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
- 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

Dec
4
to
May
1
Longing for Amelia – The Historical and Mythological Landscape: Matthew Arnold
Dec 4, 2020 - May 1, 2021
On May 20, 1937, Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan took off from Oakland, California on the first leg of their historic round-the-world flight. They disappeared 43 days later while trying to locate tiny Howland Island in the remote Pacific. With this photographic project, Matthew Arnold documents the environs that play host to the many theories which attempt to resolve the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.
Dec
4
to
May
1
Refugium: Christina Laurel
Dec 4, 2020 - May 1, 2021
Christina Laurel is a paper artist creating installations and two-dimensional art, all with a Japanese aesthetic. Her mission is to create an “exhale” moment, an oasis that offers a respite and refuge from our daily sensory overload. Suspended lace panels support a migrating pattern of butterflies that cast shadows and respond to air movement.
Dec
4
to
6
Hayes School of Music: Holiday Scholarship Concert
A Schaefer Center Presents Virtual Event
December 4 - 6, 2020
In its 28th year, coordinated by Dr. Stephen Hopkins, Director of Choral Studies in the Hayes School of Music, the Holiday Scholarship Concert offers tunes from classical to jazz to help you ring in the High Country holiday season with joyful music.
Apr
2
Exhibition Celebration
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
April 2, 2021
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
This event is tentative and will be confirmed closer to the date. 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.

Exhibitions and ongoing events

Oct
9
to
Dec
4
The Schaefer Center Presents
Oct 9 - Dec 4, 2020
The Schaefer Center Presents supports Appalachian State University’s teaching mission by presenting world-class performances that bring classroom learning to life, while contributing in a significant way to quality of life for residents across our region and the cultural landscape of the High Country and beyond.
Oct
2
to
Jun
5
Fictive Strategies: Suzanne Sbarge & Holly Roberts
Oct 2, 2020 - Jun 5, 2021
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Suzanne Sbarge and Holly Roberts share a similar sensibility; they both use collage, weaving textures and images into surrealistically enigmatic artworks that open subconscious doorways into the ambiguous space of the night: haunting dreams brim with narrative probability remaining stubbornly resistant to a literal interpretation.
Dec
4
to
May
1
Refugium: Christina Laurel
Dec 4, 2020 - May 1, 2021
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Christina Laurel is a paper artist creating installations and two-dimensional art, all with a Japanese aesthetic. Her mission is to create an “exhale” moment, an oasis that offers a respite and refuge from our daily sensory overload. Suspended lace panels support a migrating pattern of butterflies that cast shadows and respond to air movement.
Dec
4
to
May
1
Longing for Amelia – The Historical and Mythological Landscape: Matthew Arnold
Dec 4, 2020 - May 1, 2021
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
On May 20, 1937, Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan took off from Oakland, California on the first leg of their historic round-the-world flight. They disappeared 43 days later while trying to locate tiny Howland Island in the remote Pacific. With this photographic project, Matthew Arnold documents the environs that play host to the many theories which attempt to resolve the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.

View more arts and humanities events

News

From mountains to skyscrapers — App State alumnus reflects on his path as an NYC artist
October 29, 2020
App State alumnus Kameron Neal ’14 credits his Appalachian Experience with setting his career course as a multidisciplinary artist living and working in New York City. Here, Neal reflects on his time at App State and the opportunities that helped broaden his artistry.
App State furniture design program awarded $12K grant to support student scholarships
September 23, 2020
The American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) Furniture Foundation has awarded $12,000 in grant funding to App State’s furniture design program to support student scholarship opportunities. This is the 17th AHFA grant awarded to the university since 2002.
From Hollywood to the High Country — App State’s mobile TV studio to serve as a learning lab on wheels
August 28, 2020
The studio, which got its start as a Hollywood movie prop, will serve as a mobile learning lab for Mountaineer students covering High Country news and events through AppTV. The truck’s first stop? Appalachian’s 2020 Founders Day celebration.
‘Poetry that slams the page’ — App State names 2020–21 winner, runner-up of Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship competition
August 21, 2020
Appalachian English majors Jay Phillips and Victoria Goff have been named winner and runner-up, respectively, of the university’s Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing in poetry for 2020–21. As the winner, Phillips was awarded a $3,649 scholarship.