College of Arts + Architecture

A vision for a new central park in Reid Park Neighborhood on Charlotte’s west side is moving closer to reality. It is based on work by UNC Charlotte’s Dylan McKnight, who is pursuing master’s degrees in urban design and community planning.
The Reid Park Neighborhood Association, in partnership with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department, will seek community feedback on the vision from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17, at Reid Park Academy, 4108 West Tyvola Road.

UrbanEden, UNC Charlotte’s entry for the 2013 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, won the People’s Choice Award at the contest finals in California.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, UrbanEden “has a variety of sustainability features, such as thermal mass, passive solar and radiant energy, as well as unique technologies that demonstrated true innovation, including radiant geopolymer concrete walls, movable photovoltaic shading and a nighttime radiation emitter.

UNC Charlotte’s entry for the 2013 Solar Decathlon, UrbanEden, is on display in Irvine, Calif. The University is one of 20 academic teams from around the world competing in the U.S. Department of Energy contest.
The Solar Decathlon features a series of 10 contests for each team, tasked with building a solar-powered house that incorporates energy-efficient construction and appliances as well as renewable energy systems.

Lon Bumgarner, a faculty member in the Theatre Department, will preview some of the fall semester’s productions on the Oct. 1 installment of Inside UNC Charlotte’s “The Live Wire.” He will talk about a performance of Shakespeare’s “Othello” by artists-in-residence from the London Stage and a production of “Love the Doctor,” an adaptation of the Golden Age Spanish play by Tirso de Molina

Actors From The London Stage, a self-directed ensemble of five professional British actors, will perform “Othello” at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 16, through Saturday, Oct. 19, in the Anne R. Belk Theater of the Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts. These performances are part of a week-long residency at UNC Charlotte presented by the Department of Theatre and Shakespeare in Action.

The UNC Charlotte Department of Music Faculty & Friends Series will feature a performance by the Oasis Saxophone Quartet at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts, Belk Theater.
Founded in 2006, the Oasis Quartet has been praised for its live performances, as well as for its innovative and creative clinic and concert programming. In a review of the quartet’s 2011 album, Allmusic wrote, “The Oasis Quartet performs with impeccable technique and intonation, and the players have a sweet, pure tone.”

The Projective Eye Gallery of the College of Arts + Architecture presents “Mad Hatters to Pixel Pushers: Exploring the Continuum of Photography Through Process and the Constructed Image.”
 A free, public opening reception for the display will be 6 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, at the gallery, located in UNC Charlotte Center City; it will feature conversations with the artists and a performance by the UNC Charlotte Faculty Jazz Quintet.

The College of Arts + Architecture hosted more than 20 engineers and executives from Ingersoll Rand, Wednesday, June 26, to assist in building the Solar Decathlon house UrbanEden. The Ingersoll Rand guests helped pour geopolymer tiles that will be used in the structure’s rain catchment troughs.

As part of Black History Month, Jawole Willa Jo Sollar, founder and artistic director of Urban Bush Women, will share her perspectives on art as a tool for liberation in a conversation scheduled for 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2, at UNC Charlotte Center City. In addition to the interview and question-and-answer period, facilitated by dance professor Takiya Nur Amin, there will be a brief movement demonstration by Urban Bush Women members.