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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.

  • Appalachian Studies

    Appalachian Studies

  • Department of Applied Design

    Department of Applied Design

  • Department of Art

    Department of Art

  • Hayes School of Music

    Hayes School of Music

  • Department of Theatre and Dance

    Department of Theatre and Dance

  • Department of English

    Department of English

  • Department of History

    Department of History

  • Department of Interdisciplinary Studies

    Department of Interdisciplinary Studies

  • Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

    Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

  • Department of Philosophy and Religion

    Department of Philosophy and Religion

Venues, programs and publications

  • Art Galleries and Special Collections

    • Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
    • Smith Gallery
    • Looking Glass Gallery
    • Belk Library Special Collections
    • Nicholas Erneston Music Library
    • Specialized Librarians
  • Cultural Centers and Programs

    • Center for Appalachian Studies
    • Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies
    • Craft Enrichment Program
    • Watauga Residential College
  • Music and Stage

    • An Appalachian Summer
    • Appalachian Popular Programming Society (APPS)
    • Department of Theatre and Dance performances
    • Hayes School of Music Performances
    • Appalachian Arts
    • Apparel Design and Merchandising Showcase
    • Robert F Gilley Recording Studio
  • Lecture Series

    • The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series
    • Turchin Center Art Talks
    • Martin & Doris Rosen Summer Symposium
    • Civil War Speaker Series
    • DLLC Annual International Speaker Series
    • Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies Lecture Series
  • Community Connections

    • APPlause! K-12 Performing Arts Series
    • Cannon Music Camp
    • Community Music School
    • Department of Theatre and Dance’s Theatre in our Schools
    • Department of Theatre and Dance’s Cre8tive Drama Day Camp
    • High Country Humanities
    • STARTALK program
    • Turchin Center Arts Community Programming
    • Appalachian Young People's Theatre
  • Publications and Partnerships

    • The Peel
    • The Appalachian
    • Cold Mountain Review
    • Appalachian Journal
    • Digital Humanities
    • History Matters
    • Documentary Film Services
    • Split Rail Records
    • Climate Stories Collaborative

Upcoming events

  • “The Cigarette Surfboard” – Film Screening w/Discussion and Q and A to follow
    Oct
    28
    “The Cigarette Surfboard” – Film Screening w/Discussion and Q and A to follow

    University Forum Lecture Series

    October 28, 2025
    5:30 pm

    This documentary focuses on creative solutions to environmental issues and climate change, while offering hope and student empowerment through individual action toward global protection. After a young designer realizes that a surfboard – which he crafted from thousands of littered cigarette butts picked up off California beaches – could captivate the eyes of millions across the globe, he decides to use it as the impetus to do something more.

  • Orlando
    Oct
    29
    to
    Nov
    7
    Orlando

    Department of Theatre and Dance

    Oct 29 - Nov 7, 2025

    An adaptation of the “longest and most charming love letter in literature,” written by Virginia Woolf for her lover, Vita Sackville-West, “Orlando” is a theatrical, wild, fantastical trip through space, time and gender. Orlando’s adventures begin as a young man, when he serves as courtier to Queen Elizabeth. Adapted by Sarah Ruhl.

  • Christy Shi Day: Listening for the Path: How Nervous Systems Shape the Way We Lead, Learn, & Live
    Oct
    30
    Christy Shi Day: Listening for the Path: How Nervous Systems Shape the Way We Lead, Learn, & Live

    University Forum Lecture Series

    October 30, 2025
    4:00 pm

    Join us for an inspiring talk with Christy Shi Day, trauma-informed disaster response advocate and strategic facilitator, on how nervous system awareness shapes leadership, resilience and meaningful change. This event is free and open to all faculty, staff, students and the WNC community.

  • Boone BOO!
    Oct
    31
    Boone BOO!

    Turchin Center for the Visual Arts

    October 31, 2025
    5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

    Visual artist and Professor of Drawing at Clemson University, Kathleen Thum whose exhibition, “Considering Carbon,” is on view at the Turchin Center, will be joined by Tom Hansell, award-winning documentary filmmaker and Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, and George Santucci, Sustainability and Special Projects Manager for the Town of Boone, to share their creative work and discuss issues of sustainability about fossil fuels and carbon.

Exhibitions and ongoing events

  • Threading: Contemporary Art of Thailand
    Jul
    3
    to
    Dec
    6
    Threading: Contemporary Art of Thailand
    Jul 3 - Dec 6, 2025
    Turchin Center for the Visual Arts

    It is a formidable undertaking to chart the immense variety of the artists working in a single country while doing justice to our goal of reflecting their unique cultural experiences through the visual arts. In every country the artists living and working there may not have been born there, and yet they call their adopted cities and countries home. The artists represented in “Threading: Contemporary Art from Thailand,” are primarily based in Bangkok and Saen Suk, Chon Buri, Thailand.

  • Image and Music: John Cohen
    Jun
    6
    to
    Dec
    13
    Image and Music: John Cohen
    Jun 6 - Dec 13, 2025
    Turchin Center for the Visual Arts

    The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts is pleased to partner with John Cohen’s extended family and L. Parker Stephenson who represents Cohen’s musical estate, to bring an exhibition of Cohen’s Appalachian photographs to the Appalachian State University campus. The installation will be accompanied by extended programming showcasing films made by and about John Cohen as well as performances of traditional Appalachian music.

  • I Remember: Elizabeth Stone
    Jun
    6
    to
    Nov
    1
    I Remember: Elizabeth Stone
    Jun 6 - Nov 1, 2025
    Turchin Center for the Visual Arts

    Photographer Elizabeth Sone thinks deeply about community connections. Sharing in the participatory multi-generational stories of “I Remember” is an opportunity for Turchin Center visitors to connect with extended communities across North Carolina. The negatives and faded 35mm slides that Stone gathers through donations and then weaves into ethereal sculptural forms create a shared vison which is both specific and anonymous.

  • International Education Week
    Nov
    17
    to
    21
    International Education Week

    Office of International Programs

    November 17 - 21, 2025

    International Education Week (IEW) at App State is an annual celebration of the global engagement that happens throughout the year through our clubs, courses, and conversations. Students, staff, faculty, and community members are encouraged to participate in programming throughout the week. IEW on the national level is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education and part of our efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

View more arts and humanities events

News

  • App State and regional artists channel Helene’s impact into creative works of hope and healing
    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
    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
    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
    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.

View more arts and humanities news

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