The concept of time has intrigued artists and scientists alike. Exploring this concept is the focus of the Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) event “Exploding Canons: All the Time in the World” scheduled for Friday, Jan. 25, at the McColl Center for Visual Art.
The evening will begin with a 5:30 p.m. reception, followed by a discussion at 6:30 p.m., featuring national and local academic experts, including visiting artists from the McColl Center. They will consider time through art, physics, biology, environmental science and personal experiences. Following the panel discussion, the art exhibition “All the Time in the World” will remain open until 9 p.m. CTI designed the event in conjunction with the exhibition, which opens that evening.
“The McColl Center has been a leader in arts integration in the Charlotte community for many years,” said Scott Gartlan, director of the Charlotte Teachers Institute. “This natural collaboration expands our signature approach to interdisciplinary study by showcasing six scholars from four states in six different educational institutions from Stanford University to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. This will be an unprecedented cultural and scientific event.”
The exhibition features video, installation and mixed media work by Gail Wight, associate professor of art practice at Stanford University, and Mary Tsiongas, associate professor of art and art history at the University of New Mexico. Exhibition curator Arif Khan, curator of art at the Clay Center for Arts and Sciences, said the exhibition “explores creative ways of expressing or marking time and shows how an understanding of science can influence the practice of contemporary art.”
Topics and presenters in the panel discussion will be:
- “Visualizing the Invisible Universe: From the Very Large to the Very Small” – Mario Belloni, professor of physics, Davidson College
- “Images of Time: Photography and Film in Contemporary Art” – Jae Emerling, professor of art and art history, UNC Charlotte
- “Reflecting Sustainability Through Art: Production, Consumption and Waste in the Modern World” – Beth Lasure, art teacher, Mallard Creek High School
Lasure, a founding teacher leader in CTI, was named recently as a McColl Center artist-in-residence. Her remarks will focus on curriculum ideas related to art and science she developed in a recent CTI seminar. Khan will moderate the panel. Wight and Tsiongas will join the local academics in the discussion, which includes a question-and-answer period.
The “Exploding Canons” program and the McColl Center exhibition are free and open to the public. CMS educators from all grades and subject areas are especially encouraged to attend. Seating for “Exploding Canons” is limited, so registration at the CTI website is recommended.
The McColl Center is located at 721 N. Tryon St. Free parking is available in the McColl Center lot at the corner of 10th and Church streets. Metered parking also is available on 10th, Church and Tryon streets (free after 6 p.m.). Handicapped-accessible parking is located in the small lot directly behind the McColl Center on Church Street.
The “Exploding Canons” speaker series optimizes the partnerships among CTI to offer educators and the public collaborative educational opportunities that highlight university and college faculty, explore diverse topics in an interdisciplinary manner, and encourage community conversation. This marks the eighth event in the “Exploding Canons” series, which has served more than 1,500 people, half of whom were CMS teachers.