Lila Quintero Weaver, creator of the award-winning graphic novel “Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White,” was in residency at UNC Charlotte Sept. 25-29, working with students in theatre, art, English and education.
During her visit to Charlotte, she also led classes at Vance High School and initiated the “Framing Civil Rights: Graphic Novels in Artistic Spaces” project, in which students explored issues of civil rights through storytelling and the graphic novel form. The project will culminate in a public presentation of student work on Thursday, Nov. 16.
Through black and white illustrations, “Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White” tells the story of Weaver’s childhood in Alabama, where her family moved in 1961 from Argentina. Her memoir is both an eyewitness account of the 1960s civil rights movement and a personal narrative about growing up as a Latina in a black and white American South.
While at UNC Charlotte, Weaver addressed students in classes such as Children’s Book Illustration, Multiculturalism and Children’s Literature, Scenic Design and Costume History. Her account of the genesis of her memoir anchored each of her classroom sessions.
Participating faculty and students will complete projects that frame and reframe topics of civil rights across different creative disciplines. The public presentation of their work will be at 4:30 p.m., Nov. 16, in the Black Box Theater in Robinson Hall.
“Framing Civil Rights: Graphic Novels in Artistic Spaces” is led by Associate Professor of Theatre Education Beth Murray and supported by the UNC Charlotte Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund.