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Tonight the Ackland Art Museum will put some music on, let its hair down and keep its doors open into the night with the first "Art After Dark" event of the school year.
Some might think professors teach a couple of lessons a day, make their own rules - and the most enticing part - get weekends and summers off. But a lot of a professor's work takes place behind the scenes with research, often during those "free" weekends and summers. Students rarely see their professors' work, but the Ackland Art Museum has devised a way to showcase professors with its new exhibit, "Practicing Contemporaries." It displays the work of UNC studio-art faculty until Sept. 9, just in time for incoming students to come visit. There will be a welcome-back reception from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The show consists of more than 40 works of sculpture, photography, prints, drawings, designs and other media. Christine Huber, assistant curator of exhibitions, went to the artists' studios and handpicked the works to be displayed. "The faculty artists are like other faculty in the University in that they spend time teaching, but they also do research to enrich their teaching," Huber said. "It's the Ackland's chance to show the results of their research." The museum previously hosted faculty pieces in 2005, and Huber said she could not wait to host their work again because it was so well received before. Some participating artists said they are thrilled to be part of the display because they think students sometimes forget they are artists and only view them as teachers. Dennis Zaborowski has taught painting and drawing at UNC since 1968 and said that when students ask to see some of his work that he does not have an outlet to show them. "I think students are very influenced by their teachers, and seeing this show might help them gravitate toward certain teachers rather than others," Zaborowski said. "It helps direct students toward teachers who are best fit for them." Susan Harbage Page, a third-year professor of photography and imaging, also said the exhibit could have a considerable effect on teacher-student relationships. "I think the exhibit is important because it shows the research all the faculty has been doing, dealing with very contemporary, current issues - creating a dialogue that would not exist otherwise," she said. Huber said that the exhibit lives up to its claim of contemporary art and that its relevance will surprise many students. "Students and community members are pleased when they see how much conscience there is in the exhibition and how many thought- provoking ideas are presented with everything from racism to the war in Iraq." As with all art, viewers will form their own opinions and assessments, but Huber said that after viewing the exhibit, most will agree that these professors are not lazy, but hardworking. Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu. SEE THE EXHIBIT When: Through Sept. 9 Location: Ackland Art Museum Info: www.ackland.org
Chapel Hill might be attracting more creative residents and tourists after being named one of the top 25 small cities in the country for arts. "I think a lot of folks are looking to leave large cities at certain parts in their life," said Steve Wright, public art coordinator for Chapel Hill's Public Art Commission. "They still want to move somewhere with good arts, culture and restaurants. A title like this would make Chapel Hill attractive to more people." This summer, American Style Magazine included the town in its list of top arts destinations in the country, divided by city size. The list was compiled from a poll of magazine readers. Chapel Hill is ranked among other cities with a population of 100,00 or less, including Laguna Beach, Calif., Asheville, N.C., and Naples, Fla. Charlotte was named a top art big city destination, characterized by a population of 500,000 or more. Wright pointed to Chapel Hill's dedication to public art funding as a factor in making it a top arts town. The town adopted an ordinance in March 2002 that requires 1 percent of capital projects' budgets go toward the creation, construction, installation and maintenance of works of public art. "Chapel Hill is unique in that not many small cities do percent for art," Wright said. The town's completed public art projects include sculpted, ornamental benches on Franklin Street. Town Council liaison to the Public Arts Commission Mark Kleinschmidt said the community soon can look forward to the unveiling of the lobby floor of the new Homestead Aquatic Center. It will be embedded with more than 2,000 light-responsive glass pieces to produce an illuminated mosaic. Kleinschmidt said that while most University towns have reputations for a great deal of performance and fine arts, Chapel Hill's municipal commitment sets it apart. "There's an understanding of how it enhances the quality of life for those of us who live in the town," he said. Kleinschmidt added that the Ackland Art Museum, various performance theaters and the ArtsCenter in Carrboro are some of the best art facilities in the state. "Chapel Hill has a lot of facilities, support from the University, good art stores and coffee houses to sit around and draw at if you're so inclined," said Ted Hobgood, secretary for the town manager. Hobgood participated in the Town Employee Art Exhibition, on display in Town Hall through Sept. 8. Isabel Marcusson, a local clothing artist, moved to Chapel Hill from New York for local festivals. She said she wanted a place conducive to both raising a child and maintaining her artwork. "Everybody talks about how fabulous Chapel Hill's art is." Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Hyatt, 73, UNC professor, coach, dies from cancer Ronald Wesley Hyatt, a professor, coach and faculty marshal at UNC died from cancer last week at the age of 73. He was on the University's faculty from 1966 to 2005. "He was as devoted a teacher, friend and champion of this university as you will find, and we will miss him," UNC Chancellor James Moeser said in a press release. Right lane of northbound Columbia Street is closed
