Artist
Date: Fri, Aug 28, 2026
Time:
Venue: Seymour Center 2551 Homestead Road Chapel Hill, NC 27516, Chapel Hill
Price: Free
Category: Arts
As the Triangle navigates rapid development, a powerful new local art exhibition looks directly at the landscapes of Chapel Hill’s past to explore how they shape our present. I want to pitch a feature story on my upcoming exhibition, Looking Back: Where Memory Takes Root, opening August 29, 2026, at the Robert and Pearl Seymour Center. This project goes far beyond a traditional art gallery display. It is a deep-dive exploration of local civil rights history and community evolution. Growing up in Chapel Hill during the first years of public school desegregation, I returned decades later to capture luminous infrared photographs of both historically Black and historically white neighborhoods. The resulting images show how physical environments absorb collective community memory. What makes this an ideal feature story for your readers is the deep layer of local community collaboration: • Oral History Integration: Partnered with the Marion Cheek Jackson Center to embed QR codes throughout the gallery, letting visitors listen to Northside residents' stories. • A Visual Bridge: The opening reception features a screening of Swimming at the Center: The Story of the A.D. Clark Pool, paired with my series The Human Element: Water, Light & the Art of Connection. • Intersectional Artistry: The reception showcases a "Meet the Artists" segment featuring my landscape work alongside historic art quilts by Ida La-Vern Couch.
