Appalachian State University / The Arts

Art for Life

The Arts and Humanities at Appalachian

Appalachian 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. Appalachian’s academic programs are varied and diverse, and students have many opportunities to experience, interpret, understand, record and shape culture.

Venues, programs and publications

Art Galleries and Special Collections
Cultural Centers and Programs
Music and Stage
Lecture Series
- The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series
- Turchin Center Art Talks and Lunch & Learn
- Martin & Doris Rosen Summer Symposium
- Humanities Council Symposium
- Civil War Speaker Series
- DLLC Annual International Speaker Series
- Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies Lecture Series
Community Connections
Publications and Partnerships

Upcoming events

Aug
27
Black and Gold Convocation
Dr. Harry L. Williams ’86 ’88 ’95
August 27, 2019
10:00 am
Appalachian State University will welcome students — both new and returning — for the 2019–20 academic year during its 2019 Black and Gold Convocation ceremony. This year’s convocation guest speaker is higher education advocate and Appalachian alumnus Dr. Harry L. Williams ’86 ’88 ’95, who was honored with the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013.
Sep
3
Ron Rash
Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series
September 3, 2019
7:30 pm
Ron Rash is the author of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner finalist and New York Times bestseller “Serena,” “The Risen,” and “Above the Waterfall,” in addition to four prizewinning novels, including “The Cove,” “Saints at the River,” and “The World Made Straight.” Twice the recipient of the O. Henry Prize, he is also a Sherwood Anderson Prize recipient, received an Appalachian Book of the Year award for “One Foot in Eden,” and has been inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors.
Sep
5
Founders Day
September 5, 2019
12:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Appalachian State University will host its annual Founders Day celebration with a full slate of events, including music and refreshments on Sanford Mall, presentations about the university’s history, a panel discussion with a former Chancellor and prior university administrators, the dedication of a new statue and the induction of inaugural members into the Bell Ringers Society. Appalachian faculty, staff and students, as well as the public, are invited to attend.
Sep
17
Bryan Stevenson: Just Mercy
Common Reading Program
September 17, 2019
7:00 pm
Bryan Stevenson, author of the Common Reading Program 2019-20 book selection “Just Mercy,” will speak and hold a book signing at Appalachian. The event is free and open to the public. “Just Mercy” details the injustices of a broken criminal justice system that punishes poor people, and Stevenson’s work to improve that system. The Common Reading Committee selected “Just Mercy” for its relevance to a wide range of academic disciplines and because Stevenson’s work has had a profound impact on our society.

Exhibitions and ongoing events

Jul
5
to
Feb
8
1, 2, 3, 4, 5...…. A site-specific installation by Jodi Woodward
Jul 5, 2019 - Feb 8, 2020
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
1, 2, 3, 4, 5……. is an investigation into how we choose to live our lives and occupy our time. The exhibitions raises questions about how memory influences behavior and how our current behaviors continue to serve us. Do we actively participate and reflect on our lives, or do we just tick the days over, one after the other, repeating the same patterns of behavior again and again?
Jul
5
to
Dec
7
Let the Circle be Unbroken: The Shared Vision of Gretchen and Steve Lotz
Jul 5 - Dec 7, 2019
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Gretchen and Steve Lotz continue to inspire, challenge, and find mystery in each other after nearly five decades of an aesthetically inspired partnership. The intertwined worlds they have fashioned find form in the organically entangled artworks they create.
Sep
3
to
Nov
12
Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series
Fall 2019
The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, named in honor of alumna Hughlene Bostian Frank ’68, brings distinguished and up-and-coming creative writers to the Appalachian State University campus throughout the year to present lectures and discuss their works.
Sep
6
to
Feb
1
Metaphorical Reality: Keith Bryant
Sep 6, 2019 - Feb 1, 2020
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Keith Bryant creates work from a place that exists beyond the confines of language yet enhances the realm of understanding riddles in life, connection and independence. Working in wood, metals and ceramics, his forms employ abstraction and metaphor. Bryant’s sculptures address ideas of loneliness, isolation, architecture and landscape.

View more arts and cultural events

News

App State professor performs at Carnegie Hall
July 26, 2019
Taking a break from his math professor duties at Appalachian State University, Witold Kosmala traded calculus lessons for a violin to join three generations of his family to play with the Millennial Choirs and Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York City earlier this month.
Joseph Bathanti wins Lee Smith Award for his literary contributions to Appalachian culture
July 2, 2019
Bathanti, professor of creative writing and the McFarlane Family Distinguished Professor of Interdisciplinary Education at Appalachian, was recognized for his work to preserve and promote Appalachian culture.
New languages, new stories — Appalachian student combines her passion for travel and literature
July 1, 2019
Appalachian’s Emily Sedlacek ’19 finds new ways to express herself — and view the world.
Appalachian produces new documentary on the history of Moses Cone’s Flat Top Manor
June 20, 2019
Appalachian partnered with the National Park Service to produce a new documentary about the history of Flat Top Manor at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. The film is now showing in the manor’s minitheater.