Piedmont University Fine Arts Schedule 2023-2024

AT PIEDMONT UNIVERSITY

Greetings from the School of Fine Arts and Communications at Piedmont University!

It is my pleasure to present the exciting Fine Arts schedule for the 2023-2024 season, and I am thrilled to announce that the arts at Piedmont are flourishing.

First and foremost, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Wally Hinson for his exceptional leadership over his remarkable 30-year career. As I step into the role of Associate Dean, I feel deeply honored to be part of a fine arts tradition that dates back to Piedmont’s earliest years. Our artistic journey began with music performances in glee clubs and bands around 1910, followed by theatrical performances in the early 1920s. The visual arts soon followed, with art students crafting mountain furniture sold locally in the latter 1920s.

This year’s schedule boasts several highlights that promise to captivate your imagination. Theatre enthusiasts can look forward to a journey to 1980s New York’s East Village in the production of Rent. Music enthusiasts will be treated to the 35th year of Lessons and Carols, a cherished annual event. Additionally, the Art department invites you to explore the world of public art through the eyes of Nick Morris, the creator of The School Bus Graveyard. With such diverse offerings, we invite you to join us in these artistic endeavors.

The success of these events and nurturing of our student’s artistic talents rely on your support of the Fine Arts. Your support allows us to offer our students artistic experiences that will shape their future careers.

To aid us in our mission, I kindly request you to consider joining me and the other Friends of the Arts through a financial gift. Your contribution will significantly impact and help us continue providing quality events and opportunities to the Piedmont University community.

Let us come together and participate in the enriching journey of artistic exploration. I eagerly look forward to welcoming you to our events throughout this season!

Warmest Regards.

Christopher Kelly Associate Dean, School of Fine Arts & Communications

WHAT’S INSIDE

Contents

7 Fine Arts Season Schedule

12 About the Art

16 About the Music

20 About the Shows

22 Venues & Tickets

All art exhibitions are at the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art, unless otherwise noted. All music is performed in the Chapel, unless otherwise noted.

All theatre productions are performed in the Swanson Center, unless otherwise noted.

$$

Some events require payment for admission by the general public. Tickets for music and theatre events, when required, are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors; and $5 for Black Box Theatre shows, unless otherwise noted. Piedmont University faculty, staff, and students are admitted free to all events.

Permanent Collection

Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art

Fall 2022

Season Schedule 2023-24

May 20- Aug. 24 Bud Lee Picture Maker: Photographs from 1967-1972

Thursday, Aug. 24 4:30–6:30PM Reception

Aug. 31- Sep. 28 Tommye Scanlin: Because of Memory

Thursday, Aug. 31 4:30–6:30PM Reception

Sunday, Sept. 17 Friends of the Arts Celebration 5:30–6:30PM Reception

Oct. 12–Nov. 16 Nick Morris: Single File Consciousness

Thursday, Oct. 12 4:30–7:30PM Reception

Jan. 8–16 Regional African American Museum of Northeast Georgia

Thursday, Jan. 11 4:30–6:30PM Reception

Jan. 25- Feb. 22 Austin Wieland

Saturday, Jan. 27 5:00–7:00PM Reception

March 7- April 2 Barq’s Root Beer: A History of Design

Thursday, March 7 4:30–6:30PM Reception

Thursday, March 28 4:00PM Spring Walkthrough | Smith-Williams Art Gallery

Thursday, April 11 12:00–5:00PM Senior Capstone Pop-Up Exhibition

All art exhibits are at the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art, unless otherwise noted. See page 12 for more information.

Fall Schedule 2023

Sunday, September 17 4:00PM Piedmont Camerata

Sunday, Sept. 17 5:00PM Friends of the Arts Celebration Reception| MSMA Museum

Tuesday, October 3 7:30PM Corey Flowers, guitar | Concert Hall

Thursday, October 26 5:00PM Cantabile | Concert Hall

Tuesday, November 7 7:30PM Chamber Ensembles

Thursday, November 9 7:30PM Piedmont University Singers

Tuesday, November 14 7:30PM Conservatory Strings

Thursday, November 16 7:30PM Piedmont University Wind Ensemble

Friday, December 1 & 7:30PM 35th Annual Service of Lessons and Carols

Saturday, December 2

All music is performed in the Chapel, unless otherwise noted.