Perhaps better known for its international art collections, the Ackland Art Museum will open a different kind of exhibit this weekend, bringing locally-based artists to the spotlight. Although many of the artists hail from other parts of the world, all are UNC art faculty members participating in Ackland's "Practicing Contemporaries," a studio art exhibit that will run at the museum from May 26 until Sept. 9. In an effort to allow students and community members alike to mingle with the artists, Ackland has compiled various programs to complement the exhibit, which allow for intimate discussions with the artists and bridge academic fields in concordance with studio art. "There is a misconception that a lot of students and community members recognize us only as teachers," said Jeff Whetstone, a UNC professor whose photographs of caves in East Tennessee will be exhibited. "The fact is that we are all practicing artists, and teaching is just one part, but doing research and making art is a very vital part of our role here." Whetstone is just one of 11 artists to showcase their work at Ackland this summer. His pieces, along with several other artists', are making their debut in "Practicing Contemporaries." Christine Huber, assistant curator of exhibitions, said she hoped the exhibit would inspire dialogue between the artists, their students and members of the community. "We are very pleased at the effort many of the artists have gone to," Huber said. "They are very pleased for their students to see their work, and many of the artists have gone to a lot of effort to present their newest works." "Practicing Contemporaries" will feature art in photography, sculpture, prints, drawing, design and other media. While most of the artists will showcase work in their area of teaching, several have explored other mediums for the occasion. "The art department at UNC, in addition to being very technically capable, is generating a lot of ideas about contemporary life and history," Huber said. "We hope that a lot of other people, not just art students, will be interested and be able to see how broadly available this is." Whetstone and Huber have both been involved with the "Practicing Contemporaries" exhibit in the past. The Ackland has offered the faculty art exhibit before, most recently in 2005. "I've done these things before, and Ackland gets great crowds for them," Whetstone said. "It's not necessarily students or University people, it's people from Chapel Hill and Orange County who come out to these gallery talks. It's a great time for us to meet some sophisticated people who are asking difficult questions." Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
Members of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership opted against the traditional meeting Tuesday - instead, they invited residents to join them for their morning cups of coffee. The partnership met at Franklin Street's 3 Cups to hear feedback from residents on the prospect of allowing street vendors in downtown Chapel Hill. "The Town Council asked our organization to look at something that may be beneficial for downtown," said Liz Parham, executive director of the partnership. "We're looking to gain more feedback from business centers." Street vending in Chapel Hill was banned in 1971 because some vendors were selling drug paraphernalia. Parham said the organization is looking at allowing a market around Parking Lot 5, across Franklin Street from University Square, when the current development project is completed. Another option includes allowing vendors anywhere on Franklin Street. Parham said the partnership also is considering recommending to the council that Franklin Street businesses be allowed to sell merchandise on the sidewalks outside their stores. "I'm in favor of having an open marketplace," said Betty Maultsby, who formerly owned the Chapel Hill Leather Shop on Franklin Street that was open from 1964 to 1983. "I have responded to this issue every time it has come up." Maultsby, who was once a street vendor in New York City, said she believes that having street vendors in Chapel Hill will help local businesses, even if businesses are afraid it will hurt them by taking away customers. "It is an issue that recycles and always gets shot down," Maultsby said. Some residents did share misgivings about the project. "I have a hard time seeing how street vending would help," said Mark Sperry, owner of TCBY in Eastgate Shopping Center. "I'm not against it. I'm just looking at it from both sides." Despite his concerns, Sperry said that if street vendors were allowed, he would take part. "I'd be the first one to sign up," he said. Residents at the meeting all agreed that more should be done to promote local business. "I think our concern should be keeping people in this town from going to Southpoint," said Chris Jones, manager of the BB&T branch at 143 E. Rosemary St. "I'd pay good money to be able to walk outside of my building and get a paper and a cup of coffee," he said. There will be another meeting discussing this topic at 5:30 p.m. March 5 at the Ackland Art Museum. Parham said no recommendation will be made to the Town Council until after that meeting to allow people who are unavailable in the mornings to come speak out. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Kite, Spencer throw their support to Carson for SBP Jon Kite and Caroline Spencer have decided to endorse Eve Carson for student body president in Tuesday's runoff election. Kite and Spencer, the two candidates who didn't make the runoff, said Carson's platform is in line with their own. They chose Carson over her opponent, Nick Neptune. "She's got a lot of potential," Kite said. "She's got great ideas, great people working for her. I don't think I'd place my faith in anyone else but Eve."
