High Country Humanities is a collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian State University and community partners in Watauga County. We aim to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the humanities in the local community, both within and outside the campus.

Upcoming Events

“Drawing to Tell Stories” with illustrator Christine Nishiyama
Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025
6 – 7 p.m.

Local illustrator Christine Nishiyama is the author and/or illustrator of seven books, including the four-book series “Layla and the Bots,” published by Scholastic. During the interactive workshop, Nishiyama will speak about her experiences as a professional illustrator and will introduce the craft to participants of all ages. The event is free and open to the public.

Documenting Our Common Humanity: Climate, Community, Resilience
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025
7 – 8:30 p.m.

This coda to the Boone Docs Film Festival will feature the work of local filmmakers. Inspired by the unity and resourcefulness of Western North Carolinians, which Hurricane Helene recently highlighted, the films to be screened will showcase resilience and people working together to respond to environmental and agricultural challenges. The event will include panel discussions with filmmakers and community members whose stories are told in the documentaries.

Bartók: From Opposing Ethnic Cleansing to Inventing Ethnomusicology
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
5:30 - 7 p.m.

The classical composer Béla Bartók is perhaps most famous in the music world for having incorporated elements of folk music into his work, a practice that earned him the title of “father of ethnomusicology.” Bartók became an outspoken critic of antisemitic laws in Hungary and fled to the U.S. during World War II. This event presents two talks and a listening workshop that will help participants understand and appreciate the legacy of Bartók and other classical musicians who resisted antisemitism and fascism in the 1930s and 40s.

Brian Harnetty: Words and Silences
Thursday, March 6, 2025
8 – 9 p.m.

The event will begin with Brian Harnetty in conversation with App State Faculty members Dr. Jacob Kopcienski (Hayes School of Music) and Dr. Cuong Mai (Philosophy and Religion) about Thomas Merton’s life and work, and Harnetty’s composition process. After Harnetty performs “Words and Silences” (~45 minutes), the panel will answer questions and discuss the performance with the audience.

Pickin’ Apart Bartók: How to Hear Folk Sounds in Classical Music
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
5:30 - 7 p.m.

The classical composer Béla Bartók is perhaps most famous in the music world for having incorporated elements of folk music into his work, a practice that earned him the title of “father of ethnomusicology.” He even spent one summer in Asheville in 1945 and composed one of his piano concertos there. What qualifies as folk music in North Carolina and around the world? What elements of rural sound inspired Bartók, and in which rural communities did they originate? In this workshop, participants will hear examples of and learn to recognize the folk sounds in classical music.

Resounding Resistance: Folk-Infused Classical Music, 1937-1945
Sunday, May 4, 2025
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

App State’s High Country Humanities — with support from North Carolina Humanities and the Watauga Arts Council — is pleased to present a public listening workshop, followed by a free concert. The listening workshop celebrates the 80th anniversary of the “Asheville Concerto” (“Piano Concerto No. 3”) by Béla Bartók (1881-1945). After a fifteen-minute intermission, there will be a free public concert, sponsored by a Grassroots Grant from the Watauga Arts Council.

Upcoming Events Presented by Affiliates

Affiliate events are organized by App State academic units and centers or by individual faculty members working with partners from other local and regional organizations.

  • Compassionate Communication with Dr. Chris Patti
    Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
    7 - 9 p.m.

    Dr. Chris Patti, an associate professor in App State's Department of Communication and an affiliate faculty member for the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies, will introduce a process called compassionate communication as a tool for working with survivors of genocide and trauma. He will discuss the challenges of interviewing well and without creating harm. Dr. Patti will share how “doing the humanely obvious” when communicating is still cutting edge in society—particularly in the fields of medicine, academia, education, politics, law and even everyday life.

  • Margaret Gregor and Jackie Eagleson, “Beulah Campbell’s Legacy: Celebrating Children’s Literature and Art”
    Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025
    11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

    Many believe that literature serves as a window to the world for children, and Beulah Campbell embodied that belief throughout her life. As a professor of elementary education at Appalachian State University, she understood the vital connection between illustrations and text in children's books. Over her 40-year career Beulah built a collection of original artwork by renowned children’s book illustrators, while also fostering a deep appreciation for children’s literature in her students.

