The Daily Tar Heel

Serving the students and the University community since 1893

Wednesday March 22nd

Arts & Culture



Omar will make its North Carolina debut on Feb. 25 and 26 as a part of Carolina Performing Arts. The opera tells the story of Omar ibn Said, a West African scholar who was forced to board a slave ship headed for Charleston, South Carolina.

'Omar': A cultural opera hits the stage this weekend

This weekend at Memorial Hall, the Carolina Performing Arts will be showing "Omar" – an opera following the story and life of Muslim scholar Omar Ibn Said.  Leading up to the N.C. premier, UNC has hosted several events and discussions surrounding the historical context behind the opera, delving into who he was, his impact and his connection to the University. 

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Tori Ralston and Tarish "Jaghetto" Pipkins hold up a flyer for "The Bench" on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. When asked what they're most looking forward to about the show, both said, "We're looking forward to having a rehearsal, a show, and a conversation."

'The Bench: a puppet show about everything and nothing' to debut for The Process Series

A conversation with the former director of Carolina Performing Arts led Joseph Megel to create The Process Series — a feature of new works in the performing arts.  In early March, the series will debut “The Bench,” a show from veteran puppeteers Tori Ralston and Tarish Pipkins. The show is about two people, an older Black man and an older white woman, whose random encounter changes both of them. 

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Photo Courtesy of Finesse. Rhythm and Blues group Finesse performed at the Century Center in Carrboro on Saturday, Feb. 19, as part of its Black History Month Concert Series. 

Carrboro Recreation Department hosts Black History Month concert series

Members of the Carrboro community gathered on at the Carrboro Century Center on Sunday, Feb. 19 to listen to Finesse, a rhythm and blues band, perform for the Black History Month concert series. The Carrboro Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources Department organized the series — along with other events such as lectures and open mic poetry nights — to celebrate Black history and unite the community. 

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A student views the art displayed at the Black History Art Gallery Exhibition in the Carolina Union, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023.

Art gallery celebrating Black History Month opens on UNC's campus

The grand opening of the Student Life and Leadership’s Black History Month Art Gallery Exhibition was held on Friday in the Carolina Union Art Gallery. The exhibition came after the SLL held a Black History Month Art Contest, which encouraged students to submit pottery, photography, digitals, painted works or poetry for the chance to be featured in the gallery. 

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Ackland Art Museum provides access to the arts for UNC students, pictured here on Feb. 7, 2023.

Editorial: Out with the old and in with the hue

"While we can never fear that color is going to disappear from our world, it does impact several factors in our lives. Color is something we take for granted, yet its presence changes our emotions, perception and ability to communicate and understand each other. Since the way our surroundings look affects us in so many ways, it's important that we do more to analyze what having a larger color palette can do for you."

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UNC senior computer science major Rida Bayraktar, first-year neuroscience major Mina Bayraktar first-year Huss Kamal, and Alyse Bayraktar, 13 years old from Cary, are pictured on National Hijab Day on Feb. 1, 2023.

'It's a part of me that nobody can change': MSA celebrates World Hijab Day

Wednesday, Feb. 1, was World Hijab Day, an international holiday to raise awareness and celebrate Muslim hijabi women.  The UNC Muslim Students Association set up a tent in the quad to commemorate the day. “World Hijab Day is not one day, ‘Let's do it and then call it a day,’" Rida Bayraktar, UNC Muslim Student Association vice president, said. “It’s actually a continuous process about raising awareness about hijabi Muslim women and then carrying respect and understanding towards them.”

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Chapel Hill’s new poet Laureate, Cortland Gilliam poses in from of George Moses Horton Residence Hall on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.

Cortland Gilliam, Chapel Hill's new poet laureate, hopes to give back and uplift

Chapel Hill's new poet laureate Cortland Gilliam recently began in his position, and he hopes to amplify suppressed voices and educate young members of the community. Gilliam's objectives as poet laureate include highlighting the voices of marginalized people and honoring the local community that has supported him through his time as a graduate student and doctoral candidate at UNC.

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