Art doesn't require a television screen. Artists still practice their craft all across North Carolina, and it's easy to spend an afternoon browsing the galleries that exhibit their work. The Triangle teems with artists, and galleries are everywhere. With a little detective work, you can find anything - metalworkers, painters, pottery-makers and more. There are still pictures made without pixels, and they're closer than you might think. Animation & Fine Art Galleries Where: University Mall, 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill
UNC's Memorial Hall to host longtime Broadway soprano Barbara Cook, a renowned soprano who has acted in Broadway musicals since the 1950s, will perform in Memorial Hall on Jan. 19. The pop singer played the lead in the musical Flahooley and later toured the country in Oklahoma! before focusing on her music. She also has sung for four U.S. presidents in the White House in her five-decade career. Tickets range from $10 to $75 and are available online or at the Memorial Hall box office. Museum to display dozens of East Asian artifacts
Eastern and western cultures blended Tuesday in the Ackland Art Museum's Asian Art Gallery, where a large sculpture of Buddha's head served as the centerpiece for a yoga session. "You're here and now - not wherever you came from or where you're going to after class," instructor Joanne Marshall told her class of nine participants as they inhaled deeply, holding their hands in together against their chests. Accompanied by a soft tune and surrounded by ancient Asian sculptures, the group began its practice. "Yoga in the Galleries" sessions not only mentally benefit the participants but also bring people into the museum to experience the art, said Sarah Abrahams, director of membership and visitor resources. Because of its popularity, the class, which has been held since June, will occur biweekly on alternating Monday and Tuesday afternoons. It is free to the public, with a $5 suggested donation to the museum. "Yoga," a Sanskrit word meaning "to solder a union between mind and body" originated in India about 5,000 years ago and now is practiced by millions of people in the U.S. It is meant to increase strength and flexibility and to have a positive effect on the mind and body. "I like the idea of having yoga in an art gallery," said UNC junior Sheeva Harris. She attended the class for the first time Tuesday and said it was a good way to take her mind off of exam preparations. Abrahams said the gallery is convenient for the yoga class because all of the sculptures are surrounded by plastic safety cases, preventing any possible damage to the artwork. "It is fortuitous that this is appropriately also the Asian Art Gallery," she added. Marshall, who also is a professor at the School of Information and Library Science, said she is very interested in how yoga works in the body and how it relaxes the mind. "I'm so intrigued by the potential of yoga in our health care system," she said. "Practices like yoga really have the potential to help us retain our health longer." Studies have been conducted on meditation that show the physiological benefits and the body's responses to the practice. Marshall calls her class "mindful yoga" because it emphasizes the meditative, relaxing kind of yoga. This makes it accessible to people of all ages and experience levels. Freshman Emily Bald was exposed to yoga for the first time at the Ackland and has returned for her third practice with Marshall. She said she was nervous at first because she was a beginner. "It was really easy and there was no pressure on anyone individually," she said. "I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was." Marshall also teaches yoga at 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays at the Rams Head Center. The one-hour practice ended as Marshall bowed her head in respect toward her participants. "Namaste" concludes each practice as the instructor and students take a mutual bow acknowledging each other's internal divinity. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
A photograph can't always tell the story that goes on behind the camera. Today, the Ackland Art Museum will go behind the scenes of the art process with photographer M.J. Sharp. The event is part of the museum's ongoing program, An Artist's Perspective: Interactive Discussion and Gallery Talk for Teens. Sharp, a UNC graduate student, said he believes the program will help demystify the art industry. "I'm very much looking forward to the program because how artists live and do their work is not well-known," she said. "You see the finished artistic product in the gallery and you have no way of knowing how the artists lived to get to that point." The program is one of the newest at the Ackland as a part of the museum's goal to reach out into the community. "It was actually initiated last month," said Beth Shaw McGuire, senior museum educator. The program was made possible through an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant with the purpose of fostering family- and youth-oriented programs. Events for the program occur once a month for at least three months, McGuire said. Each event offers a unique opportunity for new insight into the art world. "Oftentimes, students have aspirations for art careers but don't know how to turn them into a job," said Maria Bleier, director of communications