There’s something for everyone to enjoy this weekend, from exhibits and moderated conversations to parties and performances.
Compiled by Grace Beasley
ALL WEEKEND
‘Sense of Wonder’
Hillsborough Gallery of Arts’ monthly exhibit features Arianna Bara’s sterling silver jewelry, paintings by Eduardo Lapetina and Larry Favorite’s woodwork inlaid with turquoise and silver, all created during the pandemic. The exhibit is also available for virtual viewing through the gallery’s website.
THURSDAY
The Spark with Tift Merritt featuring Michelle Dorrance
Carolina Performing Arts presents the sixth episode of “The Spark with Tift Merritt,” a livestreamed series where Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter and UNC alumna Tift Merritt interviews artists about their creative processes. This episode features Chapel Hill native Michelle Dorrance, a world-renowned tap dancer, choreographer, founder and artistic director of Dorrance Dance in New York City.
FRIDAY
FRANK Gallery Exhibit Virtual Opening Reception
FRANK Gallery presents a new exhibit featuring current FRANK member artists: woodworker/furniture maker Keith Allen, wood sculptor Jim Oleson and photographer Barbara Tyroler. Featured guest artists include: photographer Alan Dehmer, ceramicist Judith Ernst and drawer/illustrator/mixed media artist Jean LeCluyse. The exhibit focuses on the theme of trees and will be available for viewing through May.
Artist Conversation: Creating ‘Mysterious Ink World, Part One (2016)’
Ackland Art Museum presents an in-depth look at “Mysterious Ink World, Part One (2016),” a collaborative contemporary work featured in the museum’s newest installation of Asian art, “Clouding: Shape and Sign in Asian Art.” The immersive work features an abstract ink painting by Ming Ren installed opposite of an interactive projection which responds in real time to the viewers of the painting. The projection was designed by computer scientist and artificial intelligence pioneer Hansong Zhang, who received his Ph.D. from UNC in 1998. Ellen Huang, former curator for Asian art, moderates the conversation and helps situate the work within the larger themes of Clouding.
SATURDAY
Tim Carless Presents a Live Score to Two Classic Laurel and Hardy Shorts
Carrboro-based composer and musician Tim Carless continues his spring 2021 season of live-scored silent films with a pair of short Laurel and Hardy silent films. Tim Carless has been performing original live scores to film for years, beginning in The ArtsCenter’s Wynn Theater and then moving online due to COVID-19. The films can be streamed on The ArtsCenter’s YouTube Live.
SUNDAY
Kidzu Children’s Museum Robo Rave
Kidzu Children’s Museum and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics teamed up to create a brand new artificial intelligence exhibit at Kidzu. In celebration of National Robotics Week, join the Robot Prototype Session, explore and play with a variety of robots, test how intelligent they are and then take a stab at building your own robot. The event will be aired on Kidzu’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Science at the Drive-In: Jurassic Park
To kick off UNC Science Week, Carraway Village Drive-In offers a special screening of the 1993 blockbuster hit, “Jurassic Park,” with a special pre-show panel with paleontologists from the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.
