offer degree tracks in arts or humanities
14

exhibition and performance venues on campus
9,000+

children in grades K-12 attend free and low-cost school matinees each year
20+

countries recently featured in arts and humanities programming, including Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Brazil, Cuba, Ukraine, Germany, Israel, Chile, Spain, Russia, Poland, South Africa and France
80

students are employed annually within the arts and humanities
30+

Arts and Education Outreach Programs connect university arts resources to a diverse audience of community arts patrons, teachers and learners

The arts and humanities offer innovative ways to learn about the world. App State’s academic programs are varied and diverse, and students have many opportunities to experience, interpret, understand, record and shape culture.

Venues, programs and publications

Upcoming events

Feb
25
“The Secret WWII Concentration Camp Diary of Odd Nansen” with Timothy Boyce
Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies
February 25, 2026
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Hailed by The New Yorker as “among the most compelling documents to come out of the war,” From Day to Day is a World War II concentration camp diary — one of only a handful ever translated into English — secretly written by Odd Nansen, a Norwegian. This inspiring diary brilliantly illuminates Nansen’s daily struggle, not only to survive, but to preserve his sanity and maintain his humanity. Timothy Boyce practiced law for many years, most recently serving as the Managing Partner of the Charlotte, NC office of Dechert LLP, a global law firm.
Feb
25
Kira Rockwell
Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, Department of Theatre and Dance, College of Fine and Applied Arts
February 25, 2026
7:00 pm
Kira Rockwell is an Atlanta-based playwright and educator, originally from the heart of Texas. She is an Artist Fellow in Dramatic Writing with the Mass Cultural Council, a recipient of the Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award, second-place recipient of the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center, three-time finalist for the O’Neill NPC, runner-up for the Princess Grace Award, and more.
Feb
27
to
28
Boone Docs Film Festival
Celebrating Life in Appalachia
February 27 - 28, 2026
The fifth annual Boone Docs Film Festival, a showcase for short documentaries celebrating the people who live and work in Appalachia, returns in late February to Boone. All festival events will take place at the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, located at 559 West King Street in Boone. Additionally, each of the film screenings will include discussions with participants in the films and/or the filmmakers.
Feb
27
Free Public Screening: “A Beast Touch the Mountain”
Boone Docs Film Festival and High Country Humanities
February 27, 2026
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Boone Docs Film Festival with the generous support of High Country Humanities are thrilled to welcome James Mottern to share his documentary and post-film discussion moderated by Julie Shepherd-Powell (Appalachian Studies). “A Beast Touch the Mountain” tells the story of how a group of Appalachian women in Bent Mountain, Virginia fought for a decade to protect their land and their way of life against a fossil fuel pipeline.

Exhibitions and ongoing events

Jan
28
to
Apr
8
Philosophy and Religious Studies in the Contemporary World
High Country Humanties and Department of Philosophy and Religion
Jan 28 - Apr 8, 2026
The series explores philosophical questions relevant to our daily lives. This series is free and open to the public.
Dec
5
to
May
2
Dear Body of Water: Gretchen Ernster Henderson
Dec 5, 2025 - May 2, 2026
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Pause to reorient yourself to water. Consider the source: replenishing Boone, Watauga County, North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Southeastern United States. Waterways have written and rewritten this living waterscape, called by many names over time. The headwaters of the ancient New River were born millions of years ago and have flowed through countless human lifetimes. Water inscribes the landscape as a story that pools and spills and splashes in and out of range of human understandings.
Nov
7
to
Apr
4
Telling of the Bees: Jake Eshelman
Nov 7, 2025 - Apr 4, 2026
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
What we have, we owe to bees. Among the most prolific pollinators on the planet, bees helped create and maintain the biodiverse ecosystems that made it possible for humanity to take root and grow. Over millions of years, our shared evolution has grown increasingly intertwined. And today, human activity is impacting wild and domesticated bee populations in unprecedented ways.
Nov
7
to
Apr
4
contributing structure: SR Lejeune
Nov 7, 2025 - Apr 4, 2026
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
“A floor” can be used to refer to a group of people, connected by their residence on the same level of a building. SR Lejeune (b. 1994, Boston, MA) is an artist currently based in Pine Plains, NY. They received a BA with High Honors from Oberlin College (2015), were a Core Fellow at the Penland School of Craft (2017-19) and hold an MFA in Sculpture from the Yale School of Art (2023).

View more arts and humanities events

News

App State and regional artists channel Helene’s impact into creative works of hope and healing
October 1, 2025
After Hurricane Helene, artists at App State and in the surrounding communities of Western North Carolina turned to creative expression for healing, hope and resilience. Learn about how they channeled the storm’s impact into creative works that included visual arts, music, writing and more.
App State spotlights achievements in research, scholarship and creative activities
2025 award recipients Tashakkori and Bell give keynotes at annual showcase
September 28, 2025
App State’s annual Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian event, held Sept. 19, highlighted faculty research and creative endeavors and featured keynote speakers Dr. Rahman Tashakkori and Dr. Joby Bell — winners of the 2025 Chancellor’s and Provost’s Awards for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity.
App State researchers uncover hidden history at Fort Defiance
June 23, 2025
Ground-penetrating radar and App State interdisciplinary detective work have revealed 105 graves of enslaved people at Fort Defiance, adding new layers of history to the Lenoir-area landmark and confirming generations of family stories.
Appalachian Dance Ensemble marks half-century with over 500 original creative works, 5,700 participants
April 4, 2025
Since its inception in 1975, the Appalachian Dance Ensemble at App State has premiered over 500 original works — involving more than 5,700 students, faculty, guest artists and community members. Learn about the ensemble’s history and the people who have shaped it over the years.