Spring Schedule 2024

Sunday, January 28 4:00PM Jeri-Mae G. Astolfi, piano

Thursday, February 29 7:30 PM Andrea M. Price, soprano Karen Sigers, piano

Sunday, March 3 4:00PM Louise Bass, organ

Tuesday, March 26 7:30PM Piedmont University Singers

Tuesday, April 2 5:00PM Cantabile | Concert Hall

Sunday, April 7 4:00PM Piedmont Camerata

Thursday, April 11 7:30PM Piedmont Wind Ensemble

Tuesday, April 16 7:30PM Conservatory Strings

Friday, April 19 7:30PM Chamber Ensembles

Saturday, April 27 7:30PM Great Composers Concert

All music is performed in the Chapel, unless otherwise noted.

Season Schedule 2023-24

Sunday, Sept. 17 5:00PM Friends of the Arts MSMA Museum Celebration

Thursday – Saturday, Sept. 28-30 7:30PM Rent Mainstage Theater $$

Sunday, Oct. 1 2:00PM

Thursday – Saturday, Feb. 15-17 7:30PM A Piece of My Heart Black Box Theater $$

Sunday, Feb. 18 2:00PM

Thursday- Saturday, April 11-13 7:30PM Rumors Mainstage Theater $$

Sunday, April 14 2:00PM

All theatre productions are performed in the Swanson Center, unless otherwise noted.

Bright Star

Directed by Bill Gabelhausen

Spring 2023

Event Descriptions 2023-2024

May 20 –

Aug. 24

BUD LEE PICTURE MAKER: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM 1967-1972

Bud Lee (1941-2015) was an award-winning, Florida-based photojournalist and artist. Lee was named U.S. Military Photographer of the Year in 1966 and received Life’s National Photo Story of the Year award in 1967. He founded the Iowa Photographers’ Workshop and began the Artist Filmmaker in the Schools program in Tampa, Florida.

Lee’s work has appeared in top-tier national publications that include Esquire, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times Sunday Magazine. This exhibition corresponds to the publication of Lee’s monograph, The War is Here: Newark 1967 (Ze Books, May 2023).

Aug. 31 –

Sept. 28

TOMMYE SCANLIN: BECAUSE OF MEMORY

Because of Memory will feature handwoven tapestries alongside works on paper based on her experiences at the Lillian E. Smith Center (Clayton, Georgia). Scanlin is Professor Emerita at the University of North Georgia (Dahlonega, Georgia). She is the author of The Nature of Things: Essays of a Tapestry Weaver (University of North Georgia Press, 2020) and Tapestry Design Basics and Beyond (Schiffer Publishing, June 2021). Scanlin is a juried member of Southern Highland Craft Guild and Piedmont Craftsmen. She is a board member for the Lillian E. Smith Center and the John C. Campbell Folk School.

Oct. 12–

Nov. 16

NICK MORRIS: SINGLE FILE CONSCIOUSNESS

Morris is an artist based in Northeast Georgia. His work appears throughout the American South. Local paintings can be found throughout Habersham County, including free art installations in downtown Cornelia and a large mural for Clarkesville’s The Copper Pot. Morris is the founder and creator of the School Bus Graveyard in Alto, Georgia. Since 2012, he has organized an annual painting event at the School Bus Graveyard under the name Crispy Printz.

Jan. 8–16

REGIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA AT THE MSMA

Experience the Regional African American Museum of Northeast Georgia at the MSMA. Founded in 2010 by curator and designer Audrey Davenport, the museum features twenty panels devoted to the cultural heritage of African American people living in Banks, White, Rabun, and Habersham Counties. The exhibition celebrates the addition of the RAAM to the Digital Library of Georgia and a new Piedmont scholarship in Davenport’s honor.

