Sculpture has long been a dynamic element on the campus of Appalachian State University and in August 2022, a new collection of seven sculptures has been installed as phase one of a Campus Arts Corridor. They originate at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on King Street and extend into campus along a public art pathway.
The concept of the Campus Arts Corridor arose out of a desire to visibly link App State’s arts related venues. Two of the main university arts centers — the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, and the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, are located on opposite sides of campus with numerous arts related buildings located between these two hubs. The Schaefer Center is App State’s state of the art 1660 seat venue and is home to a multitude of campus and community events, as well as visiting artists from across the region, nation and the globe.
Valborg Theatre is home to the University Theatre Mainstage; Chapell Wilson Hall houses the Department of Theatre and Dance; Wey Hall contains the Department of Art; and the Broyhill Music Center houses the Hayes School of Music. The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts features six dynamic galleries with changing exhibitions of contemporary art works by national and international artists, as well as the finest local artists of the region.
Situated on King Street at the crossroads of Appalachian State University and downtown Boone, the Turchin Center anchors the arts corridor and serves as a crossroads between campus and community and provides a link to the public art initiatives of the town.
The Campus Arts Corridor, looking back towards the Turchin Center
The iconic Transit Candy stair mural located on the grand staircase adjacent to the main entrance of the Turchin Center serves as the starting point for the corridor. Painted in the summer of 2020 by Baltimore artists Jessie Underhalter and Katey Truhn, the mural takes its cues from regional textiles. The vibrant, geometric design runs from the top of the 36-step grand staircase, flows to the bottom of the steps and terminates with a fringed edge as might be found on a rug.
About the sculptors
The sculptors represented in the arts corridor all reside in North Carolina and what unites their work is that the pieces embrace re-emergence and transformation as a result of the pandemic; social unity, connection and community building; or hopes and dreams for a more equitable world.
Sculptures
Beau Lyday, Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Mike Roig, Chrysalis
Hanna Jubran, Sound of the Elements
Carl Billingsley, Double Wedge
Jonathan Pellitteri, Balancing at New Heights
Jessica Bradsher, Pegasus Landing