for the Ackland. McGuire added that for those students, the program can act as a supplementary education. "We want to develop a program of interest to teenagers not traditionally offered in the classroom," she said. "Basically, I think that short amount of time teens are spending in art classes - if they're even in art classes - they don't always have that reflective time that professional artists do." Open dialogue with veterans in the field can be just as insightful for other artists as well. "Artists can gain ideas," McGuire said. "By looking at someone else's work, artists understand that there are more options than one, and by looking at something you like or dislike, you get a sense about what's important to you." While geared toward teenagers in Orange and Durham counties, UNC students are not excluded from the program. "For the general student body, the Ackland Museum just has great people, and they gear all their programs toward students - there's always food and music," said Jade Divenuta, a senior art history major and president of Student Friends of the Ackland. "It's fun to expose yourself to new art and to new people. It's a really great way to meet new people." The opportunities to help spread the arts are also open to college students, Bleier said. "With the increased level of teen programs, there's a great opportunity for college students to get involved with outreach." Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
As students scramble to clean their dorm rooms before parents arrive, UNC officials are prepping the campus for an invasion of Carolina families. This weekend thousands of parents will arrive in Chapel Hill for UNC's annual Family Weekend. "For parents, it's a time to come and explore student life," said Laurie Beck, coordinator of communications and programs for Carolina Parent Programs - the group in charge of planning the annual tradition. The weekend offers a wide range of events that vary in cost, from free seminars to the $26 Carolina Family Grand Lunch Buffet on Sunday at the Carolina Inn. The weekend costs about $100,000 to put on, said Sheila Hrdlicka, assistant director for parent programs. "This is a free-standing event. The funding comes strictly from the revenue of ticket sales and registration." Funding covers venue rentals and the free shuttles and events, she said. The Tar Heel Barbecue and the Carolina Family Grand Lunch Buffet usually draw the crowds, but many new, space-limited events are already booked, Beck said. This year Family Weekend falls later in the semester than previous years. The event is always scheduled for the weekend of a home football game, Beck said. Program officials said they do not expect the team's season record to affect participation. "We've generally had people excited about it," Beck said. "If there is any decrease in attendance, it's because Family Weekend is after Fall Break." Sophomores also register Saturday, which could interrupt festivities, Hrdlicka said. The weekend features a Tar Heel barbecue, a Southern dinner, seminars and a free concert in the Pit. In addition new events were added to the schedule this year. Information stations from the University's various schools and services will be set up throughout campus today for an open house. Parents can tour the Ackland Art Museum or A Southern Season in University Mall. They will receive discounts at area stores and restaurants if they present a Family Weekend ID, Beck said. "We are excited about developing a better partnership with the community," she said. "We wanted parents to feel welcomed by Carolina and the community." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Caitlin McLean is just one of many students who can vividly recall getting lost on campus. McLean, a sophomore political science major, said she got lost trying to take a shortcut between some buildings and had to retrace her steps to start all over again. The University is trying to help students such as McLean, as well as visitors, more easily navigate the campus. Way-finding maps - large maps of the entire campus - and building identification signs are in the process of being installed, said Jill Coleman, a landscape architect. Two way-finding maps already have been installed. One is near the Morehead parking lot and the other is by the bus stop along South Road in front of the Student Union. Both signs were installed in time for University Day last week in order to better aid the many visitors to campus. "I think that the signs will help visitors a lot," said Si On Lim, a sophomore biochemistry major. "Freshmen would probably use them too, but I think mainly the people that come to campus events like football games would benefit." McLean said she thinks that students and visitors will use the way-finding maps, but that they need to be placed in the most conspicuous areas of campus so they are easy to find. Coleman said the maps target pedestrians. "We located them in places where the largest number of visitors will come onto campus," she said. By placing only two campus maps so far, University officials said they hope to get feedback about locations and usage of the maps. Coleman said that the actual design of the maps will be adapted, and that more maps will be put up around campus after they assess the community's response. Along with the way-finding maps, building identification signs also