COVID-19 Update Ferst Center

Georgia Tech Arts/Ferst CENTER

Dr. Aaron Shackelford

Department Director

https://arts.gatech.edu/

“Like many arts institutions, Georgia Tech Arts was preparing to unveil its season when the pandemic began,” reads the official Georgia Institute of Technology announcement of the 2020-21 calendar of school-sponsored arts events. “[The] team has since spent weeks engineering ways to pivot in light of the global health crisis with a focus on supporting the local arts community and the visiting artists being brought to campus.”

During the months following the coronavirus shutdown, Georgia Tech Arts has hosted a number of virtual engagements including a town hall meeting with renowned dancer-choreographer Bill T. Jones, whose New York-based dance troupe will be showcased at the Ferst Center this fall. TECHnically Creative is a series of virtual conversations with Georgia Tech alumni working in the arts. The department has also created activities for students, such as a contest to help envision what a physically-distanced Ferst Center will look like.

The 2020-21 Georgia Tech Arts Series will be the first full season for department director Dr. Aaron Shackelford, who is quoted in the announcement as saying, “While our hope is that we’ll be able to present our full season, we will only do so knowing that we can open our doors safely and without putting the community at risk.”

The Georgia Tech Arts calendar is an enticing blend of musical concerts, dance performances, static art exhibitions and installations. The lineup includes guitarist, composer and Atlanta native Kaki King; internationally acclaimed dance company Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company; and installations by Italian digital arts group fuse* and Shilo Shiv Suleman and her company, The Fearless Collective. Also on tap is a series of workshops and collaborations with Georgia Tech students and faculty led by Atlanta contemporary dance companies. The first company engaged in the initiative is ImmerseATL, described as a “multifaceted training environment for the emerging artist, the aspiring student, and the community.” ]The upcoming Georgia Tech Arts season also includes residencies by choreographer, director, and New York City Ballet dancer Troy Schumacher and singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane.