Arts & Culture - The Daily Tar Heel

Sia Yazdanfar, a native-Iranian photographer that is displaying an exhibit of his photographs at Thomas Stevens Gallery in Hillsborough, poses for a portrait on Sunday, March 26, 2023. The exhibit, named "Restless Anahita," features pictures of traditional Iranian clothing and Iranian women's daily lives that he captured during his most recent journey back to Iran.

'Treasure trove of stories': Iranian photographer to showcase art in Hillsborough

By Audrey Kashatus | Mar. 27

Sia Yazdanfar, an Iranian freelance photographer, will be exhibiting a new collection of photographs from his most recent journey back to Iran at Thomas Stevens Gallery in Hillsborough. The exhibit, named "Restless Anahita," will run from March 31 through April 23 and is centered around women from remote corners of the country. The photographs specifically feature traditional Iranian clothing and document the women's daily lives. “Putting the people in the context of the places is a lot more interesting in photographic storytelling,” Yazdanfar said. “Wherever I go, I try to seek out the people from that place.”

Chapel Hill and Carrboro hosted the first annual Small Town Pride festival in 2021. Photo courtesy of Catherine Lazorko, Carrboro's communication and engagement director.

Chapel Hill calls for downtown installation celebrating LGBTQ+ community

By Vina Senthil | Mar. 30

Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture is calling on artists to apply to create public art in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. The art will be displayed during the month of June at 140 W. Franklin St., as Chapel Hill and Carrboro celebrate Small Town Pride.

Underwear hang by the Old Well on Tuesday morning, March 28, 2023.

Underwear hung by the Old Well on Tuesday, students bring attention to campus sexual assault

By Eileen Foster | Mar. 28

A group of students in the class ART 490: Art as Social Action created the project to bring attention to sexual assault on campus. Beneath a display of underwear near the Old Well, a shiny pink plaque read: “National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673.”

Exhibitions celebrate Women's History Month at UNC

By Mary Mungai | Mar. 28

Throughout Women’s History Month, students and faculty members have had the opportunity to explore female experiences and intersectional identities across three separate University Libraries’ exhibitions.

Photo courtesy of the Ackland Art Museum. The Ackland Art Museum will unveil its Lotus Moon and Nandina Staff exhibit Friday, which features about 50 pieces from two Japanese artists prominent in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pictured Left to right: Ōtagaki Rengetsu's Waka Poem: "The Blood ...", Nakahara Nantenbō's staff, with inscription: "Speak — Nantenbō ...".

Ackland Art Museum to unveil new Japanese art collection Friday

By Brianna Atkinson | Mar. 27

The Ackland Art Museum holds the largest Asian art collection in the Southeastern part of the United States, which is set to become even larger soon. On Friday, the Ackland Art Museum will unveil its Lotus Moon and Nandina Staff exhibit, which features about 50 pieces from two Japanese artists prominent in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Members of the cast from 'Next to Normal' rehearse at Varsity Theatre on Franklin Street on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

'Next to Normal' is up next for Company Carolina and Pauper Players

By Lauren Lovitt | Mar. 22

On Friday, the UNC Pauper Players and Company Carolina will perform their version of “Next to Normal,” a musical about a mother with bipolar disorder and the impact her illness has on her family. Emma Clements, a senior and producer, said the musical was selected last summer and rehearsals have been going on since auditions were held in January. The groups chose "Next to Normal" because of the musical's focus on mental health, she said. “There's a big emphasis in the show that we should take care of ourselves and seek help, but we should also be allowed to embrace our emotions and how we feel and all of those things are also valid,” she said.

Art decorates the hallways of Mel and Zora Rashkis Elementary School on Monday, March 20, 2023. This month, students in CHCCS are participating in Youth Art Month.

CHCCS teachers and staff highlight creativity in Youth Art Month and beyond

By Irene Denniston | Mar. 21

Though Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is celebrating Youth Arts Month this March, teachers across the district emphasize the importance of arts all year. Educators Terra Hodge, Johnathan Hamiel and Deb Cox detail the benefits their students receive from engagement with different art mediums.

