Arts and Culture

On Nov.

For years, the Queen City has experienced one of the highest population growth rates in the country. New residents, many of whom are UNC Charlotte students who stay when they become alumni, come seeking opportunity. Their arrival contributes to the diversity and vibrancy that is transforming Charlotte into a world-class city with a rich story to tell.

While that story unfolds in a variety of ways, local artisans are using public art to create narratives that tell a story and shape how Charlotte appears.

In 2012, James and Deborah Fallows began a years-long journey to explore America’s smaller communities, traveling by a single-engine, propeller plane. They chronicled their adventures in the book “Our Towns,” a collection of stories that depict civic and economic reinvention taking place across America.

Moises Serrano-Cruz, an openly gay and undocumented activist and storyteller, will deliver the annual Bob Barret Distinguished Lecture on Multiculturalism at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 1, in the Cato College of Education, Room 010. The talk is the keynote presentation for the Multicultural Issues in Counseling Conference, scheduled for Friday, Nov. 2.

The Department of Theatre will present Shakespeare’s comedy, “Twelfth Night,” Thursday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 4, in the Black Box Theater in Robinson Hall. The production is directed by Robinson Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare Andrew Hartley.

A screening of the film “The Year We Thought about Love” is set for 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 23, in the Cone University Center, McKnight Hall; it is being shown as part of the University’s annual OUTSpoken event.

Adam Justice is the new director of galleries for the College of Arts + Architecture. In this Inside UNC Charlotte webcast, learn about how he arrived at UNC Charlotte from the Mint Museum of Art and about his early interests in art and what he has planned this fall for the University’s galleries. Click ‘read more’ to watch.

The School of Architecture will present a symposium and exhibition, “SEE-ING: The Environmental Consciousness Project,” from 1 to 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 15. This multidimensional program, curated by Assistant Professor of Architecture Catty Dan Zhang, includes distinguished guest speakers, a dance performance and an immersive installation/exhibition that features work by a dozen artists and designers from across the globe.

Tara Green, professor and director of African American and African Diaspora Studies at UNC Greensboro, will deliver the 10th annual Bertha Maxwell-Roddey Distinguished Africana Lecture at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 18, in the Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.

A sociologist with a national best-selling book detailing the rise of for-profit colleges, growing debts from student loans and their impact on social inequality will give a public talk on Thursday, Oct. 18.

Tressie McMillan Cottom, an award-winning author and assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, will speak on her book, “Lower Ed:  The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy,” at 7 p.m. in Cone University Center’s After Hours Lounge.