Appalachian State University / The Arts and Humanities

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
- Civil War Speaker Series
- DLLC Annual International Speaker Series
- Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies Lecture Series
Community Connections
Publications and Partnerships

Upcoming events

Dec
1
to
4
Short Play Festival
Department of Theatre and Dance
December 1 - 4, 2022
As part of a Stage Directing Techniques course, junior and senior class students stage two evenings of short plays. These works are funny, eccentric, thought-provoking and moving — it’s a grab bag of stories each night designed to showcase the talents of students in the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Dec
5
Open House with TV Producer and Writer Bernadette Luckett
Department of English
December 5, 2022
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Television producer, scriptwriter and stand-up comedienne Bernadette Luckett will host a Department of English Open House for students, faculty and staff. Luckett has been a writer or producer on several television sitcoms, including “Living Single”, “Sister, Sister”, “Buddies”, “The Tracy Morgan Show”, “ROMEO!” and “Girlfriends.” During her visit to App State, Luckett will simply be “hanging out,” waiting for people to meet her and bring their questions to her about the television industry.
Jan
31
Film: Benedetta (2021)
Féroce et Formidable: A Francophone Film Festival
January 31, 2023
6:30 pm
In the late 17th century, with plague ravaging the land, Benedetta Carlini joins the convent in Pescia, Tuscany, as a novice nun. Capable from an early age of performing miracles, Benedetta’s impact on life in the convent is immediate, irreverent, and scandalous.
Mar
1
to
5
A Fable for Now
Department of Theatre and Dance
March 1 - 5, 2023
“A Fable for Now” — winner of the Taiwanese Literature Award — tells the tales of war, love and regret as mankind hurtles towards a surreal apocalypse in the company of a combative duck, an intelligent polar bear, a charming panda, and a sleuth of bears, not to mention a fun-loving genetically-engineered chicken. Written by Wei Yu-Chia, translated by Jeremy Tiang and produced by special arrangement with Laertes Books.

Exhibitions and ongoing events

Dec
2
to
May
6
Altered Environments / Tidalectics: April Flanders, Guest Curator
Dec 2, 2022 - May 6, 2023
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
“Altered Environments,” curated by April Flanders, is a printmaking portfolio responding to the issue of marine bio invasions. The portfolio includes 23 national and international artists from diverse backgrounds, utilizing a wide range of styles and print techniques. Aquatic invasive species are a true threat to biodiversity around the world. Artists were encouraged to consider the many ecosystems that are currently under threat from marine bioinvaders.
Dec
2
to
May
6
Thin Places: Kiliii Yuyan
Dec 2, 2022 - May 6, 2023
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Photographer Kiliii Yuyan illuminates stories of the Arctic and human communities connected to the land and sea. Informed by ancestry that is both Nanai/Hèzhé (East Asian Indigenous) and Chinese American, he explores the human relationship to the natural world from different cultural perspectives and extreme environments, on land and underwater. Kiliii is an award-winning contributor to National Geographic, TIME and other major publications.
Nov
4
to
May
6
Transformations: App DigiFab
Nov 4, 2022 - May 6, 2023
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Digital design and fabrication technologies have radically transformed the way artists and designers conceive and produce work. This exhibition explores how digital tools for design and fabrication are being utilized and taught by contemporary artists, designers, and architects, and how those tools influence the work being produced in various fields. A group of faculty and staff from Appalachian State University have come together to exhibit their new work using these digital tools in unique ways.
Sep
6
to
Mar
1
Féroce et Formidable: A Francophone Film Festival
Belk Library and Information Commons and Department of English
Sep 6, 2022 - Mar 1, 2023
Appalachian State University’s Belk Library and Information Commons and the Department of English, with support from the Albertine Cinémathèque Festival Grant, is hosting “Féroce et Formidable: A Francophone Film Festival” throughout the 2022-2023 school year.

View more arts and humanities events

News

Cut from a different cloth: App State alumnus Mitch Purgason ’15 stitches his way to fashion’s forefront
February 14, 2022
Mountaineer alumnus Mitch Purgason ’15 stitches his way to award-winning success, designing custom clothing for professional athletes, executives and fashion influencers.
Pandemic experiences inspired Jeffrey Dean Foster’s latest album
September 24, 2021
Musician Jeffrey Dean Foster ’82, who formed his first band while a student at Appalachian State University, has released an album inspired by the pandemic.
App State and Cone Estate connection spans 100-plus years, yields academic and engagement opportunities
August 6, 2021
App State’s location in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina opens avenues of academic and civic engagement particular to the area. The university’s partnership with the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park in Blowing Rock — spanning more than a century — is a good example.
App State students design and produce award-winning wine labels — cheers!
July 26, 2021
A new family of wines developed by App State students and faculty has an award-winning look, with labels designed and printed by students in the graphic communications management program. The labels won second place in the 2021 Phoenix Challenge — a college competition between graphic communications students across North America.