Jan. 25-

Feb. 22

AUSTIN WIELAND

Austin Wieland is a ceramic sculptor whose work investigates clay’s intersections with industry, functionality, and technology. He serves as the Lovick P. Corn Associate Professor of Art and Design and Department Chair of Fine and Performing Arts at LaGrange College (LaGrange, Ga.). A native of Bryan, Ohio, Wieland holds an MFA from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (Edinboro, Pa.) and a BFA from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). He has participated in numerous residencies and exhibitions throughout the nation.

ABOUT THE ART | Event Descriptions

March 7-

April 2

BARQ’S ROOT BEER: A HISTORY OF DESIGN

The development of design is showcased through artifacts associated with Barq’s Root Beer from the collection of Daniel Griffis. See a new documentary film edited by Professor Santanu Majumdar, Chair of the Piedmont University Department of Art.

March 28

SPRING WALKTHROUGH

The Art Department at Piedmont University celebrates the Spring Walkthrough every year. It is designed to showcase student work and recognize the most successful students with awards. This is a show to share student experiences and success with their family and the community.

April 11

SENIOR CAPSTONE POP-UP EXHIBITION

See work from Piedmont University seniors in a one-day group exhibition that is part of the university’s campus-wide research symposium.

Art Rosenbaum

Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art

Fall 2022

Event Descriptions 2023-24

Sept. 17 & April 7 4:00 PM

PIEDMONT CAMERATA

The university’s resident professional quintet, Piedmont Camerata, now in its ninth season, has earned rave reviews as one of the finest chamber ensembles in the region. The group performs a variety of works from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

Oct. 3 7:30 PM

COREY FLOWERS, GUITAR

Corey Flowers, instructor of guitar at Piedmont University, performs works for classical guitar. Conservatory of Music Concert Hall.

Oct. 26 & April 2 5:00 PM

CANTABILE

Cantabile, the Conservatory’s elite vocal ensemble known for its polished performances and innovative programming, performs a variety of works from the 16th century to the present, including folk songs, jazz, and pop arrangements. Conservatory of Music Concert Hall.

Nov. 7 & April 19

7:30 PM

Nov. 9 & March 26

7:30 PM

CHAMBER ENSEMBLES

Students from the studios of Dr. Jeri-Mae G. Astolfi and Ms. Dianasue Walton perform a variety of chamber music from the 18th century to the present.

PIEDMONT UNIVERSITY SINGERS

A new era begins for the Piedmont University Singers under the direction of Bobby Ivey, Piedmont University Director of Choirs. Come hear the choir perform a variety of choral works from the Renaissance to the present. Louise Bass, organ.

Nov. 14 & April 16

7:30 PM

Nov. 16 & April 11 7:30 PM

CONSERVATORY STRINGS

The Piedmont Conservatory Strings, in its third year under the direction of Heather Strachan, combines players from the community and the university in the performance of significant works for string orchestra.

PIEDMONT UNIVERSITY WIND ENSEMBLE

The Piedmont University Wind Ensemble combines Piedmont instrumental students and members of the community in performance of works for concert band. Anand R. Sukumaran, conductor.

Dec. 1 & Dec. 2 7:30 PM

35 TH ANNUAL SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS

Now in its 35th year, the Annual Service of Lessons and Carols is one of the region’s most beloved events celebrating Christmas. The Piedmont Chorale, Brass Choir, the Sewell Organ, and the Chestatee High School Choir are featured in this special program of readings, carols, and choir anthems to begin the Christmas Season.

ABOUT THE MUSIC | Event Descriptions

Jan. 28 7:30 PM

JERI-MAE G. ASTOLFI, PIANO

Dr. Jeri-Mae G. Astolfi, Piedmont University Senior Artist-in-Residence and internationally acclaimed pianist, presents a concert of important piano works.

Feb. 29 7:30 PM

ANDREA M. PRICE, SOPRANO, & KAREN SIGERS, PIANO

Dr. Andrea M. Price, Professor of Music, Director of the Conservatory of Music and Coordinator of Applied Music at Piedmont University, and Dr. Karen Sigers, Associate Professor of Music, perform lieder, art song, and operatic arias.

