GREENEVILLE – An elegant evening to thank donors, celebrate achievements and highlight additional opportunities within Tusculum University’s arts programs will be the focus of a lovely gala on campus.
Rouja Green, director of the Center for the Arts, right, and student Patience Salisbury, are two of the people working on the gala.
Peyton Bergquist, left, and Zach Gass perform a scene in “The Letter” at the “5 X 10 Plays” in the spring.
Tusculum’s Center for the Arts, an umbrella department that encompasses all arts programming at the university, will hold the gala Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. in Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center. The event will feature arts activities and presentations in the Marilyn duBrisk Theatre followed by dinner and additional activities in the room next to the Clem Allison Art Gallery.
The event is invitation-only. The Center for the Arts wants to recognize those who have contributed to the strength of Tusculum’s arts programming. Other invitees are community members who have not yet contributed to the arts program but might see the value of being donors to this admirable cause.
“Tusculum is blessed to have an excellent arts program that enriches the personal lives of our friends in the community,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “We are extraordinarily grateful for our donors because that support enables us to offer robust programming for community enjoyment, much of it for free. The arts are an integral part to the community’s quality of life, and we are thrilled to share the many offerings and strengths of our programs and how additional financial support will empower us to take our initiatives to the next level.”
The Tusculum Band, in its new uniforms, welcomes the Tusculum football team on the field during the Homecoming game this year.
This is Rouja Green, director of the Center for the Arts.
As guests arrive, they will be greeted by music a brass choir that includes Tusculum students and community members. Rouja Green, director of the Center for the Arts, will kick off the evening with a greeting, followed by another performance by the brass choir. Once that is complete, Green will present a one-minute video prepared by students, and then Dr. Hummel will make remarks. Afterward, guests will be able to enjoy a dance from Central Ballet.
The next stage will consist of short presentations from several programs that fall under the Center for the Arts umbrella. Each program will highlight its accomplishments and share its future needs and goals. The purpose is to show donors where their money is going and how they can support the Center for the Arts moving forward.
Programs that will make presentations are theater, art, music, communication, Arts Outreach, museums and the Center for the Arts. The presenters will be faculty, staff and students.
Guests will then move to the room next to the gallery while piano music is played, where they will enjoy food and mingling after which there will be a donor recognition session. Once that portion concludes, guests will have an opportunity to converse further with fellow attendees and make a final bid on the silent art auction that will be held throughout Annie Hogan Byrd during the evening.
“Our arts program offerings showcase the deep connections we enjoy with the community,” Green said. “They are also a great example of active and experiential learning for our students who are pursuing the arts as a career or as an extracurricular activity. The financial support from community members and donors within the Tusculum family provides the foundation for a vibrant arts program at Tusculum University.”
Many people within the Center for the Arts are participating in the planning and execution of the gala, but the lead group bringing it to fruition is the Service Learning in the Arts class taught at Tusculum by Green, which works on projects that benefit the community.
Mattie Vincent is one of the students working on the gala. Here, she is shown by some of her artwork during her senior capstone presentation this month.
Gracie Weems has served as gala project manager and is working on the event in this photo.
Student Gracie Weems is serving as the gala project manager and has contributed to the organizing of the event. Student Patience Salisbury has designed graphics for the gala, such as invitations, posters, the PowerPoint template for the presentations, the program and table numbers. Student Mattie Vincent has created beautiful decorations for the tables, the stage and lobby.
The class previously worked on developing an art exhibition at the General Morgan Inn in Greeneville that primarily consisted of Tusculum alumni’s works completed when they were students. This collection was for a meeting of the Tennessee Arts Commission.
Another project on which the class has worked during the fall semester is designing a mural for the Greene County Partnership.
“These students are extremely talented and have added considerably to the gala’s quality through their excellent work,” Green said. “Our guests will enjoy interacting with them and seeing their product firsthand. Working on this event has given our students valuable skills they will be able to apply to their remaining studies and to their careers.”
Anyone who is interested in financially supporting Tusculum’s arts program can contact Green at rgreen@tusculum.edu or the Office of Institutional Advancement at 423-636-7303.