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The Arts at Appalachian

The Russian National Ballet on the stage of the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. Photo: Troy Tuttle

Art for Life: All across our campus, Appalachian presents diverse and vibrant arts programs that enrich the cultural and intellectual climate of the campus and region.

Arts Events & Venues

Join us for an event or exhibition — you can find one nearly every day of the year, for nearly every age level and interest.

Arts as Curriculum

The arts offer innovative ways to learn about the world. Appalachian's academic arts programs are varied and diverse, and students have many opportunities to experience, interpret, understand, record and shape culture through the arts at Appalachian.

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Arts Calendar

Find out about upcoming arts and cultural events at Appalachian.

Plan your visit

Tier 2000
by Ann Melanie
From the Rosen Outdoor Scuplture Exhibition

Find your Art at the Turchin Center

Bale Folclorico comes to App and watch what happens!

Arts Calendar

Nov
17
Film: Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
November 17, 2018
9:30 pm
This contemporary romantic comedy, based on a global bestseller, follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family.
Nov
18
Fall Appalachian Dance Ensemble
November 18, 2018
2:00 pm
This popular annual concert features Appalachian faculty, students and guest artists showcasing their talents in choreography and performance. The 2018 fall choreographers include students Hayley Beichkart, Rachel Bohannon, Emma Dubinski and Lyndsey Porter, faculty members Emily Daughtridge, Susan Lutz and Ray Miller, along with new work by guest artist Laura Pettibone.
Nov
18
Appalachian Opera Theatre
November 18, 2018
2:00 pm
Come enjoy an evening of music and drama as the Appalachian Opera Theatre in conjunction with the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra bring to life two one act operas. "The Old Maid and the Thief" by Menotti, and "Trouble in Tahiti" by Bernstein.
Nov
19
Beginning Spinning on the Wheel
November 19, 2018
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Students will learn the parts of the spinning wheel along with drafting and spinning the fiber on the bobbin of the wheel. They will spin two bobbins, learn to ply the yarn and measure the spun yarn onto a niddy noddy.
Nov
26
Beginning Spinning on the Wheel
November 26, 2018
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Students will learn the parts of the spinning wheel along with drafting and spinning the fiber on the bobbin of the wheel. They will spin two bobbins, learn to ply the yarn and measure the spun yarn onto a niddy noddy.
Nov
26
Paint Night for Appalachian Students
November 26, 2018
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Unleash your creative spirit with a step-by-step paint class! Follow along with our instructor to create your own little masterpiece.
Nov
27
Tai Chi
November 27, 2018
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Participants will engage in a series of very specific integrated postures in fluid sequence—that today is practiced as a graceful form of exercise.
Nov
28
Open Studio: Creative Wednesday
November 28, 2018
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Explore the world of texture, color and design. Play with paint, collage, pastels, pen and ink with Wanda Ortiz and Shauna Caldwell. Rediscover your creative spirit in a community of peers as you explore different mediums in an inviting space. Open Studio is free and open to Appalachian students only.
Nov
28
Film: Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
November 28, 2018
7:00 pm
An inquisitive teenager pries into suspected dodgy dealings on her space station home - and ends up being sent down to Earth.
Nov
29
Ellen Key: You Research Like a Girl: Gendered Research Agendas and Their Implications
November 29, 2018
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Ellen Key is associate professor of government and justice studies and faculty affiliate of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies.
Nov
29
Open Studio: Aha Thursday!
November 29, 2018
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Explore the world of texture, color and design. Play with paint, collage, pastels, pen and ink with Wanda Ortiz and Shauna Caldwell. Rediscover your creative spirit in a community of peers as you explore different mediums in an inviting space. Open Studio is free and open to Appalachian students only.
Nov
29
Symphony Band
November 29, 2018
8:00 pm
The Appalachian Symphony Band will perform in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. Admission is free.
Nov
30
Blazing Easels
November 30, 2018
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Young artists will create art in a variety of mediums including collage, painting, drawing and three-dimensional art using found objects. Participants will explore line, shape, color, texture, value, space and form in a relaxed, inviting small group setting.
Nov
30
Film: Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
November 30, 2018
7:00 pm
An inquisitive teenager pries into suspected dodgy dealings on her space station home - and ends up being sent down to Earth.
Nov
30
Holiday Scholarship Concert
November 30, 2018
7:30 pm
During the past 26 years, the performance has opened the holidays with a festive, family-friendly concert featuring ensembles and orchestras from the Hayes School of Music. Performing this year are the Steely Pan Steel Band, Brass Choir, "Blazing Bassoons," Jazz Ensemble I, Horn Choir, Glee Club, Tuba/Euphonium Choir, Treble Choir, Flute Ensemble, University Singers, Trumpet Choir, Chamber Singers, and Symphony Orchestra. Ticket sales support scholarships for students in the Hayes School of Music.
Dec
1
TCVA Workshop: Preschool Picassos
December 1, 2018
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Explore art through engaging hands-on activities with sculpture, painting, story time and more! Students will gain confidence in self-expression and artistic exploration while learning about color, texture and shapes.
Dec
1
TCVA Workshop: Creative Kids Studio
December 1, 2018
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Be inspired and create colorful memories! Students will learn new skills as they create sculpture, drawing and painting, using a wide variety of materials.