Carrboro and Chapel Hill residents enjoy a nice day at Weaver Street Market on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

'Sense of community': Weaver Street Market gives back to local organizations

By Zoe Werner | Mar. 9

Weaver Street Market, a co-op grocery store that was founded in 1987, has locations in Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and Raleigh. The store is both consumer- and worker-owned and focuses on giving back, with one recent initiative focusing on food-delivery services for children in need.

A leading Dutch painter active in Rome from 1625 to 1637, Pieter van Laer was celebrated for his depictions of contemporary street life. In this spirited carnival scene, masked and costumed figures hold torches and dance around a wicker basket fire at night, the flickering light of the flames reflecting off their bodies. 
Photo courtesy of https://peck.ackland.org/.

Ackland Art Museum launches new website for Peck Collection

By Maeson Wagner | Mar. 8

The Ackland continues to explore opportunities through its Peck Collection website, which hosts a growing body of scholarly work dedicated mostly to 134 different Dutch and Flemish drawings from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The tennis courts in Hargraves Community Park are pictured on March 4, 2023. The courts are in the process of being repaved.

Town takes first steps in care and resurfacing of Hargraves Community Park tennis courts

By Lauren Zola | Mar. 8

Residents say the Hargraves Community Park tennis courts have been neglected in recent years. The Town of Chapel Hill is working to address these concerns by taking prospective bidders to renovate the tennis courts and facilities at Hargraves Community Park.

Burgers cook on a grill at Al’s Burger Shack on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The restaurant is currently switching beef providers.

Al's Burger Shack moves away from longtime NC beef supplier Mills Family Farms

By Phoebe Martel | Mar. 8

New Al's Burger Shack owners Charlie Farris and Jason Kesler have decided to transition away from using meat from Mooresville-based Mills Family Farms because of quality concerns. Farris did not disclose the identity of Al's Burger Shack's new beef supplier.

Kidzu Children’s Museum's new birthday party theme setup is located in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Kidzu will be celebrating their 17th Birthday on Sunday, March 5, where they will be showcasing the new themes for their birthday parties.

Kidzu Children’s Museum to host 17th birthday party

By Allie Sadoff | Mar. 3

Kidzu Children’s Museum will celebrate its 17th birthday with a party on Sunday, March 5 from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. After several years of not being able to celebrate, Kidzu's birthday party will showcase new birthday themes and special guests will facilitate multi-lingual storytimes.

The ArtsCenter in Carrboro is in the process of moving to a new location. The current facility is pictured on Monday, Feb. 27.

New ArtsCenter facility to hold soft opening in August after renovations

By Vina Senthil | Feb. 28

After months of deliberation and renovation, a soft opening of the new ArtsCenter facility at 400 Roberson St. in Carrboro is scheduled for August of this year. The new location was previously expected to open in May, according to Mark Bettger, the deputy director for the ArtsCenter.

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

By Holly Adams | Feb. 24

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.

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

By Tristan Slates | Feb. 23

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.

A bus stop in Chapel Hill displays a photo of civil rights activist Harold Foster on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. On the display is a quote from Foster, reading, "We were troublemakers. We questioned authority and challenged it head on."

Chapel Hill bus shelter art honors activists and events from the Civil Rights Movement

By Vina Senthil | Feb. 21

The Chapel Hill Public Library recently highlighted three bus shelters in Chapel Hill with art that depicts important moments in the Civil Rights Movement that took place in Chapel Hill to commemorate Black History Month.

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

By Emma Hall | Feb. 21

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.

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

By Selena Hernandez | Feb. 14

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.

The Sonja Haynes Stone Center houses the Feburary Exhibit, “If We Must Die… We’ll Fight To the End! Resistance and Revolt Aboard the Slave Ship," curated by Joseph Jordan.

Stone Center releases spring exhibit, focuses on slavery and the past

By Mary Mungai | Feb. 14

The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History has begun its spring exhibit and speaker series for the semester. The collection offers a spring exhibition and also a collection of authors and professors whose work focuses on enslaved individuals and the past.

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

By Editorial Board | Feb. 8

"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."