will be installed in front of campus buildings and all residence halls. In the past few months, these signs have been placed along Manning Drive and up to the Ackland Art Museum. "I think they're great. It is very helpful to be able to identify the building when you drive by since so many people come onto campus by car," Coleman said. She said she knows that a lot of people who come to campus don't know the names of all the buildings. The residence hall signs will show both the name of the hall and the community to which it belongs. "I live in Whitehead, and we had a sign on a pole, but it fell down, and the only other sign is on the wall of the building, and it's not really visible," Lim said, noting that people confuse Whitehead Residence Hall as being a part of the Carolina Inn but wouldn't if there was a sign. Sophomore Curtis Dunn, said he thinks the signs will be a helpful addition to campus. "I think the large maps are a good idea for both first-year students and visitors," Dunn said. "The building signs could get to be a little overwhelming, though." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Not long ago, Joel Hanks offered his friends a proposition: "Let's just do a show, we'll play a bar, we'll do some Sublime songs; it'll be fun." He never imagined that he would spend the next five years making a career of it. Hanks now plays bass at sold-out shows across the nation with Badfish, a self-described tribute to Sublime that is arguably one of the most popular bands of its kind in music today. The group is only one of many in a growing wave of musical mimicry, with the formation of tributes and cover bands skyrocketing in recent years. Google the subject, and you'll find a plethora of Web sites and message boards listing booking information, rating shows on "likeness" and "authenticity," and debating the distinction between a "cover band" and a "tribute band." Even in Chapel Hill, such groups are no longer restricted to the Friday-night frat party or the Jones-Henderson wedding reception, infiltrating the likes of Cat's Cradle and other beloved indie-rock havens. "There's a lot more cover bands now than there were 10 years ago, and you couldn't even find a tribute band 20 years ago," said UNC music operations manager Paul Cole. "I would definitely call what's going on now a phenomenon." As far as basic differentiation goes, cover bands are your typical, "Shake Your Booty," bar mitzvah fare, whereas tribute bands usually impersonate their source givers as immaculately as possible, costumes and all. In Cole's case, the description falls somewhere in the middle. Cole is a founding member of The BackBeat, a local Beatles and '60s cover band composed of four UNC alumni. You might not hear British accents or see flamboyant Sgt. Pepper's garb on the BackBeat boys, Cole said, but the group mixes a precise replication of The Beatles' sound with the aesthetic appeal of the flower-power era when performing. "For us, it's all about the music," he said. The BackBeat began as what Cole describes as a "sort of educational outreach" when the photography of famed Beatles' wife Linda McCartney went on display at the Ackland Art Museum in 2001. "They called me, since I work in the music department, and were asking if I knew a Beatles cover band for the event," he said. Cole didn't, so he decided to make his own. Five years later The BackBeat plays gigs almost every weekend, ranging in variety from chancellors' receptions to biker bars, and the band will have its first show at Cat's Cradle in October. "With this particular group of guys, its just what we're into," he said. "We get a bigger kick out of doing this than our own stuff." Like the members of The BackBeat, Hanks and his Badfish bandmates fell into the world of cover bands by chance. "At first it was just for fun, so we could hang out with our friends at the local bar, make some extra cash," Hanks said of the band's initial Sublime tribute in 2001. However, the one-time tribute to the SoCal group soon turned into a monthly gig, and by Sept. 2002 Badfish was selling out bars across New England. "We went from playing one market to four markets. The tour started for two weeks and then went to three weeks, then four," he said. "It was a very natural build." After years on the road, Badfish now claims ownership to a level of popularity that few cover bands have managed to replicate. "Not a lot of people, especially when we play on the East Coast, ever got a chance to see Sublime, and we're giving them an opportunity to see these songs performed live," Hanks said. "It just seems like we've fallen upon this niche, and I feel very lucky for that," he said. However, despite the fact that the group deems itself a tribute to Sublime, Hanks said he and his bandmates are not in the business of emulating the ska-punk legends. "We've never had that idea to be the band," he said. "We're Badfish, and we don't try to be Sublime. We're doing our own idea of what these songs should be." Many cover bands go beyond simply performing songs and re-imagine them for a new audience. The pop-punk supergroup, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes first brought songs by the likes of John Denver and Elton John to the Warped Tour crowd with 1997's Have A Ball. Then, taking a different route, in 2003 the Easy Star All-Stars released Dub Side of the Moon, a complete album