For many years, Boone has been well known for its music scene. From bluegrass legend <\/span>Doc Watson<\/span><\/a> to High-Country-formed <\/span>Rainbow Kitten Surprise<\/span><\/a>, music has always been an important staple for the town. With this comes the absolute cruciality of a versatile venue for all kinds of entertainment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2020, <\/span>App State Athletics<\/span><\/a> invited Luke Combs to perform at Holmes Convocation Center, beginning a new entertainment-focused chapter for the department. The Convocation Center has also been used for years as a place for academic events such as career fairs, commencements and art showcases. This venue has played a role in the merging of the Athletics Department and the Department of Art.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Doug Gillin is the director of athletics at App State and emphasized the department\u2019s commitment to prioritizing collaboration across the university.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe want to collaborate with anybody and everybody whenever it makes sense,\u201d Gillin said. \u201cAny partnerships that we can work together on, we want to, you know, do a lot of different things with a lot of different departments.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to Gillin, one of the missions of the department is to have more events on campus catering to both students and locals. The department wants to foster \u201cvibrant events on campus that our students can engage in,\u201d Gillin said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gillin encouraged the utilization of facilities that wouldn\u2019t typically be in use in order to provide both sports and entertainment to the community and student population.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While the department has been introducing bigger artists to the venue over the last few years, including the recent <\/span>Young the Giant<\/span><\/a> concert, Gillin said the team is flexible with accommodating academic-centered events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s career fairs; there\u2019s the fashion show; there\u2019s other events in the Holmes Center that are academic-focused. We have to work around those because we have athletics and we have academics in the Holmes Center first and foremost,\u201d Gillin said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Department of Applied Design put on the 2026 <\/span>Apparel Design and Merchandising Showcase<\/span><\/a> on April 25 under the supervision of Anthony Wilson, the ADM Showcase faculty director. This annual event has been held in the Convocation Center for a couple of years, giving the program a large space to allow approximately 20 to 25 students to showcase their work from the semester.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Claire Kusse, a senior apparel design and merchandising major, participated in this year\u2019s show after being a part of last year\u2019s pre-show. The show consists of three looks from each student designer, complete with live music and judges scoring the looks. It is a culmination of everything the seniors have been working toward during their four years at App State.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf we didn\u2019t have the show, we wouldn\u2019t be showing anybody our looks, and I think it is important for our classmates to see it and our families and everybody else that ends up going,\u201d Kusse said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After having a conversation with Wilson about the showcase, Kusse noted the impact of it being held in the Convocation Center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe was the one that made the jump from a smaller venue elsewhere, not on campus, to bringing it to being on campus,\u201d Kusse said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n She shared Wilson\u2019s experience as a student who didn\u2019t have the opportunity to participate in the kind of showcase they\u2019re able to put on now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Convocation Center has offered more space to aid the show\u2019s production, as well as additional seats for audience members, contributing more exposure to what some see as otherwise underappreciated departments, <\/span>such as the arts<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really great to see it \u2018cause we are still a small department; like, there\u2019s not that many of us, and it\u2019s nice to see more faces and more people into the same kind of thing I\u2019m into,\u201d Kusse said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to the athletics side of things, Gillin highlighted the financial benefits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe want our facilities, if they\u2019re not being used, then to use them to grow revenue,\u201d Gillin said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Events will continue to take place at the Convocation Center this upcoming summer. On June 18, the eve of Boonerang Music and Arts Festival, headliner <\/span>Niko Moon<\/span><\/a> will take to the stage with support from local musicians Adam Church and Midlife Trip.<\/span><\/p>\n