Culture & the Arts Blossom in Boone
Appalachian State University
The performing and fine arts thrive in the mountain air of Boone and Watauga County!
The presence of Appalachian State University ensures that the community is culturally enhanced.
Gil Morgenstern, the director of An Appalachian Summer Festival, says, “We are working to create an atmosphere—far from the lights of Broadway—where some of the country’s finest creative and performing artists can come to develop new works and to explore new art forms in collaboration with their peers.
“The Festival and the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains are an ideal setting for artists to develop—and audiences to experience—some of the most creative works being produced today.”
The university’s Performing Arts Series brings in renowned entertainment all year-round to Farthing Auditorium. The Department of Theatre and Dance also showcases the talent of student and faculty actors who perform both classical and contemporary works at Valborg Theatre and Greer Arena Theatre. The Hayes School of Music also presents a variety of student and faculty recitals throughout the academic year.
The new George M. Holmes Convocation Center, which can seat in excess of 8,000 arts patrons, provides a state-of-the-art venue for concerts and community performances.
The university’s Turchin Center for the Visual Arts is the new gateway to downtown Boone. More than an art gallery, it is community’s largest classroom for the visual arts. The Turchin Center has become a gathering place devoted to teaching and the exploration of the visual arts, offering workshops, lectures and other arts enrichment programs. The spectacular Martin and Doris Rosen Galleries, as well as the studios and outdoor sculpture gardens of this magnificent building provide a dynamic setting for the viewing and enjoyment of art. Plan to visit the Turchin Center at 423 W. King St. in Boone. Free admission; donations gratefully accepted. For hours or additional information, call (828) 262-3017. The university also provides for the public:
Catherine Smith Gallery
(828) 262-4046
Watauga County Arts Council At the center of the arts community in the Boone area is the Watauga County Arts Council, which was founded in 1981 to support visual and performing arts. The agency provides artists-in-residence programs to local schools and maintains the Jones House Community Center, which is residence to three art galleries that are open to the public 1-5 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday. Admission is free during art gallery hours. The arts council strives to create a center for discovery and celebration of the arts and humanities. Membership includes a newsletter, invitations to special events and special discounts on workshops and other programs.
(828) 295-9627 P.O. Box 2170, Blowing Rock, NC 28605 www.blowingrockstage.com This non-profit organization has been presenting professional theatre as a community service since 1986. Productions include dramas, musicals and comedies with a variety of shows from mid-June into September and holiday performances in December at the Blowing Rock Arts Center. Reserved seating. Admission.
Historic Barter Theatre The Barter is America’s oldest and most respected regional theatre. Open year-round, it is recognized as “The State Theatre of Virginia.” Barter Theatre, which takes its name from the practice of bartering, was opened in 1933 by unemployed actor Robert Porterfield, who brought a troupe of performers from New York to Abingdon, at the height of the Depression. Two stages; reserved seating. Admission.
Blue Ridge Community Theatre This all-volunteer troupe has been providing high-quality entertainment in the Boone area for more than 25 years. Spring and fall productions.
Lees-McRae College Summer Theatre Three main stage productions and “Theatre for Young People.”
Horn in the West
(828) 264-2120 Each summer, “Horn in the West” explodes into action to relive the incredible saga of the struggles of Daniel Boone and the rugged mountain settlers of the late 18th century who shed the shackles of British oppression.
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