The University of Georgia will celebrate the visual, literary and performing arts on campus this November during the seventh annual Spotlight on the Arts festival, which features dozens of events and exhibitions Nov. 1-11.
The festival begins Nov. 1 with Student Spotlight performances from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tate Plaza. “Kaleidoscope: Spotlight on the Arts Opening Celebration,” a free showcase of performances in dance, music, theater and creative writing, follows at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Ars Center. An after-party will be held at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, where student art exhibitions will be on display. The opening day of the festival also includes the first day of the national conference of the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru), which is exploring the theme “Arts Environments: Design, Resilience, and Sustainability.”
The festival continues through Nov. 11, with concerts, art exhibitions and demonstrations, book talks, film screenings and theater and dance performances, many of which are free and open to the public or discounted for students.
“Faculty, staff, students and members of the broader community in Athens and beyond are invited to the University of Georgia’s seventh annual Spotlight on the Arts festival,” said Libby V. Morris, interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “This 11-day festival highlights the richness and diversity of arts programming and scholarship on campus, and there is truly something for everyone.”
This year’s festival also includes University Theatre performances of “Equus” as well as concerts from numerous student and faculty groups from the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, exhibitions at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, and performances from the department of dance’s Young Choreographers Series.
On Nov. 3, the third annual Spotlight on the Arts Family Day will include performances, activities, demonstrations and workshops in art, dance, theater, music and writing that are designed specifically for children and families to enjoy. Free activities will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Performing Arts Quad, with the fun continuing from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.
Other highlights of the 2018 Spotlight on the Arts festival include a celebration of the late author Pat Conroy as part of induction events for the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame and a screening of an audio-visual work by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe presented by Moogfest. Guest artists include Mark Dion and Rebecca Rutstein, and the Performing Arts Center will host performances from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the British a capella group VOCES8.
“Once again, the Arts Council is thrilled to sponsor the Spotlight on the Arts festival, which showcases the council’s mission to foster an awareness and appreciation of the arts and an environment conducive to artistic innovation,” said Russ Mumper, vice provost for academic affairs and chair of the UGA Arts Council. “We are especially excited that this year’s festival coincides with UGA hosting the a2ru national meeting, which will attract more than 300 faculty and students from over 40 research-intensive universities.”
Members of the UGA Arts Council include representatives from the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the creative writing program, the department of dance, the department of theatre and film studies, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the Georgia Museum of Art, the Georgia Review, the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, the Lamar Dodd School of Art, the Performing Arts Center, the UGA Press, the Special Collections Libraries and the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. Also contributing to the 2018 Spotlight on the Arts festival are the College of Environment and Design, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
More information on the 2018 Spotlight on the Arts festival, including a schedule of events, can be found at arts.uga.edu as well as on the Arts Council Facebook page (facebook.com/UGAarts), Twitter feed (@UGA_arts) or Instagram (instagram.com/uga_arts).
Many of the performances are free or discounted for students. Tickets for events presented by the Performing Arts Center, dance department, Hugh Hodgson School of Music and University Theatre will be available for purchase online at pac.uga.edu, at the PAC box office or by phone at 706-542-4400.
