Arts Festival
Nature's Wonderland: Beauty of the South
SOAL’s 2026 Arts Festival, Nature's Wonderland: Beauty of the South, will explore how nature helps shape and shift ideas in the arts. The festival will celebrate unique voices in theater and performance, music, art, and literature. All festival events are free and open to the public. Schedule coming soon
CAUTION: "Any wild ideas and questionable opinions expressed here are entirely their own and should not be mistaken for the views of MGA, the USG, or any other sensible entity."
2026 Arts Festival Schedule
| Monday, March 16 - April 11, 2026 |
Intention Tree Time: All Day Would you like help beautify our campus? Would you like to raise awareness of recycling? If so, MGA wants you to help by making a leaf from trash and using it to create a collaborative art project that enhances the beauty of our campus. From March 16 -30 save your everyday trash and bring it to the Arts building atrium. There you can help us grow our Intention Tree project for the MGA Art Festival Spring 2026 Nature’s Wonderland: The Beauty of the South Contact: Angeles Salinas
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| Monday, March 30 -April 11, 2026 |
Student Photography Contest Time: All Day Calling all MGA students! The SoAL Arts Festival is hosting a Student Photography Contest.
Theme - Nature's Wonderland - Beauty of the South
-Must be a MGA student to submit
-One submission per person
-Submit your photo to: SOAL@mga.edu,
-Subject Line: Art Festival Photography Contest
-Provide Name, Contact Info, Primary Campus, and Major
-Submissions due March 25, 2026
Photos will be displayed in the Arts Complex Lobby and and QR code will be posted for students to vote for their favorite photo. $$ Prize for winning photo.
Contact: Christina Sullivan
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| Monday, March 30, 2026 |
Nature Walk Time: 1:00PM Nature Walk on our Cochran Campus Contact: Dr. Lisa Bro |
| Tuesday, March 31, 2026 |
Botanical Walk Time: 12:30PM It's a one-hour light walk to explore our wondrous environment! As there occasional inclines, athletic shoes recommended. Student guides: Kenneth Grieshop and Brandon Fountain
Contact: Dr. Charlotte Miller
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| Tuesday, March 31, 2026 |
Raku Pottery Workshop Time: 2:00PM - 4:00PM (or until supplies run out) Come out and learn about raku pottery and how it is made. Paint your own raku mini pot. Contact: Heatherly Day
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| Wednesday, April 1, 2026 |
Parallel Connections Time: 10:00AM - 1:00PM Rock painting and placement around Macon Campus - The painted rocks are a form of nonverbal communication between the artist and the person who finds it. Contact: Terri Reckart
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| Thursday, April 2, 2026 |
Raku Pottery Workshop Time: 12:30PM - 3:00PM (or until supplies run out) Come out and learn about raku pottery and how it is made. Paint your own raku mini pot. Contact: Heatherly Day |
| Thursday, April 2, 2026 |
ESO Gothic Masquerade Ball Time: 6:00PM Come in your best Gothic outfit inspired by nature (or not) to English Studies Organization's Gothic Masquerade Ball. There will be masks provided, dancing, costume contest and more. This event has been called "better than prom"! Contact: Dr. Shane Trayers
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| Friday, April 3, 2026 |
Vulnerable and Vanishing Trees Exhibit Field Trip Time: 2:00PM FREE EVENT! Don’t miss experiencing this solo exhibition of paintings and photographic silk screens by Florida-based Artist Carin Wagner. Through her ever-expanding Vulnerable & Vanishing Trees series, the artist highlights the loss of tree species as a result of climate collapse. Informed by in-depth research, field work, and collaboration with tree experts, the immersive installation highlights dozens of the 330+ tree species identified as vulnerable, endangered, and/or critically endangered. Cochran Transportation available. Meeting at 1:00pm outside Roberts Library. Please reserve your ticket here. Contact: Dr. Rebecca Lanning
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| Monday, April 6, 2026 |
Middle Georgia’s Cultural Environment--Homegrown Talent Time: 6:30PM A Live performance from our very own Commercial Combo. Contact: Dr. Justin McAdara |
| Tuesday, April 7, 2026 |
ESO Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration Time: 6:30PM Celebration of Shakespeare's works with a focus on nature. Bring your favorite sonnet or play excerpt Contact: Dr. Mary Christian
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| Wednesday, April 8, 2026 |
Odessa Blaine, “Southern Appalachian Roots: Storytelling in Film and Writing” Time: 3:30-4:30PM Odessa Blaine will discuss how the environment and culture of Southern Appalachia have influenced her stories. From folklore to survival practices to the everyday lives of the people that call it home, it's rich with inspiration. We'll screen her short film And the Moon Sees Me. She'll also discuss how to develop stories from your own roots. This a in conjunction with the Interdisciplinary Conference. Contact: Dr. Susan Asbury |
| Friday, April 10, 2026 |
Keynote Speaker: Gordon Johnston, Professor of English, Mercer University, “Horizon Lines — A Writing Life” Time: 11:30 am Gordon Johnston is author of Seven Islands of the Ocmulgee: River Stories, which was published by Mercer University Press and Georgia Humanities in 2023 and was a finalist for the Townsend Prize in Fiction in 2025. He has also written two books of poems and is co-author, with Matthew Jennings, of Ocmulgee National Monument: A Brief Guide with Field Notes. This a in conjunction with the Interdisciplinary Conference. Contact: Dr. Susan Asbury |
| Thursday, April 9 - Saturday, April 11, 2026 |
Betty the Yeti Time: 7:00PM Nature Walk on our Cochran Campus Contact: Dr. John Iverson
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