Charlotte Art & Art History Opens 60th Anniversary Show
The UNC Charlotte Department of Art & Art History opens its 60th anniversary show, Generations: 60 Years – 21 Conversations with a reception and program in Rowe Arts. On view October 8-November 8 in all three Rowe Galleries, this exhibition celebrates 60 years of accomplishment in the visual arts, marking the start of art-based education and research at UNC Charlotte and honoring the oldest of the programs in the College of Arts + Architecture.
In 1964, the acclaimed North Carolina painter Maud Gatewood was hired to create a new program, and over the next decade she developed courses and hired colleagues, spearheaded the design of an arts building and its facilities, and sustained dialogue with institutions such as the Mint Museum and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Both the department and the university have grown dramatically in the intervening years, as more than 3,000 alumni have graduated from the visionary program Gatewood founded.
In recognition of this momentous milestone, Associate Professor of Art History Jim Frakes has curated Generations: 60 Years – 21 Conversations, drawing together works by alumni and current faculty of the Department of Art & Art History into thematic and visual conversation with the contributions of 21 “legacy” faculty. Frakes has also spent five years researching the history of the department and writing an exhibition catalogue that tells the story of how the art program at UNC Charlotte developed and the importance that its faculty and alumni have played in the Charlotte region and beyond.
One indication of that impact are the two companion exhibitions – one at the Mint Museum in uptown Charlotte and the other at Hodges Taylor gallery – that display work by UNC Charlotte faculty and alumni.
Learn more about the artists, the artwork, and the history of the department the anniversary webpage.