Piedmont College

Located in northeast Georgia, Piedmont College is home to a thriving program for the visual and performing arts. Led by a strong faculty with real-world experience, students develop artistically and intellectually as they create high-quality events for the College and community that entertain, uplift, and inspire.

Piedmont’s Art, Music, and Theatre programs are built upon the liberal arts tradition that has been our focus since 1897. With strong foundations in history, the sciences, social sciences, and languages, Piedmont graduates understand how societal forces affect art—and how art affects society.

Personal attention is a Piedmont hallmark
How do you choose a college? Location? Academic excellence? Campus facilities? At Piedmont College we’ve got you covered on all counts, but another factor may be more important than all of these—personal attention.

At Piedmont all classes are taught by professors, not teaching assistants, ensuring that you get the benefit not only of their knowledge but also their expertise. Piedmont is a college where professors love to teach—and where students come to learn. But don’t take our word for it. In the most recent U.S. News & World Report survey of regional universities in the South, Piedmont placed in the top three among Georgia’s public and private institutions.

Fine arts programs and facilities
Music
Whether you are pursuing a career as a performer, music teacher, church musician, or arts administrator, the Department of Music provides practical experiences that will prepare you for a meaningful and vibrant life in the world of music. As a student, you will have opportunities to perform on stage in solo recitals and ensemble concerts on campus and across the United States. 

In addition to our choral and instrumental ensembles, Music students at Piedmont can study voice, woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, and organ, regardless of major. The centerpiece of our music facilities is the Piedmont Chapel, which houses the magnificent Sewell Pipe Organ, built by Casavant Frères of Montreal, Canada.

Theatre
The Theatre Department offers academic study and hands-on learning designed to foster professionalism, creativity, and collaboration. Through experiences on stage and behind the scenes, our faculty will help you
develop the skills to express yourself in a career as an actor, director, drama educator, set designer, or stage manager.

Theatre venues include the Swanson Center Mainstage, a professional, 350-seat proscenium theatre with generous wing and fly space, and a flexible Blackbox Theater. Productions are also staged outdoors in the Arrendale Amphitheatre. The Swanson Center also includes a large shop, costume room, dressing rooms, and a performers’ green room.

Visual Arts
The Department of Art provides a professional artistic environment where students gain a comprehensive understanding of different media and techniques. Students are also encouraged to experiment, imagine, and create as they grow into mature artists, art educators, and art professionals.

The Department of Art challenges students to find their artistic voice by providing diverse experiences in art history, aesthetics, and art criticism. Trips to regional art museums and opportunities for international travel are part of the regular curriculum. For students who are planning to teach art, Piedmont offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in Art Education.

Facilities include the new Smith-Williams Studios, with space for painting, sculpture, ceramics, metalworking, printmaking, and photography. The Art Department also operates the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art, which houses the College’s permanent collection and hosts exhibits by students, faculty, and visiting artists.

Northeast Georgia
If you wanted to pick the perfect college location, you could not do better than northeast Georgia. Piedmont means “foothills,” and that is where we are, in the rolling hills near the Chattahoochee National Forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains, famous for their waterfalls, trails, and mountain lakes. Simply put, the mountains are part of who we are, and for fine arts students, the mountains provide inspiration at every turn.

Travel the world
Piedmont’s fine arts programs are taught with a global perspective. Travel Study courses are conducted during the summer at locations across the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. For longer study, you can enroll for a full semester at the University of Nottingham in England or the University of Paderborn in Germany.

Vibrant student life and top-flight campus facilities
From NCAA Division III sports, to theatre and music ensembles, to intramurals and club activities, Piedmont students are engaged in college life on and off campus. And whether you live on campus or commute, Piedmont provides comfortable, modern residence halls and facilities for academics, athletics, and dining. In recent years Piedmont has invested more than $120 million in new and renovated facilities. The Demorest campus has residence halls housing more than 600 students, including a new village of apartment-style units that opened in 2015. Also new at the Demorest campus is a 58,000-sq. ft. Student Commons, featuring a new dining hall, intramural gymnasium, bookstore, fitness center, and other recreational space. To schedule a visit, go to piedmont.edu/visit.

Financial aid makes it possible
Although Piedmont is one of the most dynamic small colleges in the Southeast, it is also one of the most affordable. We provide more than $10 million in scholarships and grants to our students. Working with federal and state financial aid programs, including Georgia’s HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships, this aid helps ensure that no student is barred from attending Piedmont because of finances. Substantial fine arts scholarships are available to students who qualify through audition and/or portfolio review.