Athens, Ga. – The fourth annual Spotlight on the Arts festival at the University of Georgia will place a bounty of UGA’s arts offerings on display this November, with 10 days filled with art gallery and library tours, a Shakespeare symposium, book talks and sales, and evenings replete with opera, theater, music and dance.
The fourth annual festival is scheduled for Nov. 5-14, with the first-ever opening celebration scheduled for Nov. 4 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center. The opening celebration, which is free and open to the public, will feature excerpts from student performances on tap for the festival. An after-party at the Lamar Dodd School of Art will feature a performance by New York experimental duo Zs.
“The arts play a vital role in enriching the academic and cultural environment at the University of Georgia, and Arts Council members and students have once again organized a world-class Spotlight on the Arts festival,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
The Spotlight on the Arts festival was created in 2012 to celebrate the visual, literary and performing arts at UGA. This year’s festival includes performances of “You Can’t Take It With You,” presented by the University Theatre, and “The Merry Widow” from University Opera Theatre, as well exhibitions from Lamar Dodd School of Art students and other artists, a game-day tailgate sponsored by the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts on Nov. 7, concerts from the Hodgson Wind Ensemble and UGA Jazz Band, and performances from the department of dance’s Young Choreographers Series.
Featured guest performances include the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra featuring percussionists Thomas Sherwood and Charles Settle on Nov. 8 and The King’s Singers, a two-time Grammy-winning British a cappella group who will perform tunes from The Great American Songbook on Nov. 9.
In addition to the Nov. 12-14 book symposium, titled “Appropriation in the Age of Global Shakespeare,” the festival includes book talks from author and archivist Valerie Frey, poet Jeffrey Harrison and fiction writer George Singleton, as well as events featuring Taylor Branch and Janisse Ray, who will be inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame alongside the late Vereen Bell and the late Paul Hemphill on Nov. 9.
Georgia Museum of Art programming will revolve around its “Samurai: The Way of the Warrior” exhibition, including a Kendo demonstration, curator-led tours, a lecture, a samurai film series and special Family Day activities. Special tours will also be held at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.
“UGA’s offerings in the visual, performing and literary arts are vibrant and engaging, and we are excited to share the artistry and scholarship with the campus and the community,” said Vice Provost Russell Mumper, the chairman of the UGA Arts Council. “Please join us in our celebration and spotlight on the arts.”
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, Special Collections Libraries and the Willson Center.
More information on the 2015 Spotlight on the Arts festival, including a schedule of events, can be found at www.arts.uga.edu as well as on the Arts Council Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/UGAarts), Twitter feed (@UGA_arts) or Instagram (https://instagram.com/uga_arts).
Many of the performances are free or discounted for students. Events presented by the Performing Arts Center, dance department, Hugh Hodgson School of Music and University Theatre will be available for purchase online at www.pac.uga.edu, at the box office or by phone at 706-542-4400 (toll free at 888-289-8497).
