December 13, 2019
Two new art exhibits have arrived in Chapel Hill and the community is invited to visit and enjoy a variety of works by local artists. Coordinated by the Town of Chapel Hill’s Community Arts & Culture division, the exhibits provide opportunities to experience the arts in unsuspecting places around the community. A new show, Altered Chapel Hill, has popped up in Gallery 109, the vacant space on E. Franklin Street that the Town, Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, and UNC Arts Everywhere are pioneering as a space for the arts. In Chapel Hill Town Hall, a retrospective exhibit is on display, featuring a variety of art from 10 regional artists from the 2018-2019 Juried Exhibition series.
Altered Chapel Hill, created by artist Wendy Spitzer, features vintage postcards of campus and community that have been altered with unusual images and elements. “I juxtapose unusual images from multiple eras, often in surprising, amusing, and absurdist ways, creating a conversation between the viewer in the present and the place in the past. “ says Spitzer. The exhibit also includes pieces crafted by Chapel Hill community members who participated in special art workshops hosted by Spitzer this fall. The show also includes a piece that gallery goers can alter themselves, co-creating a new Altered Chapel Hill image during the run of the show. Spitzer’s work can also be viewed on the bus shelter near Ehringhaus Dorm on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus as part of the Art + Transit project, a collaboration with Community Arts & Culture and Chapel Hill Transit.
Chapel Hill Town Hall is also a place for the community to enjoy art from local artists. Through January 15th, a retrospective showcases the 2018-2019 Juried Exhibitions artists and a variety of artistic forms. The retrospective series was curated by UNC Arts Everywhere Associate Director, Kathryn Wagner, “These selections are diverse in content and style and certainly demonstrate the overflowing creativity that can be found in Chapel Hill. But what unites them this vast range of art? Possibility. That’s the word that bubbled to the forefront of my mind as I was curating this exhibit. As we approach the end of the year – and the decade – it’s a great time for reflection on what’s come before, and a chance to dream about the possibilities and opportunities of the New Year. And to me, that’s what this exhibit is all about. A celebration of all that’s possible.”
Gallery 109 is a joint collaboration with Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture, UNC Arts Everywhere, and Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership. Both Gallery 109 and Town Hall exhibit are free and open to all. To learn about exhibits hours, the artists, or more arts happenings around Chapel Hill, visit chapelhillarts.org.
Altered Chapel Hill
109 East Franklin St., Downtown Chapel Hill
Thursday, December 5, 2019 – Sunday, January 5, 2020
Thursdays – Sundays, 12 :00 – 6:00 p.m.
**A special Artist Reception happening Fri. Dec. 13 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., part of 2nd Friday ArtWalk
In celebration of Chapel Hill’s 200th anniversary celebration, artist Wendy Spitzer (a.k.a Felix Obelix) has created altered vintage postcards from unusual images and elements of Chapel Hill’s recent and distant past. These pieces will be on display in addition to community creations, which were made at workshops led by Spitzer.
Juried Spaces Retrospective
Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill
Friday, December 6, 2019 – Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Mondays – Fridays, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
**A special Artist Reception happening Fri. Dec. 13 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
The Juried Exhibition Retrospective will celebrate the past year of exceptional artistry by showcasing the 2018-2019 Juried Exhibition Series artists including: Elise Alexander, Maria de Bruyn, Sharon Hardin, Jean Kaplan, Lilly Langer, Duncan Lewis, Wayne Marcelli, Miriam Sagasti, Farid Sani, and Eric Serritella.