MGA’s 2026 Arts Festival Celebrates “Nature’s Wonderland: Beauty of the South”

Author: Sheron Smith
Posted: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 12:00 AM
Categories: School of Arts and Letters | Faculty/Staff | Students | Events- Public | Pressroom

Macon, GA

The Intention Tree in the lobby of the Arts Complex waiting for collaborative artists to add leaves made of clean trash and recyclables. Photo by Bryson Patterson.

Developed around the theme of “Nature’s Wonderland: Beauty of the South,” the 2026 Arts Festival hosted by Middle Georgia State University’s School of Arts & Letters will explore how the natural world influences artistic expression across disciplines ranging from literature and theater to music and visual art.

Festival events are scheduled from Monday, March 30 through Tuesday, April 7, on Middle Georgia State’s (MGA’s) Macon and Cochran campuses. All events are free and open to the public.

“This year’s festival highlights the deep connection between creativity and the natural world,” said Dr. Rebecca Lanning, chair of the Arts Festival organizing committee. “Through performances, exhibitions, and conversations, we invite the University and the wider community to reflect on the beauty of the South and the ways it inspires artistic expression.”

In conjunction with the annual Interdisciplinary Student Conference, featured speakers at the festival will include Odessa Blaine, a fiction writer whose work draws from Appalachian lore, folklore, and Southeastern regional culture, and Gordon Johnston, a Mercer University professor and author of “Seven Islands of the Ocmulgee: River Stories.”  

Here are some highlights of Arts Festival events. A complete list of events and additional details are at https://www.mga.edu/arts-letters/events/arts-festival.php:

Monday, March 30 – Tuesday, April 7: Intention Tree, Arts Complex lobby on the Macon Campus and Russell Hall lobby on the Cochran Campus. A collaborative art project. 

Monday, March 30 – Tuesday, April 7: Student Photography Contest.

Tuesday, March 31: Raku Pottery Workshop, 2 p.m. outside Arts Complex, Macon Campus.

Thursday, April 2: Raku Pottery Workshop, 12:30 p.m. outside Russell Hall, Cochran Campus.

Thursday, April 2: English Studies Organization’s annual Gothic Masquerade Ball, 6–8 p.m., Student Life Center lobby, Macon Campus. Participants will wear gothic outfits inspired by nature.

Tuesday, April 7: English Studies Organization’s Shakespeare Celebration, 6:30 p.m., Russell Hall Auditorium, Cochran Campus. A celebration of Shakespeare’s works with a focus on nature.

Wednesday, April 8: Odessa Blaine will discuss “Southern Appalachian Roots: Storytelling in Film and Writing,” 3:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams.

Friday, April 10: Gordon Johnston will discuss “Horizon Lines – A Writing Life,” 11:30 a.m., Arts Complex Theatre, Macon Campus.

Thursday, April 9 – Saturday, April 11: “Betty the Yeti” theater production, 7 p.m., Russell Hall Theatre, Cochran Campus.