Located in Augusta, a city with a rich history of art and music, Augusta State takes pride in its relationship with area art organizations which allows the university to offer fine arts opportunities to students and the community.
Westobou Festival
Each year, ASU serves as one of the host venues for Augusta's Westobou Festival. This annual city-wide event spotlights excellence in Augusta's arts community and features performances and exhibitions by local, regional, and nationally artists in the fields of visual arts, film, music, dance, and words. Some of the outstanding talent presented at ASU include the ASU Department of Music faculty and students; the Jazz Innovators concert featuring internationally renowned known jazz artists Ravi Coltrane, son of jazz legend John Coltrane and pianist and harpist Alice Coltrane; Ralph Alessi, jazz trumpeter and composer; Art Lande, Grammy-nominated pianist and composer; and ASU music professor Rob Foster.
Augusta State University's Lyceum Series
If you like over-the-top stage productions, dancing to the rhythms of a latin jazz band, or listening to a world-renowned author give an inspiring lecture, then you will enjoy the events presented by Augusta State University's Lyceum Series. This series remains committed to the model set forth by its namesake, the ancient Greek school where Aristotle fed the inquisitive minds of his students. The ASU Lyceum Series continues this historic tradition by presenting thought-provoking lectures, culturally enriching music, theatre, dance, and special programming designed to inform, educate, and entertain. Some of the world-class acts who have performed in this series include the Grammy-award winning Blind Boys of Alabama, the Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats, the American Shakespeare Center, and jazz musician Loston Harris.
ASU Gets Artistic
Augusta State's Department of Art has hosted numerous exhibitions in the university's Mary S. Byrd Gallery. These events showcase the works of ASU students and faculty as well as world-renowned artists such as Tom Nakashima, former ASU Eminent Scholar of Art; Teresa Cole, professor and chair of Tulane University's Newcomb Art Department; and Illustrator Alex Murawski, professor in University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art.
The ASU Art Department also works closely with area art galleries such as Morris Museum of Art and the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art to offer internships to ASU art majors. These galleries have also hosted exhibitions showcasing the works of ASU art professors including Kristin Casaletto, Raoul Pacheco, and Brian Rust.
