Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) will hold its second annual ArtsFest celebration on March 25-29 on the Central Campus of CPCC (1201 Elizabeth Avenue). This week-long community celebration of the creative arts will include events focusing on extraordinary literature, film, music, history, and much more. The festival includes many free events during the day and some evenings as well as two outstanding ticketed events in the beautiful Dale F. Halton Theater. This year’s theme, Celebrating People, Culture, and Creativity, honors artists with ties to the Carolinas.

For 14 years, CPCC has held an annual Literary Festival, which highlighted nationally recognized, as well as local authors. This year’s event will not only include a literary component, but will highlight various facets of the arts including a wide variety of classical music genres, film, bluegrass/folk music, history, and more.

 

Some of the highlights for this year’s event include North Carolina Poet Laureate and Irene Honeycutt Distinguished Lecturer Kathryn Stripling Byer, renowned writer and John Simon Guggenheim Fellow A. Van Jordan, rock/folk/bluegrass band Acoustic Syndicate, and former CPCC student and National Geographic

Documentary Film producer Cindy Castano discussing her work on slavery in the Sudan. Basketball Hall of Fame and former world famous superstar of the Harlem Globetrotters, Meadowlark Lemon, will be part of the event as well. Meadowlark is the founder and CEO of the Meadowlark Lemon Foundation and an ordained minister spearheading a youth outreach ministry.

New to ArtsFest this year is the Saturday Festival on the Green, a family-oriented event which will feature music, one act plays, artisans at work, an interactive community art project, storytelling, and much more.

 

Admission to most of the events is free to the public. Tickets for Acoustic Syndicate and bluegrass band EIGHTTwentythree can be purchased at the CPCC Box Office at 704.330.6534.

”CPCC’s ArtsFest offers something for everyone,” states Dr. Tony Zeiss, President of Central Piedmont Community College. “This event allows us to

showcase our outstanding arts program at the College as well as bring the community into our first class performance venues. We believe this will become a yearly ‘must-do’ event for arts enthusiasts in this region.”

Below are some of the highlights of the week. A full listing of events can be found at www.cpcc.edu – KEYWORD: ArtsFest

Tuesday, March 25 – Film People
7:30-9:30 p.m. – Halton Theater - Charlotte’s most renowned feature film producers and directors will step up to the Halton Theater’s stage with their
globally recognized credentials to celebrate Film People. Basketball Hall of Famer and world famous superstar of the Harlem Globetrotters Meadowlark Lemon will present at this event.
Wednesday, March 26 –
7:00-9:00 p.m. – Pease Auditorium - North Carolina Poet Laureate and Irene Honeycutt Distinguished Lecturer Kathryn Stripling Byer
7:30-9:00 p.m. – Tate Hall – CPCC Press LIVE! With SlamCharlotte. SlamCharlotte was awarded the National Champions in 2007. SlamMaster, Bluz Rogers, currently the 13^th ranked individual poet in the world, will be performing on Wednesday evening.
Thursday, March 27 -
3:30-6:00 p.m. – Tate Hall – Meet the Architect: Frank Harmon FAIA, a regional architect known for his sophisticated modernist structures.

7:00-10:00 p.m. – Halton Theatre - Acoustic Syndicate (tickets $10) – Formed in 1992, Acoustic Syndicate is a rock/folk/bluegrass band from North Carolina. The group has toured nationally and is characterized by their three-part vocal harmony and complex banjo playing. Lyrically, they discuss themes relating to subsistence, sustainability, and quality of life.
Friday, March 28 -
12:30-2:00 p.m. – Tate Hall – Producing Local History – CPCC President Dr. Tony Zeiss and community leaders Charles Jonas and George Dewey IV will discuss the importance of local history.

2:30-4:30 p.m. – Tate Hall – Meet the Artist with Chas Fagan, a nationally recognized painter and sculptor based in Charlotte, N.C. Among Mr. Fagan’s many commissions include a portrait of Barbara Bush which hangs in the White House.
7:00-10:00 p.m. – Halton Theater - An evening of bluegrass with EIGHTTwentythree and author John Santa, plus Moonshine Racers (ticketed event - $10 or $5 with valid student ID – free if you purchase a ticket to Acoustic Syndicate)
Saturday, March 29 -
Noon-6 p.m. – Green area in front of Overcash Performing Arts Center -
Festival on the Green will feature artisans sharing their work, children’s bilingual storybook telling, food, games, and much more. Entertainers that day include Los Trabucos, Dances of India, and U-Phonik.

All Week: Ross Gallery Art Exhibit – Exposing Scarlet: A Visual Response to the Scarlet Letter.

Sponsors for the event include Charlotte Weekly (official media sponsor), Bojangles, AT&T, Sunbelt Rentals, Efollet.com, Mediasite, Creative Loafing (official sponsor of Acoustic Syndicate), Cochran Enterprises (sponsor of Film People), Blitz Bottom Line, Healthy Dairy, and Sonny’s BBQ.

For updated information, logon to the website at www.cpcc.edu – KEYWORD: ArtsFest. For tickets, call 704.330.6534.