  • “Hope and Despair” with Dr. Thomas B. Ellis and Dr. Jack M. C. Kwong

    Philosophy and Religious Studies in the Contemporary World

    Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025
    5:30 - 7 p.m.

    Dr. Thomas B. Ellis, professor of religious studies, will give a talk titled “Despair, Faith and Illusions of Agency.” Dr. Jack M. C. Kwong, professor of philosophy, will give a talk titled “Hoping in the Face of Despair.”

  • Brian Harnetty: Re-Animating the Sound Archive

    Music Humanities Series

    Wednesday, March 5, 2025
    6 - 7 p.m.

    Over the past two decades, Brian Harnetty has located historical recordings that document spoken words and musical performance in archives across Appalachia and the Midwest, including the Berea Appalachian Sound Archives (Berea, Kentucky), the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Archive (Shawnee, Ohio), and the Thomas Merton Collection (Louisville, Kentucky). In this talk, Harnetty will discuss strategies by which people in the present relate to recorded sounds that document the past.

  • Eleanor Davis: Craft Talk

    Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

    Thursday, March 20, 2025
    3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

    Eleanor Davis is a cartoonist and illustrator. Her books include How To Be Happy, You and a Bike and a Road, Why Art? and The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook. Her latest graphic novel, The Hard Tomorrow, won the LA Times Book Prize for Graphic Novels and Comics. She lives in Athens, Georgia.

  • “World Storytelling Day” with Dr. Laura Ammon and Dr. Anna Cremaldi

    Philosophy and Religious Studies in the Contemporary World

    Thursday, March 20, 2025
    5:30 - 7 p.m.

    Dr. Laura Ammon, professor of religious studies, will speak about mythological stories. Dr. Anna Cremaldi, associate professor of philosophy, is a specialist of Ancient Greek philosophy.

  • Eleanor Davis

    Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

    Thursday, March 20, 2025
    6 - 7:30 p.m.

    Eleanor Davis is a cartoonist and illustrator. Her books include How To Be Happy, You and a Bike and a Road, Why Art? and The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook. Her latest graphic novel, The Hard Tomorrow, won the LA Times Book Prize for Graphic Novels and Comics. She lives in Athens, Georgia.

  • Juliet Escoria and Scott McClanahan: Craft Talk

    Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

    Thursday, March 27, 2025
    3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

    Juliet Escoria is the author of You Are the Snake (Soft Skull, 2024), Witch Hunt & Black Cloud (CLASH Books, 2023) and Juliet the Maniac (Melville House, 2019). She lives in West Virginia. Scott McClanahan is an author and filmmaker based in Beckley, West Virginia. He’s written eight books including Crapalachia, Hill William and the Sarah Book. He’s a co-founder of Holler Presents, a production company and small press.

  • Blue Ridge Ballads Revisited
    Thursday, March 27, 2025
    6 - 7 p.m.

    This presentation and performance, featuring Trevor McKenzie, director of the Center for Appalachian Studies, traces the history behind ballads from the Blue Ridge Mountains. This revisitation of ballads from the Blue Ridge, stretching from the mid-18th century to the present, examines the histories behind these story songs and their continued relevance in the vast musical landscape of 21st century Appalachia.

  • Juliet Escoria and Scott McClanahan

    Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

    Thursday, March 27, 2025
    6 - 7:30 p.m.

    Juliet Escoria is the author of You Are the Snake (Soft Skull, 2024), Witch Hunt & Black Cloud (CLASH Books, 2023) and Juliet the Maniac (Melville House, 2019). She lives in West Virginia. Scott McClanahan is an author and filmmaker based in Beckley, West Virginia. He’s written eight books including Crapalachia, Hill William and the Sarah Book. He’s a co-founder of Holler Presents, a production company and small press.