covering Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in a reggae style. Easy Star Records musical director and Dub Side producer Michael Goldwasser said the idea came from his close friend Lem Oppenheimer. "I did some preliminary arrangements and thought it might work, and then we put together the All-Stars for that record and started production," Goldwasser said. Dub Side was an instant hit, and as the band embarked on a national tour in support of the album, anticipation began to grow for the group's next cover. Distributors suggested the next project be another Pink Floyd album, The Wall, but Goldwasser had another vision in mind: Radiodread, a reggae take on Radiohead's modern classic, OK Computer. "We wanted to move out of the '70s and do something for our generation," he said. Perhaps the biggest challenge for Goldwasser has been earning a reputation as a cover musician while directing a record label that focuses on original artists. "I think every musician and composer wants to be known for original material," he said. "It comes from your mind, it comes from your heart, it's you. "But I don't consider what we are doing as a cover, I feel like what we do is reinterpretation - taking something old, rearranging it and doing something new to it. "Hopefully people can see it as art." Regardless of success stories such as Dub Side of the Moon, the cover band explosion has drawn as much criticism as it has interest. "There is a certain negative attitude among a certain group of musicians," said Cole of the flack cover bands often receive. "We were once part of that, but you grow up after a while," he said. "We enjoy what we're doing, and that's all that matters." However, Cole said much of the backlash has stemmed from tribute bands that take their acts to the extreme. "They've got more of a Hollywood aspect to it," he said. "The guys in those tribute bands are just as much actors as they are musicians, and they can carry that big ego that gets a bad rap." Hanks and Badfish have faced similar criticism but also have wondered if they hold an obligation to the surviving members of Sublime. "I think the guys in the band are not psyched about it," he said. But Hanks said he and his bandmates aren't affected by the negative commentary, no matter the source. "You can't please everyone, whether you're in a cover band or doing original stuff," he said. "I'm so amazed by the response we get, though. So many people thank us for what we do because they could never get this experience otherwise, and that's very special to us," he said. In Goldwasser's opinion, music is music, no matter who wrote the songs. "If we make music that makes people happy and brings joy to the world, than we have succeeded in what we hope to do as musicians." Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
The Ackland Art Museum now has a leader to oversee the expansion that will almost double the museum's size.
Striving to be named the nation's leading public university comes with an expensive price tag - about $241.2 million during the course of a year to be exact. That was the amount of money UNC brought in during fiscal year 2006 as part of the Carolina First campaign, the University's private fundraising effort. "These private dollars do provide a margin of excellence," said Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for University advancement and the campaign's public advocate. "I think we've been resilient in continuing to make that case." The total was the largest amount the campaign has reeled in since it began in July 1999 - it also marked the first time the $200 million mark was broken. Carolina First fundraisers said they hope to raise $2 billion by December 2007. So far about $1.826 billion has been raised. Kupec said the University is on its way to raising $2.1 to $2.2 billion. This summer a number of hefty donations were made to the campaign. On a May 23 ceremony in Washington, D.C., Chancellor James Moeser received a $5 million gift from FedEx Corp. to support the construction of the Global Education Center. The complex will house all international studies programs for the College of Arts and Sciences, including study abroad. The University also received a $22.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in May to support the clinical trial of an oral drug that treats African sleeping sickness. An international research consortium will be led by UNC faculty to carry out the trial. The Dooley family of Charlotte established the Parker-Dooley Fund for Southern History with a $250,000 gift to the Southern Historical Collection. A 350-piece collection of papers and letters of Robert W. Parker, who served as a soldier in the Second Virginia Cavalry in 1861 and is an ancestor of the Dooleys, will be donated to Wilson Library. Money generated through the campaign will fund merit scholarships, provide faculty support and reduce capital project expenses. According to the campaign's Web site, the drive is ahead of pace as it races toward its conclusion. If the campaign can take in $12.1 million each month until its end, it will reach its goal. Since the campaign began, Carolina First has averaged $22.4 million a month. In October, University officials announced that they were upping the ante by increasing the original goal of $1.8 billion to $2 billion. The deadline to raise the funds also was extended by six