Arts & Culture - The Daily Tar Heel

VSPTRN, a DJ and producer from Durham, performing at the Tracks Music Series concert in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. VSPTRN is known for infusing hip-hop, techno deep house, and afrobeats into their DJ style.

Tracks Music Series comes to downtown through September, featuring local artists

By Simon Tan | Sep. 13

A variety of musical artists performed at this year's first installment of the Tracks Music Series on Thursday, at the Rosemary and Columbia St. Parking Lot in downtown Chapel Hill. “The main aim with Tracks Music Series is to give music lovers an opportunity to discover new music and new artists,” Melissa Bartoletta, marketing & communications coordinator for Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture, said.

The Chapel Hill Public Library, pictured on Tuesday Oct. 20th, has been awarded with a federal grant that funds computers, increased wifi coverage, and multilingual assistance throughout Chapel Hill.

Debut documentary of First Thursday Film Series screened at Chapel Hill Public Library

By Annie Gibson | Sep. 5

The First Thursday Film Series will feature a documentary screening on the first Thursday of each month with expert commentary by one scholar and one community member. The events are free and open to the public with no registration required.

Blue-footed Booby, a sculpture by David Hinkle, located in the Coker Arboretum, pictured on Monday, August 29, 2022.

Large animal sculptures part of campus art celebrating UNC Galapagos Center

By Eileen Foster | Aug. 30

Last spring, a series of large, human-sized sculptures were installed to mark the 10-year anniversary of UNC’s Center for Galapagos Studies. The goal of the anniversary project is to honor the wildlife and biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands.

Beyoncé performs during the ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars on March 27, 2022, in Los Angeles.
Photo Courtesy of Mason Poole/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images/TNS.

Column: An ode to Beyoncé’s Renaissance

By Zari Taylor | Aug. 29

"Beyoncé’s newest album emerges as an act of rebellion against these events and circumstances that have the potential to tear us down and break our souls. There’s no singular villain in the story that “Renaissance” tells, but an emphasis on triumphing and reclaiming joy despite all the bad. Her choice to layer the album with variations of dance-centric genres like house and disco is the perfect way to deliver this message of joy."

The Carrboro Arts Center is pictured on Aug.14, 2022.

ArtsCenter in Carrboro to move to more sustainable facility on Roberson Street

By Caroline Kelly | Aug. 25

The ArtsCenter is moving from its current location next to Cat’s Cradle to 400 Roberson St. Only two blocks away from its previous location, the ArtsCenter will still be around the downtown area of Carrboro.

DTH Photo Illustration. Chapel Hill is looking for a new poet laureate. Taken on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022.

Chapel Hill poet laureate position available following end of Suitt's inaugural term

By Lucy Marques | Aug. 22

As Chapel Hill's first Poet Laureate CJ Suitt's term comes to an end, the Town of Chapel Hill is searching for someone new to fill the role. The position is designed to inspire creativity and enhance connections in Chapel Hill's poetry community.

Antonio Alanís, the full-time artist at Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe Elementary, paints the "Mi Comunidad de FPGB" mural on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022.

Mural at Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe Elementary celebrates diversity, immersion

By Madison Ward | Aug. 16

Inaugural Frank Porter Graham Bilingüe Elementary School resident artist Antonio Alanís has been working with students on a mural that celebrates diversity and will finish before Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools start classes on Aug. 29. His residency began in May 2022 with the purpose of making a mural to address cultural pride, community-building and multiculturalism, among other themes.

Bus shelter located in Carrboro, North Carolina, at Carolina Apartments, showcasing new Small Town Pride Art. Photographed on August 13, 2022

Chapel Hill Art + Transit partners with local artists for LGBTQ+ themed designs

By Taylor Barnhill | Aug. 14

Chapel Hill Art + Transit unveiled a new LGBTQ+ themed bus and bus shelter after partnering with two local queer artists. Including the Pride installation, nine new bus shelters and one art bus now join the more than 30 art installations on local transit infrastructure.

Evan Rachel Wood attends the Premiere Of HBO's "Westworld" Season 3 TCL Chinese Theatre on March 05, 2020, in Hollywood, California. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images/TNS)

Column: The case for "Westworld" — one of TV's greatest but most neglected series

By Guillermo Molero | Aug. 7

"Despite its stellar output, 'Westworld' has cratered in ratings. The show’s first season averaged a viewership of over 1.8 million people in 2016 but dropped to under 350,000 viewers through the first half of its fourth season."