  • Lillian-Yvonne Bertram: Craft Talk

    Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

    Thursday, April 10, 2025
    3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

    Lillian-Yvonne Bertram is an African American writer, poet, artist and educator who works at the intersection of computation, AI, race and gender. They are the author of Travesty Generator (Noemi Press), which received the Poetry Society of America’s 2020 Anna Rabinowitz prize for interdisciplinary work and was longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. They are also the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship.

  • Lillian-Yvonne Bertram

    Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

    Thursday, April 10, 2025
    6 - 7:30 p.m.

    Lillian-Yvonne Bertram is an African American writer, poet, artist and educator who works at the intersection of computation, AI, race and gender. They are the author of Travesty Generator (Noemi Press), which received the Poetry Society of America’s 2020 Anna Rabinowitz prize for interdisciplinary work and was longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. They are also the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship.

  • “Chatbots: Moral and Religious Perspectives” with Dr. Christopher Bartel and Dr. Randall Reed

    Philosophy and Religious Studies in the Contemporary World

    Tuesday, April 15, 2025
    5:30 - 7 p.m.

    Dr. Christopher Bartel, professor of philosophy, will give a talk titled “The Wrongness of Abusing Replika.” Dr. Randall Reed, professor of religious studies, will give a talk titled “The Changing of the Gods: AI, Religion and Chatbots.”

Mission

High Country Humanities seeks to sponsor and support local humanities events that are open to the public. In some cases, we will promote humanities events organized by our community partners, and in other cases, we will organize events ourselves. Whether the event takes place on the Appalachian State’s campus or elsewhere, High Country Humanities events will be open to everyone in the public interested in the humanities.

Get Involved

High Country Humanities welcomes faculty and community input. We invite local stakeholders to contribute to this initiative. To get involved, please contact hchumanities@appstate.edu. Here are a few ways to participate:

  • Suggest an event for us to promote.
  • Nominate a community leader or humanities expert to serve on the advisory board.
  • Volunteer to help organize or staff an upcoming event.
  • Want to receive announcements about upcoming events? Subscribe to our mailing list

Donors and Sponsors

If you are interested in making a donation to support High Country Humanities, or if you are a local vendor who wishes to sponsor an upcoming event, please contact hchumanities@appstate.edu. Contributions of any amount make a difference!

High Country Humanities awarded $5,000 North Carolina Humanities grant to support programming on Béla Bartók
North Carolina Humanities
Nov. 20, 2024

High Country Humanities will design and deliver high-impact humanities programming on Béla Bartók (1881–1945), the Hungarian composer who helped bridge the divide between classical and folk music. A vocal opponent of the distinction between “high” and “low” cultures in Nazi-occupied Europe, Bartók was exiled to the United States during World War II. He spent his final summer in North Carolina, where he composed his famous “Asheville Concerto” in 1945. Celebrating the eightieth anniversary of this piece, humanities experts will offer free public talks, discussions, and guided listening workshops to make classical music more accessible and relevant to broad audiences in rural North Carolina.

Demonstrations convey history of local and international folk music
Watauga Democrat
Sep. 27, 2024

Appalachian State University’s High Country Humanities welcomed the community to Valle Crucis Park on a sunny afternoon on Sunday, Sept. 22, for a string of folk music demonstrations by university professors. Dr. Laurie Semmes, a professor of ethnomusicology, spoke about the bandura, Ukraine’s national instrument; Mark Freed, an adjunct instructor of Appalachian music, presented on Appalachian folk music; and Dr. Jacob Kopcienski led an audience question-and-answer session. Local folk musician Rick Ward was also present for the demonstrations.

App State High Country Humanities Receives Grant from North Carolina Humanities

App State High Country Humanities Receives Grant from North Carolina Humanities

College of Arts and Sciences
Oct. 17, 2023

High Country Humanities has received a large grant from North Carolina Humanities. This $20,000 grant will help fund a series of free public events relating to the theme of “Connecting Local and Global Rural Cultures,” including workshops, panel discussions, guided tours and interactive lectures in which humanities experts will help the public learn about a broad range of rural cultures.

North Carolina Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities

This program is supported in part by North Carolina Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, www.nchumanities.org.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.