Arts & Culture
Troy Fest
TroyFest, formerly the Jean Lake Arts Festival for over 25 years, was founded as a memorial to Jean Lake, a local visual artist who was highly regarded in the Southeast.
TroyFest is an outdoor festival located on the downtown Troy city square. Vendors are set up in the center of the paved square and are surrounded by the downtown merchants in historic buildings. Large trees and an inviting gazebo provide areas to picnic and relax.
The festival includes a Gallery of Fine Arts & Crafts Area, Music Stage, with live acts performing throughout the day, Food Court and a Children’s Area that includes a student art exhibition among the numerous children’s activities and entertainers.
The event is free to the public and is one of the most popular events for our area!
TroyFest is committed to bringing arts and people together, by introducing cultural arts to our community and celebrating local artists’ talent. We pride ourselves as a festival free to the public, thanks in large part to our gracious sponsors.
Come see why Troy has captured the hearts of so many with its small-town charm, unexpected cultural abundance, and diverse resources.
Troy Arts Council
The Troy Arts Council has been working to support the local arts community for years by providing opportunities for artists, events featuring the arts, and financial support to bring in performers from around the world. The Troy Arts Council brings a wide variety of artistic talent to our small corner of the southeast through its venues. Troy Arts Council was founded in 1972. Since the day it was founded, this group has dedicated time, money and energy to enriching the lives of people in Troy and Pike County. Through facilitating events of the visual arts, theatre and music, Troy Arts Council has brought an unparalleled amount of culture to our area. Some of the most outstanding artistic programs that have come to Pike County were made possible by the Troy Arts Council and its patrons. For over thirty years, TAC has been the artistic outlet for the community.
Troy University
The College of Communication and Fine Arts at Troy University is comprised of five units: the Hall School of Journalism, the John M. Long School of Music, the Department of Art and Design, the Department of Speech and Theatre, and Classical and Modern Languages. The mission of the college is to provide excellence in instruction in selected communication and fine arts disciplines along with practical experiences in journalism, mass communication, music, speech communication, theatre and visual arts.
Troy is home to the Trojan Center Performing Arts Theatre. This intimate 300 seat proscenium theatre located in the Trojan Center, was modeled after the Terrace Theatre in the Kennedy Center in Washington. The severe rake of the house, along with the baffled walls and extended apron, make the acoustics and sightlines in this venue superb. The Trojan Center Performing Arts Theatre has seen the premieres of several regionally and nationally acclaimed productions including The Importance of Being Earnest, Master Harold…and the Boys, The Memorandum, Brighton Beach Memoirs, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1998), and Antigone (2003).
Another venue in Troy University is the Claudia Crosby Theatre. The Claudia Crosby Theatre was created by a special endowment of local arts patroness, Mrs. Claudia Crosby, who wished to make a gift to the performing arts, particularly the theatre. Her generosity made possible the renovation of the former Smith Hall Auditorium, including the refurbishment of the house and lobby areas as well as the installation of state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems. With a seating capacity of 750+, the Crosby Theatre is located in Smith Hall. The Spring 2000 production of A Chorus Line was the premiere production in the Crosby Theatre.
Troy University's International Arts Center (IAC) and Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park (JHCAP) are home to 200 replica Terracotta Warriors that were produced in China near the original site in Xi'an. Accompanying the outdoor permanent exhibit is an indoor interpretive center "Warriors Unearthed" displaying more information about the original Terracotta Warriors in China, conveyed by sculpture, animations, and informative videos and photographs. The IAC is also home to the largest collection of artworks by internationally acclaimed artist and Troy native, Fred "Nall" Hollis. Visitors will also experience two other art galleries of rotational artwork by regional artists and TROY students. JHCAP also boasts a beautiful pond, surrounded by an amphitheater and walking trails.
Location:
International Arts Center
Troy University
158 International Blvd.
Troy, AL 36082
334.808.6412
Standard Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Sunday 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
More information can be found online here, on Facebook and Instagram.
Troy-Pike Cultural Arts Center
Chiseled in the cornerstone of history in downtown Troy is the old U.S. Post Office, a historic treasure located within a few blocks of Troy’s Court Square, City Hall, and the internationally-acclaimed Troy University. Today, the 1920 classical revival-style post office building has been resurrected through the arts. In 2000, empty and on the verge of deteriorating, the elegant building about to reach its 100th birthday, was saved through the efforts of a dedicated group of local citizens who made a commitment to incorporate and purchase the building, thus mounting a massive fundraising campaign to renovate the old Post Office. Hence, the Troy-Pike Cultural Arts Center was born, its goal being to transform the historic structure into a dynamic cultural arts center serving Troy, Pike County and the entire River Heritage region of Alabama. The Troy-Pike Cultural Arts complex includes the Johnson Center for the Arts, The Studio and the Annex.
Johnson Center for The Arts
Officially opened to the public in 2008, the Johnson Center for the Arts boasts seven galleries, including the two-story, 1400 sq. ft. Main Gallery, in an environmentally controlled atmosphere where local students, residents and visitors can experience high-quality exhibitions from around the world and exposure to various components of the arts. Central to the center’s permanent collection is the works of local artists, including Jean Lake whose memory is honored during TroyFest each April.
Cultural Arts Studio
A valuable arm of Troy’s Cultural Arts Center Complex is the Cultural Arts Studio. Founded and located in a renovated warehouse directly across the street from the arts center, near the City of Troy Tourism office, the old warehouse-turned studio was refitted with additional storage, additional electrical outlets to accommodate theater lighting/sound, as well as heating and air conditioning, thus fulfilling a niche in the community as an arts facility. It serves as an added venue for hosting a variety of visual arts exhibitions, and musical and educational events throughout the year.