Jessi Rae Morton
News Editor
Black History Month: An Evening With Andrew Young
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 6-9 p.m. in the Elliott University Center (EUC) Auditorium
From the UNC Greensboro Events Calendar:
UNC Greensboro is pleased to host a dialogue between Chancellor Gilliam and the distinguished Reverend Andrew Young—civil rights leader, former Mayor of Atlanta and former Ambassador to the United Nations—as part of the inaugural International Civil Rights Museum Speaker Series.
Attendees are invited to submit advance questions upon arrival at the entrance to be addressed as part of the conversation. A book signing will follow in the EUC Pre-Function Room; copies of “The Many Lives of Andrew Young” by Ernie Suggs will be available for purchase on site from Scuppernong Books.
Complimentary tickets are available to UNCG students, faculty, staff and University affiliates. Tickets will become available on Friday, February 3. They will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis by visiting the Campus Activities and Programs (CAP) Office on the third floor of the EUC with UNCG ID.
Young became active in the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s, from organizing voter registrations and working closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to taking on a negotiator’s role in the campaigns that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Young was elected to Congress in 1972 and was appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 to become the U.S.’s first African-American Ambassador to the United Nations. He was elected mayor of Atlanta in 1981 and helped bring the 1996 Olympic Games to the city.
The Vibez Cafe
Thursday, Feb, 9, 6-8 p.m. in EUC 062, the Office of Intercultural Engagement (OIE) will host live student performances in the OIE Space.
From the Spartan Connect Event Description:
Come enjoy a relaxing night with OIE that focuses on Black artists (Spoken word, poetry, coffee shop songs etc.). Free Desserts! If you want to perform, email rmmacon2@uncg.edu
Frank Woods Art Exhibit
Now through March 4, the Tanenbaum Room at the Weatherspoon Art Museum contains an exhibit of Dr. Frank Woods’ painted portraits of African American Heroes.
From the Weatherspoon Art Museum Inquiry Hubs website:
Throughout his distinguished career at UNCG, Frank Woods worked tirelessly to redeem the memories of African American creatives who had long faded from our nation’s cultural memory. His desire to illuminate their significant contributions to art, film, and music and to advance their legacy is the impetus behind this exhibition.
In his artist statement, Dr. Woods shares that, despite a conventional liberal arts education, he remained woefully unaware of the existence and contributions of African American artists to American culture: “I decided to continue my education with the intention of reclaiming ‘ancestral legacies’ pertaining to African American visual culture… I have enjoyed a successful and rewarding career as an art historian who has researched and taught the triumphs and tragedies of what it has meant to be a Black artist in America. As part of that process, I chose to paint portraits of several of my ‘artist heroes,’ knowing that I, in a very modest way, stand on the shoulders of their pioneering efforts. Initially, these paintings were for my personal gratification as small tributes and a way to help me to hone my portrait-painting skills. But as their numbers grew, I realized that they formed a unique collection of visual ‘memories,’ and I am honored to now share them publicly.”
Dr. Woods is an emeritus professor of the African American and African Diaspora Studies Program at UNCG, which he directed from 1994 to 2008. He received his BFA at UNC Chapel Hill, his MFA in studio arts at UNCG and his PhD in art history from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Frank Woods Lecture and Celebration
Tuesday, Feb. 14, 4-5 p.m. in the Margaret and Bill Benjamin Auditorium and Weatherspoon Art Museum atrium, first floor: Dr. Frank Woods will give a lecture focused on the life and artistic accomplishments of Robert Seldon Duncanson (1821-1872), America’s first great painter of African descent.
From the Weatherspoon Art Museum’s Event page:
This talk attempts to resolve a long underlying debate connected with Duncanson scholarship as to the possibility that he “passed” for white as a means of negotiating successfully a career in painting. Consequently, this talk focuses on his “dilemma” of racial identity and evaluates extant information for clues of this “racial transgression.” Lastly, this talk examines various stages of his career where passing may have been a viable option and whether the risk of blurring color lines was, ultimately, beneficial to artistic and personal reward.
THE CAROLINIAN 
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