Charlotte’s New CHArt Center Awards Grants to Promote Community and Heritage Through the Arts
UNC Charlotte’s newly established Center for Community, Heritage, and the Arts (CHArt) is making waves in the academic and local community. The center, a product of the Division of Research Ignite for Centers pilot program, recently announced the awarding of $14,000 in re-grants from the UNC Charlotte Division of Research. Positioned within the College of Arts + Architecture (CoA+A) and closely tied to the College of Humanities, Earth, and Social Sciences (CHESS), CHArt is a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration. It focuses on preserving and interpreting the built environment by actively engaging with communities and their rich legacies.
This Spring 2024, CHArt’s small grants, ranging from $1,000 to $3,500, drew an enthusiastic response with 22 submissions from faculty across 16 academic units, covering all CoA+A disciplines and 10 CHESS departments. The chosen projects, which the review committee selected for their research merit and significant community or educational impact, align with CHArt’s key priorities. These projects are notable for their interdisciplinary approach and feasibility for implementation in the coming months.
The Spring 2024 CHArt Small Grant recipients are a testament to the center’s commitment to community and heritage. Highlights include:
- Lavagem Celebration: Dr. Tamara Williams’ project in the Dance department celebrates African-Brazilian and Indigenous cultures through dance, music, storytelling, and oral traditions. CHArt funding will enable the documentation of this vibrant event.
- Equity in Memory and Memorial (E2M): Led by Dr. Julie Robinson Moore and Dr. Matthew Gin, this initiative focuses on peacebuilding and racial reconciliation through the memorialization of slave cemeteries in Charlotte. CHArt supports this project with funds for videography of the “Honoring our Ancestors” memorial.
- Brooklyn to Browne’s Ferry: A collaborative effort by Meg Whalen, Nadia Anderson, Mira Frisch, and Ashley Tate explores the heritage of Browne’s Ferry and Grace AME Zion Church. CHArt’s grant assists in hiring a research assistant to delve into dance as a medium for cultural storytelling.
- Charlotte Strings Collective: Led by Mira Frisch and Brian Arreola, this musical ensemble celebrates the works of Black composers, with CHArt funds supporting performances and rehearsals inspired by the Browne’s Ferry neighborhood.
- Indigenous Digital Narratives: Dr. Jason Black’s course on Indigenous Decolonization will produce digital narratives with CHArt funding supporting honoraria for Indigenous guest speakers.
- Invisible Histories Project: Dr. Wilfredo Flores’ course on archiving Charlotte’s diverse histories gets a boost from CHArt for guest speaker honoraria, focusing on the city’s Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities.
- Charlotte Atlas of Climate Inequality and Community Resilience: Dr. Tina Shull and Michael Ewers lead a project examining climate resilience in disadvantaged Charlotte communities. CHArt funds will support community engagement, research assistance, and oral history collection.