months. And University officials don't expect to stop seeing an influx of green after the campaign closes. "The fundraisers will remain in place and continue their same activities with individual donors, corporate donors and foundations," said Elizabeth Dunn, senior associate vice chancellor for development. "It just won't be under the Carolina First name." Dunn said any unmet needs at the end of the campaign will be addressed during a three- to five-year interim. When the campaign closes, merit scholarships will be re-evaluated. The $60 million goal for this project was not met, Dunn said. Plans for the Arts Common and expansion plans for the Ackland Art Museum also will be kept in sight. "There are some projects that emerged as important priorities long after the campaign's initiatives were established," Dunn said. Only seven schools across the country are chasing down a goal of collecting at least $2 billion through private fundraising campaigns. The University of Virginia is the most ambitious of those seven, pushing for $3 billion by 2011. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
The Ackland Art Museum is on the verge of big changes. With an upcoming season of exhibits and events, a plan for the expansion of the museum to more than twice its size and, soon, a new director, the Ackland will be transformed into a very different place. But how far off that transformation is, no one can say. "There's not a timetable on that," said Amanda Hughes, Ackland's director of special projects, referring to the expansion, which will create additional galleries, new studio space, a sculpture courtyard and a museum store. "We don't know who the new director will be or when he or she will begin," said Carolyn Wood, interim director of the Ackland. One of the new director's first obligations will be to oversee fundraising efforts for the expansion, a $25 million project to be funded entirely through private donations. But the director search might be coming to an end. A list of three candidates was submitted to the Office of the Provost, and one offer has been extended. "We are awaiting acceptance of that offer," said Carol Tresolini, associate provost for academic initiatives. Tresolini could not say who the candidate is, but it is one of three who came to campus to interview: David Brenneman, chief curator of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta; Emily Kass, a consultant at the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla.; and Eric Lee, director of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma. "We're just waiting until they work it out," Hughes said. But what is worked out is the Ackland's new season. In the fall, three exhibitions will be presented: "Persuasion, Passion and Participation: The Psychology of Politics;" "Witnesses to an Age in Transformation: Three 18th Century Paintings;" and "Depth of Field: Expanding Perspectives in 20th Century and Contemporary Photography." January 2007 will see the opening of "Fashioning the Divine," a gallery of South Asian sculpture. In the spring, a show of works by graduate students receiving masters in fine arts will open. The museum also has introduced some new events. Lunch with One - a monthly, free lecture by an expert discussing one work of art - began in June. Lunch with One, which Hughes said has been successful, was created so University staff, faculty and students could eat lunch while still attending a lecture at the Ackland. "Art After Dark" will continue this year, with the museum remaining open until 9 p.m. as part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Art Walk on the second Friday of each month. The expansion - whenever it happens - is bound to offer something new to all. The space, Hughes said, will allow the Ackland to better "entertain diverse audiences, from public school kids, to University students, all the way to people who live here in Chapel Hill." Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
What does it take to make an old building feel young again? That's just one of the questions being asked this summer as progress continues on UNC's Arts Common, a makeover plan for the northwestern area of campus. The Playmakers Theatre could get rebuilt stonework, windows and doors as early as next month, according to historic preservation manager Paul Kapp. That work, along with a change in color to match Old East, would bring the now-salmon colored building back to the way it looked in the 1920s - its last period of historical significance. Nearby, Gerrard Hall will see a comprehensive restoration that will take away its distinction of being the only building on campus with no bathroom - but will restore its true honor with a reconstruction of its original portico, which was based on a temple in ancient Athens. The building's original architect also designed the administrative building at the University of Mississippi and much of the campus of the University of Alabama. "You can see its pedigree as part of a large context of antebellum college architecture in the South," Kapp said. Not all the proposed changes included in the Arts Common plan will bring campus buildings back to the past - a $25 million addition to the Ackland Art Museum has been described by UNC officials as "modernist." The cost of the addition is a reminder that progress rarely comes without a price. In addition to that, $180 