News
Theatre Program Brings Back On Dragonfly Wings
The Georgia Southern University Theatre program will be bringing back the hit production from their 2007-2008 Season On Dragonfly Wings Sept. 2nd-6th at the Performing Arts Center.
On Dragonfly Wings is the story of a young dragonfly nymph named Daisy. When the pond where she lives is threatened, Daisy comes up with a plan to save it. But just as her plan is put into action, she begins the transformation into a dragonfly, forcing her to leave the pond forever.
“Daisy Dragonfly is a young, yet daring girl with a beautiful heart. She always looks for the good in others and her sweet spirit radiates in all she says and does,” said Annelise Kitching, who will be portraying Daisy.
Georgia Southern’s Theatre and Performance first produced On Dragonfly Wings in the spring of 2008 in the Black Box Theatre. Since the response was so overwhelming, they have brought it back for a second run. The larger venue of the Performing Arts Center will allow the cast to expand the scope of their production.
“The set will be larger, more detailed, and there will be a new surprise that I won’t spoil for our audience,” Kitching said. “It is sure to be a fabulous production and I encourage all theatre goers, musical lovers, and anyone who enjoys a celebration of life.”
Ascend Commission
Ascend, a pair of interacting 20-foot stainless steel sculptures to be permanently placed in front of the new Centre for Art and Theatre on the campus of Georgia Southern University, will distinguish the facility as a major cultural center in southeastern Georgia. The project was funded in 2001 by former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders to celebrate the wedding anniversary to his wife, Betty Foy Sanders, and will stand as a monument to Mrs. Sander’s commitment and continued support of the fine arts in southeastern Georgia.
Throughout her life, Betty Foy Sanders has been an exceptional leader in politics, education, and the arts. At many of her public speaking engagements, Mrs. Sanders has included a stanza from an unknown poet: My life shall touch a dozen lives before this day is done. Appropriately, this line denotes the demonstrated impact her generous spirit and phenomenal support has had on the people of Georgia regardless of their constituency. Her inspirational legacy provides the core spirit of the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art where a community of artists-both students and professionals-thrive. Keeping with Mrs. Sanders’ spirit, the department provides a quality formal visual arts education with an emphasis on social consciousness.
Georgia Southern University’s Professor of Sculpture Marc Moulton was selected from a large survey of Georgia-connected artists to design and create the sculptures. Professor Moulton has experience creating large-scale public commissions and working with stainless steel. Professor Moulton has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and has been represented by several professional galleries in Ohio, Utah, Illinois, and Iowa.
While creating Ascend, Professor Moulton drew inspiration from native southern Georgia forms including the long-leafed pine, the magnolia, and the ocean waves along the coast. In addition, Ascend incorporates the idea of the flight of an eagle, a symbol and mascot for Georgia Southern University. Ascend catches the feeling and sense of uplift, or flight, that visual arts and education can provide.
Ascend will be fabricated of stainless steel at the extensively-equipped Ceramics and Sculpture Building at Georgia Southern University. The project will be created through a process of computer modeling, automated laser-cutting, and MIG/TIG welding. An appropriate foundation will be constructed at the site to secure and distribute the sculpture’s weight and dynamic loads. With an emphasis on hands-on teaching, Professor Moulton will include select advanced students in the sculpture-making process. This will provide students with valuable knowledge of and experience with a professional commission.
The sculpture is designed to fit and enhance the entrance for the new Centre for Art and Theatre. It will serve as the aesthetic focal point for the building and celebrate the activities held there. Night time lighting will enable Ascend to act as a physical locator for this contemporary visual arts exhibition center on campus. The lighting also conceptually represents the enlightened ideals of visual arts in society.
The Arts Have Arrived
In what could be compared to a Renaissance, or at the very least a Revival, the visual and theatre arts are soaring to new heights at Georgia Southern as they move their public programming into state-of-the-art facilities in the new Center for Art & Theatre.
1. Center for Art & Theatre Building:
In July 2006, construction began on the Center for Art & Theatre at Georgia Southern University. This 30,000 square feet public facility will house three exhibition galleries curated by the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, and the Black Box Theatre managed by the Department of Communication Arts. The new Center for Art & Theatre opens its doors to the public in March 2008 and will be a beacon for the visual and performing arts at Georgia Southern University.
2.Visual Art Programming:
Exhibition Program Overview: Visual art galleries in the Center for Art & Theatre offer public exhibitions of visual art created by contemporary professional artists as well as space for display of student art. Galleries in the new Center for Art and Theatre located next to the Visual Arts Studio Building on Pittman Drive offer multiple venues to view contemporary and traditional art and design. A rotating exhibition season presents over twelve exhibitions annually of art and design created by contemporary professional artists and students in the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art.
Contemporary Galleries: The Contemporary Galleries present solo and group exhibitions in two distinct exhibition spaces of art and design by professionals and students working in a range of media, from traditional paintings to multi-media installations.
Annual Student Exhibitions: Exhibitions highlighting outstanding work created by Georgia Southern art and design students from the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art are presented throughout the year. These exhibitions are juried by an external professional and provide students with additional experiences in presenting their creative work publically. Form and Content highlights exemplary works created in foundation level drawing and design coursework; the Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition presents selected works completed under the tutelage of Georgia Southern faculty; the Graphic Design Portfolio Reveal presents the professional portfolios of senior graphic design students to the public and art directors in the region; the MFA Biennial presents a juror’s selection of art and design created by candidates in the Master of Fine Arts degree program.
The Betty Foy Sanders Georgia Artists Collection represents a diverse collection of artwork created by artists with a connection to the state of Georgia-whether the artist is native to the state, the artwork is created with materials indigenous to the state, or the imagery is about the state of Georgia. Curated by Betty Foy Sanders since 1967, the extensive permanent collection resides in its own gallery.
The Smith Callaway Banks Southern Folk Art Collection and Research Center located in the Visual Arts Studio Building, houses an extensive collection of folk art of varying genres and media from the southeastern United States.
Ascend, a public sculpture celebrating the Arts at Georgia Southern, greets visitors at the East Entrance. Created by artist and sculpture professor, Marc Moulton, with the assistance of graduate students, this monumental scale sculpture was commissioned by the Honorable Governor Carl Sanders in tribute to his wife Betty Foy Sanders for her life-long civic vision in support of the visual arts.
Sculpture Garden: The Center’s courtyard adjoins the existing Visual Arts Building with the Center for Art & Theatre and features a sculpture garden offering a fourth exhibition space for three-dimensional works of art.