Business professor's art on display this weekend

Business and art collide in a UNC professor’s new art exhibition.

“The Colors of Humanity,” a collection of oil paintings created by Sreedhari Desai, an assistant professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, will go on display Saturday at Saladelia Cafe in Durham.

Proceeds will benefit The House that Kenan-Flagler Built, a partnership between the business school and Orange County’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

In past exhibitions, Desai has split her earnings between numerous charities.

Desai said she chose The House that Kenan-Flagler Built because she supports its mission and credits the business school with supporting her work.

“I thought it would be really powerful to give to one single cause so the impact would be more profound,” she said.

The business school’s project was founded in 2005 and has built 12 houses for low-income families in Orange County, Guatemala and Honduras, said Jean Elia, associate dean for strategy and administration at the business school.

Elia said the school provides volunteers and money for each project under this partnership.

Kate Remus, an MBA student at UNC and the organization’s president, said the group receives about 300 volunteers for each build.

“One of the most exciting things about The House that Kenan-Flagler Built is that it’s an organization that brings together all kinds of people from all over the business school,” she said.

Remus said this is the first time the group has staged an art exhibit as one of its many fundraisers.

Desai said the title of the exhibit was inspired by the project being a joint effort on behalf of herself and the business school.

“I feel like this is an occasion for different parts of society to come together to do something good for humanity,” she said.

Many of the paintings depict landscapes, one of Desai’s favorite subjects.

“I enjoy painting landscapes because there is so much natural beauty and bounty around us,” she said.

Desai said she hopes viewers will walk away with a greater appreciation for the beauty of nature and life.

She also said she hopes her paintings will inspire people to reach out to their community.

“I hope they are inspired to do good,” Desai said.

“When something is beautiful, it can inspire us to greater heights.”

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.