Arts and Culture

The Charlotte-based LGBT arts, entertainment and news publication qnotes recently named Josh Burford, assistant director for sexual and gender diversity in the Multicultural Resource Center, as its “2014 Person of the Year.”

The recognition stemmed from Burford’s extensive campus and community involvement, and in particular, his outreach initiatives related to the establishment of a community LGBTQ historical archive in UNC Charlotte’s J. Murray Atkins Library Special Collections.

“Violins of Hope,” authored by Department of Music Chair James Grymes, has earned a National Jewish Book Award, considered the most prestigious honor in the country for Jewish-themed books.

“Accumulations,” an exhibit featuring work by UNC Charlotte alumna Carmen Neely, will be displayed through Wednesday, Feb. 4, in the Student Union Art Gallery. A free reception with the artist will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16.

According to the artist,“Accumulations” is the result of a new, more formalist approach to exploration in painting. Her earlier works focused predominately on references to the figure and have stemmed from ideologies about sexuality; Neely’s current compositions focus more intently on qualities of line and organic shape.

UNC Charlotte’s impressive public artwork collection has increased with the installation of “Aperture” near Hechenbleikner Lake.

The new piece is a steel sculpture that is mounted on a bearing, which can be rotated to present different views. It is the creation of artist John Medwedeff. Longtime University benefactor Ike Belk commissioned the work.

Beth Whitaker, associate professor of political science and public administration, will discuss U.S. policy toward Africa as the second speaker in the 2015 Great Decisions Lecture Series. The free, public presentation is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 21, at UNC Charlotte Center City.

The Rowe Galleries will host exhibitions by two faculty members from the Department of Art and Art History.

David Brodeur, associate professor of graphic design, has the show “Semantics, Semiotics & the Second Amendment.” It takes a critical look at some of the issues surrounding the gun culture in the United States. 

The UNC Charlotte Department of Dance will present two back-to-back evenings of diverse performances, showcasing faculty choreography on Friday, Jan. 23, and hosting the North Carolina Dance Festival (NCDF) on Saturday, Jan. 24. Both productions will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts, Belk Theater.

The Projective Eye Gallery at UNC Charlotte Center City opens “Pulse Dome Project: Art & Design of Don ZanFagna” on Friday, Jan. 9, with a reception, lecture and performance. Organized by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, S.C., the “Pulse Dome Project” presents paintings, drawings, sketchbooks and 3D models that explicate the futuristic and metaphoric concept of “growing” one’s own house.

National Urban League president Marc Morial will give the keynote speech for the University’s celebration of the life, work and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, in the Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.  

Morial’s free, public talk “Building Bridges Through Civility, Justice and Action” is sponsored by the UNC Charlotte Multicultural Resource Center. A community reception will follow in the Lucas Room.

UNC Charlotte representatives and other panelists will discuss “Heart and Soul: What the Health of the Black American Male Means to the Entire Community” at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 19, at UNC Charlotte Center City.

This discussion is the fourth event in the ongoing “Real Talk: A Community Conversation – The Black American Male and Why He Still Matters in the 21st Century,” being presented by the Gantt Center and the University’s Center for the Study of the New South in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.