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Saturday, April 20, 2013
Arts Artists converge for Lake Norman fest
Posted By Anita Overcash on Sat, Apr 20, 2013 at 5:00 AM
There are times when it's crucial to venture outside of museums for art, and the Lake Norman Fine Art Festival is one of those times. It offers a decent selection of artwork - painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, woodwork, glass, jewelry, and more - that's enjoyable whether you browse or buy. The festival, held along the green of Birkdale Village up in Huntersville, will spotlight emerging artists who are worthy of note.
Among them is Carol Ferony, whose surreal paintings and stained glass works make use of curves and warm hues to portray humans in relaxing and meditative positions.
Also featured are the works of photographer Joe Aldini, who uses crisp, digitally enhanced photography to send some rather mooving messages - his "You Are What You Eat" features two dairy cows gorging on a package of Oreo cookies. Disclaimer: No cows were harmed in the shooting of the image.
Free admission. April 20, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sun., April 21, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Birkdale Village, 8712 Lindolm Drive. www.birkdalevillage.net.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Arts All around the world
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Apr 19, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Avid travelers know the importance of cultural mingling - that is, you really don't know a place until you've put down your guidebook and mingled with some locals. Carousing off the beaten paths, trying foods you've never heard of, browsing through bazaars with handcrafted goods and attending performances that showcase entertainment and costumes unique to specific regions turns a trip into a memorable experience.
But for now, folks living in the Q.C. need not step beyond the Mecklenburg County line to get a taste of global diversity. At the Charlotte World Parade & Festival, more than 30 countries are represented through displays, music, dance, food and other special activities. Here's the living proof that "It's a small world, after all." Free admission. April 20, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Independence Park, 300 Hawthorne Lane. For more information, visit www.worldparadefestival.org.
Arts Local artist displays new works at bookstore
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Apr 19, 2013 at 10:51 AM
The Q.C.-based artist Gary Davis Sr. spotlighted African-American entertainers and idols - some of which included Bob Marley, Ray Charles and President Obama - in his previous collection titled First Impressions. A self-taught artist who has been painting with acrylics for years, Davis primarily paints portraits. But he doesn't limit himself only to recognizable, notable figures. In his latest collection, Life & Times, showcasing at The Last Word, he's added works that portray specific events.
One painting, "The Women of Sudan," was inspired after he read a news story about women's rights in Africa. In the painting, a group of women are praying together at a vigil for justice. Meet Davis during the opening reception on April 20, from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Free admission. The Last Word, 230 E. W.T. Harris Blvd., Suite B11. 704-966-9673. www.thelastwordcharlotte.com.
Arts Theater review: Fences
Posted By Perry Tannenbaum on Fri, Apr 19, 2013 at 10:27 AM
Productions of August Wilson's Fences come around about as often as 17-year cicadas, which is about as often as actors come along who can do justice to Troy Maxson, its tragic hero. Maxson is baseball royalty, blessed with Babe Ruth-Josh Gibson slugging power and cursed with a snarling, bitter Ty Cobb temperament. He should have been the black ballplayer who broke the color line - so he feels - and become the liberating terror of the major leagues.
But he peaked years before Jackie Robinson began his pioneering exploits with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. So now in the '50s, when players like Mays, Campanella, and Aaron have demonstrated that the black ballplayer is here to stay, Maxson is collecting trash on the streets of Pittsburgh, burning to become the first black man to drive the truck. Quite a comedown from his one-time celebrity, and his wife and sons bear the brunt of his still-seething anger.
Wayne DeHart was a very fine Troy when Theatre Charlotte staged this show in 1996, giving the mean father and the faithless husband a wiry strength. Yet he was also a natural playing the drunken deteriorated athlete, his vaunts aimed at the specter of Death like those of a wily, grizzled coyote. Calvin Walton has a similar wiry strength in the current CPCC Theatre production directed by Corlis Hayes, particularly corrosive in his denials that times have changed. I'd say he was slightly less nasty to his family and a lot more defiant towards Death, whom he envisions as a mighty pitcher with a blinding inside fastball. It's a nicely gauged balance.
Culture Question the Queen City: Who killed Ella May Wiggins?
Posted By David Aaron Moore on Fri, Apr 19, 2013 at 9:42 AM
Editor's note: In this series, local author David Aaron Moore answers reader-submitted questions about unusual, noteworthy or historic people, places and things in Charlotte. Submit inquires to davidaaronmoore@post.com.
Is there one particular crime in Charlotte history that has not been solved - one that you think will likely never be solved? - Spencer Anderson, Charlotte
There are many, but the murder of Ella May Wiggins stands out to me. Technically it's a Charlotte Metro crime because it occurred in Gaston County, but it brought enough attention to the region that I think it merits mention here.
- Courtesy of NCpedia
- Wiggins
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Apr 19, 2013 at 9:34 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, April 19, 2013 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Queen Margaret at Duke Energy Theater
* Triptych Collective's Tangled Elsewhere at Chop Shop
* Slam Charlotte Poetry Slam at McGlohon Theater
* Tuck Fest at U.S. National Whitewater Center
* All Time Low at The Fillmore
Thursday, April 18, 2013
News You know West, Texas
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Thu, Apr 18, 2013 at 2:59 PM
It's somewhere between here and there where the cracks in the streets have been around longer than time. Where grass sways without concern that one day a high-rise will take its freedom away. Where sun bakes the luster out of most everything, and no one honks if you're driving too slow.
Before today, most of us Texans knew the city of West as a road trip must-stop (the Czech Stop has the best kolaches in the state). But now we'll know West as the place where an explosion at a fertilizer plant killed precious lives and injured more than 100.
It might be thousands of miles away from us, but West isn't much different than Gastonia or Kannapolis - places where people still find time to wave at strangers and talk to their neighbors. In the name of small-town America, take time to do some of the same today.
Click here to donate to the Red Cross.
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Apr 18, 2013 at 2:00 PM
No - Academy Award nominee, Best Foreign Language Film
Oblivion - Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman
Starbuck - Patrick Huard, Julie LeBreton
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Question the Queen City: The haunting of Love’s Pass
The railroad pass has claimed at least 14 lives
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The Secret Service: Behind Mark Millar's next comic film
Here are some things you should know about the upcoming movie adaption.
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