Art & Art History

Art Teacher at WM Irvin Elementary School, Concord, NC

Two recent alumni from the Department of Art & Art History have curated a new exhibition at the Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art that features print media works by five alumni. Disrupting the Matrix: Impressions, which opened on December 1, was curated by Nicole Thrower ‘21 and Jennifer Minnis ‘21, both associates at the gallery. […]

As College of Arts + Architecture student office assistants, Lysa Fakir and Rayden Leeder have brought friendliness and professionalism to the CoA+A main office for the past two academic years. They are both graduating, and we will miss them! Lysa is receiving a BFA in Art with a concentration in illustration and a Minor in […]

Hometown: Da Nang city, Vietnam BFA in Illustration 2025 How did you first get interested in art?In high school, I had a friend, who liked to draw, sitting next to me, and  I wanted to make friends with her, so I started picking up the pen. After practicing for a while,  I realized how bad I was […]

Printmaker, Gallery Assistant at Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art, Charlotte

Hometown: Charlotte, NC BFA in Print Media 2025 How did you first get interested in art?I began sketching at an early age but what drew me into the world of art was the Frida Kahlo biopic. After watching, I couldn’t help but say to myself that I’m going to become an artist! A successful black […]

This is the second December in a row that a member of Valentina Varela’s family has graduated from UNC Charlotte. Last year, her brother, Juan, received a B.S.B.A. in Finance and a B.A. in Spanish. This December, it’s Valentina’s turn. Valentina was 15 when her family moved from her native Colombia to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. […]

Several faculty and alumni in the College of Arts + Architecture have been recognized in the 2023 “Best in the Nest” Awards presented by Charlotte independent weekly newspaper Queen City Nerve. Covering a wide range of categories, the annual awards include both Critics’ and Readers’ Picks. In the “City Life” Category, professors Heather Freeman and […]

In collaboration with The Nicholson Project, alumnus Antoine Williams ‘03 has created four multimedia public artworks located in different quadrants of Washington, DC. Each Afrofuturist mural of the series Mythic Futures features a different mythical being that is portrayed in a way that represents contemporary Black life. Williams has said that this project serves as […]

A new podcast by Professor of Digital Media Heather Freeman, published by public media organization PRX, launches on Tuesday, October 24. Over three seasons, Magic in the United States will unveil the secrets of magical and spiritual America by exploring enchanted beliefs, practices, and cultural conflicts past and present. The podcast is available free on-demand […]