March 3

4:00 PM

LOUISE BASS ORGAN

Organist and Piedmont Artist-in-Residence Louise Bass, performs a concert of works from the 19th and 20th centuries for the “king of instruments.”

April 27

7:30 PM

The Piedmont Chorale and Orchestra present a concert of symphonic masterworks for choir. Bobby Ivey, conductor.

Lessons and Carols

Winter 2022

Event Descriptions 2023-24

Sept. 28-30

7:30 PM

Oct . 1 2:00 PM

RENT $$

Directed by Bill Gabelhausen

Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical. Rated M for mature audiences.

Feb. 15-17

7:30 PM

Feb. 18

2:00 PM

A PIECE OF MY HEART $$

Directed by Kathy

Blandin

This is a powerful, true drama of six women who went to Vietnam: five nurses and a country western singer booked by an unscrupulous agent to entertain the troops. The play portrays each young woman before, during, and after her tour in the war-torn nation and ends as each leaves a personal token at the memorial wall in Washington.

April 11-13

7:30 PM

April 14

2:00 PM

RUMORS $$

Directed by John Spiegel

At a large, tastefully-appointed Snedens Landing townhouse, the Deputy Mayor of New York has just shot himself. Though it’s only a flesh wound, Charlie Brock’s self-inflicted injury sets off a series of events causing four couples to experience a severe attack of farce. As their tenth wedding anniversary party commences, Charlie lies bleeding in another room, and his wife

Myra is nowhere in sight. The first guests, lawyer Ken Gorman and his wife Chris, scramble to get “the story” straight before the other guests arrive. As the confusion and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into classic farcical hilarity.

Directed by John Spiegel

Fall 2022

Peter and the Starcatcher

VENUES & TICKETS

Art

Mason-Scharfenstein

Museum of Art (MSMA)

Smith-Williams Gallery

Mason Galleries

All art events are free and open to the public.

piedmont.edu/msma

Museum Hours: 12 p.m.-5 p.m., Tues.-Sat. Closed Piedmont holidays.

Music

Chapel

Concert Hall, Conservatory of Music

All Music events are free and open to the public unless marked with $$ . See schedule at piedmont.edu/fa for up-to-date information.

Theatre

Swanson Center Mainstage

Black Box

Arrendale Amphitheater

For information about our shows and any online ticketing options visit

www.piedmont.edu/fa.

To purchase tickets call the Box Office at: 706-778-8500, ext. 1355.

VISUAL ARTS & MUSEUM

Santanu Majumdar

706-778-8500 ext. 1319

smajumdar@piedmont.edu

$$

MUSIC

Andrea M. Price, 706-778-8500 ext. 1215

aprice@piedmont.edu

Tickets for music and theatre events, when required, are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors; and $5 for Black Box Theatre shows, unless otherwise noted.

THEATRE

Kathy Blandin

706-778-8500 ext. 1068

kblandin@piedmont.edu

All Piedmont University faculty, staff, and students enjoy free attendance to all Fine Arts events.

How to become a

FRIEND OF THE ARTS

Your investment in the Fine Arts at Piedmont University provides our students with a robust academic experience that prepares them for a career in the arts, as well as quality programming for the local community. Friends of the Arts play a vital role in funding guest artists, student trips, and enhanced learning opportunities that may not otherwise be available. Thank you for your continued generosity and support of the Fine Arts!

WAYS TO DONATE

1 Donate online at piedmont.edu/join-FOTA

2023-24

GIVING LEVELS

Platinum: $10,000+

Review our benefits at piedmont.edu/fota

2 Mail a check to Piedmont University

P.O. Box 10 | Demorest, GA 30535

Note Friends of the Arts in the memo line.

3 Contact 706-894-4249 or friends@piedmont.edu

Gold: $1,000 - $9,999

Silver: $500 - $999

Bronze: $250 - $499

Patron: $100 - $249

For theatre events, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze members must contact the theatre box office at 706-778-3000 ext.1355 to reserve tickets.