The University of Georgia’s outstanding arts programming and research were on full display at the 12th annual Spotlight on the Arts festival in November. With more than 65 events and exhibitions, it was a rich celebration of the literary, performing and visual arts on campus.

Highlights of the festival included a performance by seven-time Grammy Award-winner and twice Oscar-nominated film composer Terence Blanchard, a lecture by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead and a University Theatre production of “Mother Courage and Her Children.” Also featured were student choreography performances by the Department of Dance and a night of fine opera by the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Throughout the month, the Georgia Museum of Art celebrated its 75th anniversary.

The annual Student Spotlight at Tate Plaza on Nov. 8 showcased more than 15 performances including dance, theater, comedy, poetry readings, music ensembles, a cappella and classical guitarists. Later in the month, the Lamar Dodd School of Art hosted its third Dodd Market featuring ceramics, jewelry, prints and more from approximately 150 student artists.

Spotlight on the Arts is coordinated by the UGA Arts Council, a group representing the performing, visual and literary arts, as well as interdisciplinary academic units on campus. The council comprises representatives from the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, College of Environment and Design, Creative Writing Program, Department of Dance, Department of Theatre and Film Studies, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Georgia Museum of Art, The Georgia Review, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Hugh Hodgson School of Music, UGA Arts Collaborative, Lamar Dodd School of Art, Mary Frances Early College of Education, Performing Arts Center, University of Georgia Press, UGA Libraries and the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts.

To find arts and humanities events at UGA, visit the events calendar on the Arts Council website. In March 2024, the UGA Humanities Council will present the second annual Humanities Festival, highlighting the richness and diversity of research and practice in the humanities at UGA.