UNC-Charlotte debuts College of Arts and Architecture

UNC-Charlotte has begun efforts to revitalize the teaching of culture and arts and the role they play in the community.

The university will unveil its new College of Arts and Architecture today with presentations by the departments brought together in the new school.

Art and art history music theatre and the School of Architecture will all be launched at the opening ceremony.

The college which officially opened July 1" has been in the works for the past seven years. UNC-C's Board of Trustees officially announced it this past February.

""The basic goals are to bring arts and creative leadership to a more central place in the identity of our university"" said Ken Lambla, dean of the new college.

UNC-C Assistant Professor of Art History Jae Emerling said he is excited about the opportunity.

By combining the schools it allows for us to look at all aspects of visible culture in a collaborative way"" he said.

Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture Lee Gray said there has always been a tradition of collaboration between the creative disciplines on campus. The dance, theater, music and architecture departments already collaborate on an annual performance.

As we look forward we realized that having all these units in the same college would provide greater opportunity for us to think about the collaborative efforts" Gray said.

Emerling said that the college offers an opportunity to make the teaching of art new again.

There is a sense of excitement in how everything can be rethought. It comes with starting new and seeing what works and what doesn't" Emerling said.

Lee Keesler, president and CEO of the Arts & Science Council in Charlotte, served on the board that researched the feasibility of the College of Arts and Architecture.

One of the things the university wants to do is to connect itself to the community"" Keesler said.

The university provides talented students and instructors as well as campus resources, all of which benefit the arts environment of Charlotte, Keesler said.

Many other universities are exploring similar programs and expanding into their local communities.

Arts do that more effectively than any other discipline"" he said. One of the most important things a university can do is focus on the arts.""



Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.