Dec
7
to
Apr
27
Full Circle: 2018 CENTER Award Winners
Dec 7, 2018 - Apr 27, 2019
CENTER, the not-for-profit photographic arts and time-based media organization headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has honored, supported, and provided opportunities to gifted and talented photographers since 1994.
Dec
7
to
Apr
27
Terraria Gigantica: The World Under Glass, Photographs by Dana Fritz
Dec 7, 2018 - Apr 27, 2019
The photographs in the series Terraria Gigantica: The World Under Glass, frame the world’s largest enclosed landscapes as possible impossibilities: Biosphere 2’s ocean in the Arizona desert, the Henry Doorly Zoo’s desert in the Great Plains of Nebraska, and Eden Project’s tropical rain forest in notoriously gray and cool Cornwall, England.
Dec
7
Winter Exhibition Celebration
December 7, 2018
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Several times a year, to celebrate new exhibitions, the Turchin Center invites the public inside after hours, to “engage, discover and connect through the arts.” It’s an opportunity for art lovers to meet the artists, have some food and enjoy a cocktail while wandering one of the most exciting venues in town: a collection of seven galleries filled with a diverse mix of contemporary art from local, regional, national and international artists.
Feb
13
Herbie Hancock
February 13, 2019
7:00 pm
Herbie Hancock has defied tradition over the years creating music that expands the possibilities of musical thought. Embracing elements of rock, soul, funk and electronica, Hancock is often described by many as a visionary, an architect in the post-bop sound. With a career spanning more than 50 years, his passion for innovation and creativity remains unparalleled.
Feb
19
Dance Theatre of Harlem
February 19, 2019
7:00 pm
Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, Dance Theatre of Harlem is a globally-acclaimed dance institution that has occupied a distinguished place in the New York City’s cultural landscape and brings innovative and bold new forms of artistic expression to audiences across the country and around the world. The 16-member professional dance ensemble has performed in 41 countries on six continents, in 44 states and more than 250 cities across North America.
Mar
1
to
Jun
1
Pieces of the Puzzle: Turchin Center Outreach Programs
Mar 1 - Jun 1, 2019
The Turchin Center’s arts and education outreach programs connect the university arts resources to a diverse audience of students, arts patrons, teachers and learners. This exhibition celebrates the process of art making and of free play that participants experience when they respond to color, texture, and design in the world around them.
Mar
1
to
Jun
1
16th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition & Exhibition
Mar 1 - Jun 1, 2019
This competition provides both amateur and professional photographers the opportunity to showcase their interpretation of the unique character, people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.
Mar
20
ArtTALKS: Dana Fritz
March 20, 2019
6:00 pm
Fritz will discuss her experience with working with environmental issues through photography. Her monograph Terraria Gigantica: The World under Glass was released in fall 2017 and features over 40 color plates including the photographs in the exhibition at the Turchin Center beginning December 2018.
Mar
22
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
March 22, 2019
7:30 pm
Join us for one of North America's largest screenings of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. This year, Outdoor Programs is celebrating its 23rd Anniversary of hosting the World Tour!
Mar
23
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
March 23, 2019
7:30 pm
Join us for one of North America's largest screenings of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. This year, Outdoor Programs is celebrating its 23rd Anniversary of hosting the World Tour!
Apr
5
Spring Exhibition Celebration
April 5, 2019
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Several times a year, to celebrate new exhibitions, the Turchin Center invites the public inside after hours, to “engage, discover and connect through the arts.” It’s an opportunity for art lovers to meet the artists, have some food and enjoy a cocktail while wandering one of the most exciting venues in town: a collection of seven galleries filled with a diverse mix of contemporary art from local, regional, national and international artists.
Apr
5
The World of Musicals
April 5, 2019
7:00 pm
The World of Musicals brings the very best of musical theatre to life. This captivating production is an emotional journey through the great world of musicals that will leave audiences spell-bound and singing along with their favorite show tunes from the movies and musicals they love.
Apr
11
to
14
Valborg 25
April 11 - 14, 2019
Mark your calendars! The Department of Theatre and Dance will host the first-ever alumni reunion weekend to celebrate the 25th annivesary of Valborg Theatre, and you're invited. The weekend includes master classes and panel discussions, an alumni dinner and open mic night and a picnic at Valle Crucis Park topped off with a gala and performace of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

News

Appalachian First Year Seminar instructor Adrian Rice authors new poetry collection
November 8, 2018
Rice’s latest poetry collection, “The Strange Estate: New and Selected Poems 1986–2017,” is “a landmark collection on both sides of the Atlantic,” according to Press 53, the book’s publisher.
Sport coat design of Appalachian alumni wins Garden and Gun Made in the South Award
November 7, 2018
The winning sport coat designed by Appalachian alumni Bradley Rhyne ’07 and Filipe Ho ’07, college roommates and co-founders of Charlotte-based menswear line OLE MASON JAR, features “trim lines and an emphasis on tradition.”
At Appalachian, chef Monica Smith ‘put some meat to her love of food’
November 2, 2018
Smith, a 1994 graduate of Appalachian’s nutrition and foods program, shares her accomplishments and passions related to cooking, as well as her fond memories of Appalachian.
At Appalachian, Graham Sloboda ’17 learned to wear many hats — and he still does
October 19, 2018
Having completed Appalachian’s music industry studies program with a concentration in recording and production, Sloboda said he “wouldn’t have traded it for any other.”