The Forest Theatre on UNC's campus is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Chapel Hill to host annual Movies Under the Stars at the Forest Theatre until Aug. 18

By Henry Thomas | Jul. 20

Arts Everywhere, Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture and Chapel Hill Public Library are partnering to host Movies Under the Stars, an annual series of free movies screened every Thursday through Aug. 18, at the Forest Theatre.

Community workshops to be held to discuss future Forest Theatre renovations

By Zhuyu Li | Jun. 27

Two community workshops will be held in the Koch Memorial Forest Theatre to gather community feedback on renovations for the theatre that would address the lack of maintenance and enhance accessibility.

Reverend Robert Cambell, Robin McClain and Noahh McClain provide cold beverages in front of Hargraves Community Center at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Juneteenth Celebration on Sunday, June 19, 2022.

'Finally Juneteenth is being celebrated': local community commemorates the holiday

By Sarah Choi | Jun. 20

The Chapel Hill and Carrboro communities celebrated Juneteenth at the Hargraves Community Center on Sunday afternoon. Tents and food trucks speckled the baseball field and outdoor basketball court. Black artists performed on a stage set up on the baseball field, and their music could be heard all throughout the day. A small business fair was held inside the community center where local Black-owned businesses sold everything from handcrafted clothing and accessories to homemade desserts.

Local small businesses host events for Counterculture Week to promote kindness

By Samuel Long | May. 23, 2022

Counterculture Week kicks off Monday at 8 p.m. and will run until Sunday. The week features in-person and virtual events, including a fashion show. It focuses on encouraging humanity and normalizing kindness.

Dissimilar South is one of the artists performing at this year's Tracks Local Music Fest. Photo by Shannon Kelly, courtesy of Dissimilar South.

Chapel Hill hosts Tracks Local Music Fest featuring five local artists of varying genres

By Fallon Maher | May. 22, 2022

Tracks Local Music Fest, a free outdoor concert in downtown Chapel Hill, will be held for the first time at CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio at 123 West Franklin St. on Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture is collaborating with Carolina Performing Arts to host the concert.

Vivienne Benesch is a producing artistic director at Playmakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, NC. Benesch recently celebrated the opening of the play "Birthday Candles" on Broadway, which she directed. of Photo courtesy of Vivienne Benesch.

PlayMakers artistic director Vivienne Benesch lights up the stage with Broadway directorial debut

By Madelyn Van Meter | May. 4, 2022

Vivienne Benesch, currently in her sixth season as producing artistic director for the PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, directed "Birthday Candles," written by Noah Haidle.

A new space has opened for LGBTQ+ teens to build community through art

By Sierra President | Apr. 28, 2022

Earlier this month, the Orange County Arts Commission opened the Teen Art Collective: LGBTQIA+ in Hillsborough — a space that works to bring teenagers together through art. Natalia Torres del Valle, an expressive arts therapist, said she opened and created this space to help create a community for teens.

Lauds is a Wilmington-based indie rock band featuring UNC students and alums. Photo courtesy of Mary Hannah.

UNC students and alumni play in local indie rock band

By Holly Adams | Apr. 26, 2022

Members of Lauds, an indie-rock band from Wilmington, share a love of music, their hometown, and UNC basketball. The band has released two EPs in the last year, Holt III said, and is currently in the works of writing and producing their first studio album. They work with Fort Lowell Records, a Wilmington-based indie-rock record label.

"I'm excited to see the space and see other artists there. Especially people around my age who are doing similar things," said senior Lily Young-Fritchie, one of the many vendors at PitCH's Community Market.

Local small businesses, UNC students will feature goods in community market Saturday

By Sarah Choi | Apr. 23, 2022

The market will be held on April 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 462 West Franklin Street in The PITCH event space.

UNC Digital Lab Manager Alexa Velez, pictured on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, is one of the winners of the Frankenthaler Foundation’s Climate Art award.

UNC artist receives climate art award for short film on humanity and the environment

By Natalie McCormick | Apr. 19, 2022

Velez's recent project, titled "Of the Air," examines how humanity is both dependent and disconnected from the natural world and environment. “On a grander scale, with Mother Nature herself, we are sort of at the mercy of all of these elements,” Velez said.

Fred Joiner, Carrboro's Poet Laureate since 2019, poses for a portrait outside his family's home in Carrboro on Saturday, Apr. 16, 2022. Throughout his tenure, Joiner has engaged citizens of Carrboro in poetry and arts and supported the local community through events such as poetry readings and writing workshops.

Carrboro and Poet Laureate Fred Joiner celebrate April as Poetry Month

By Sierra President | Apr. 19, 2022

From a free "Poetry on Your Plate" event to a "Poem in Your Pocket Day," Carrboro has a series of events lined up to mark its Poetry Month, which was recently declared by Mayor Damon Seils.