ETSU’s Mary B. Martin School of the Arts Showcase returns Jan. 31 to the Martin Center for the Arts, featuring student performances, film, storytelling and visual art in a free public event.
The lobby will pulse with visual art and live music. Inside the concert hall, students will command the stage with original compositions, theatrical moments, storytelling and film.
East Tennessee State University’s Mary B. Martin School of the Arts Showcase returns Saturday, Jan. 31, to the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts, an afternoon that transforms student work into a public celebration of artistic excellence.
The event opens at 3 p.m. with an immersive gallery experience in the Tindall Lobby, followed by a 4 p.m. concert at the ETSU Foundation Grand Hall featuring performances from across the college’s creative disciplines.
“This showcase reveals the breadth of artistic talent development at ETSU,” said Dr. Steph Frye-Clark, director of the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts and associate professor in the Department of Music. “Our students are creating work that reflects both rigorous training and deep engagement with Appalachian culture and contemporary artistic practice.”
Where disciplines converge
The showcase’s structure reflects how the arts work through collaboration and cross-pollination.
“The arts are not isolated from one another, and this event demonstrates that,” Frye-Clark said. “Students see how their individual disciplines connect to a larger creative ecosystem.”
Attendees will experience student-led performances spanning classical and roots music traditions, theatrical work, narrative storytelling rooted in Appalachian oral traditions, and film presentations that blend technical craft with cultural insight.
Visual art exhibitions in the lobby showcase the innovative work emerging from ETSU's art studios, from traditional media to experimental approaches.
Enriching the region through the arts
The showcase represents one more way ETSU fulfills its role as a cultural anchor for the region.
The university’s Mary B. Martin School of the Arts provides training in disciplines that both preserve Appalachian traditions and push creative boundaries through contemporary art, film, theater and music.
Events like the showcase open those creative spaces to the public, inviting the community to witness the energy and talent developing on campus.
“This is about sharing the arts as a powerful force for connection,” Frye-Clark said. “When our students perform or exhibit their work, they are not just demonstrating what they have learned. They are contributing to the cultural life of the region.”
The showcase is free and open to the public. The theme of the showcase is inspired by the ETSU Common Read and is titled: “The Anthropocene Reviewed Through Art: Stories of what we love, what we've lost, and what we choose to remember.”
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