million will be sought on a project-by-project basis over the next 10 to 15 years to complete the Arts Common plan, said Bruce Runberg, assistant vice chancellor for planning and construction. The $29 million for the first phase of construction has already been obtained, and some aspects of the plan - such as a renovation of Memorial Hall - are already being hailed as a success. But the price of progress cannot just be measured in dollars and cents. Local activists have lobbied to save West House, a 1935 structure located near Hanes Art Center and the future home of a planned quadrangle modeled on Polk and McCorkle places. They lost their final battle last week, when the Council of State, a group of top N.C. government officials, voted to axe the house. While they are generally highly optimistic about the Arts Common, West House proponents recently expressed additional concerns about the aesthetics of the Arts Common. "I am a little disappointed about the size of the buildings and how close they are to the street," said Jeffrey Beam, a UNC employee who spearheaded the West House movement. "It makes for an urban campus, which is totally unlike what Carolina once was." Runberg countered those statements. "What is unique about our campus is the canopy of trees," he said. "If you go around and you look as the buildings around North Campus, you'll see some red brick, a little lighter brick and more traditional style, but it's all blended by the trees. That's what we would hope to accomplish with the Arts Common as well. ... I think really it's going to maintain the character of North Campus." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
After working at N.C. State University, Christopher Brown is hoping to leave the Wolfpack and return to his alma mater as the director of the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Brown, a Chapel Hill native who received his bachelor's degree from UNC in 1981, said his experience in several different areas of science will help him connect the center to the work of other science departments at the University. "What I bring is an understanding of how science is done at a major research university," Brown said, referring to his experience at N.C. State as a botany professor. Speaking Monday in an candidates' forum, Brown unveiled his vision for the center's future. Brown is one of five finalists vying for the position. Three of the other finalists had applied in the original search last year. The search process had to begin again after administrators decided none of the four original finalists was the right choice for the job. Jeff Hill, interim director of the center, has an interview Wednesday, and White said the search committee will submit its evaluation to Provost Robert Shelton within two weeks. Linda Deck, director of the Idaho Museum of Natural History; Terri Gipson, associate director of Space Sciences and Project Director for the McDonnell Planetarium Redevelopment at the St. Louis Science Center; and Todd Boyette, president and chief executive officer of The Health Adventure, a museum in Asheville, also are up for the position and interviewed during the last few weeks. Brown said he wants to use the center as "the gateway to science at UNC" and build the University's public image. His plan involves cooperative efforts between the center and other public attractions at UNC, such as the Ackland Art Museum and the N.C. Botanical Garden. Brown also said outreach programs are important to the center's mission. "I think we can become the 'go-to' place for science answers for the public." The center can have a positive relationship with Chapel Hill because of its prominent location on Franklin Street, Brown added. "This place can be a strong example for town-gown relations." Because the planetarium is undergoing renovation in the coming months, Brown emphasized more programs outside of the building to keep patronage up. "We need to develop an on-the-road outreach program," he said. Brown's background is in botany; he holds a bachelor's of science degree in the subject from UNC and a doctoral degree from N.C. State. But his career focus has been on space science, spending years serving as director of NASA's Specialized Center of Research and Training. Brown is director of the N.C. Space Initiative, an organization he helped found at N.C. State. It deals with research, education, outreach and space commerce. He also directs the N.C. Space Grant, which provides more than $800,000 to 11 state universities. Brown said his experience raising funds would aid the center's efforts to gain financial support. Peter White, chairman of the search committee and director of the N.C. Botanical Garden, said he was impressed with Brown's application and presentation. "We have a candidate who really relates to the breadth of science on this campus." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
The Ackland Art Museum offered a free public lecture Monday night from one very artistic family. Though not quite the Jacksons, Betye Saar and two of her three daughters, Lezley Saar and Alison Saar, have been recognized for their artistic achievement. The trio spoke at the Hanes Art Center as part of their ongoing exhibit, "Family Legacies." Patrons packed the center for a chance to hear the women, whose first exhibit together has been on display at the Ackland since December.
