Past Exhibitions:
A Fighting Chance
February 1, 2023 – March 31, 2023
(Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm)
The Bridge Gallery in the Art & Design Building on North Campus, N107
The Department of Art & Design at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in collaboration with Vibes, The Creative Arts Incubator, welcomes local artists who identify as Black, Indigenous or Person(s) of Color to submit their artwork to be exhibited in The Bridge Gallery in recognition of Black History Month. BIPOC+ artists have traditionally been underrepresented in United States galleries and museums and the intention of this exhibition is to recognize this while sharing The Bridge Gallery space and elevating underrepresented voices and experiences in the community.
Through the duration of the exhibition, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s Art & Design Department will host free artist workshops at both Vibes: The Creative Arts Incubator and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College that will benefit artists from all backgrounds and enhance their art practice. The purpose of these workshops is to create greater equity within the local Arts community by ensuring that artists from all backgrounds have access to the tools necessary to successfully submit and share their work. The idea for this collaborative exhibition and workshop exercise is to elevate artists in the community that may not have access to the necessary information needed to present their art in a way expected by many professional galleries. Not having this vital information makes artists less likely to be chosen for opportunities needed to grow as a professional. These workshops will be documented via video and word document and will be an accessible resource for people to utilize in the future.
Workshop 1: How to Prepare Artwork for Exhibition
· Join Full-Time Faculty Members of the Art & Design Department of Rowan Cabarrus Community College for a workshop to learn proper framing, matting, and wiring techniques for professional installation of artworks.
· The workshop will take place on Friday January 27, 2023, at Vibes: The Creative Arts Incubator located at 1915 W Innes St. Salisbury, NC from 5:30 – 7:00 PM. This workshop is free and open to the public. To access this event using public transportation, the nearest Salisbury Transit Bus Stop is located at Brenner Avenue and Statesville Blvd. For more information about this event, you can contact Jenn Gardner-Selby at 704-798-5241.
Workshop 2: How to write an Artist Statement
· Join Full-Time Faculty Members of the Art & Design Department of Rowan Cabarrus Community College for a workshop to learn how to write an impactful and meaningful artist statement. Artist statements verbalize what we make and why we make it and can help viewers and potential buyers better understand your process and practice.
· The workshop will take place on Friday February 10, 2023, at Rowan Cabarrus Community College North Campus building N107 located at 1333 Jake Alexander Blvd. South in Salisbury, NC from 5:00 – 6:30 PM. This workshop is free and open to the public. To access this event using public transportation, the nearest Salisbury Transit Bus Stop is located on Rowan Tech Road directly outside of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. For more information about this event, you can contact Jenn Gardner-Selby at 704-798-5241.
Artist Reception: February 24, 2023 from 5:00 – 6:30 PM at The Bridge Gallery at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s North Campus in building N107 located at 1333 Jake Alexander Blvd. South in Salisbury, North Carolina. To access this event using public transportation, the nearest Salisbury Transit Bus Stop is located on Rowan Tech Road directly outside of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. This reception is free and open to the public, family and friends of participating artists. For more information about this event, you can contact Jenn Gardner-Selby at 704-798-5241.
Submission Guidelines: Submission to exhibit artwork in this exhibition will begin on Monday, January 23, 2023 and remain open until Friday January 27, 2023. Submission is open to anyone who identifies as an artist, creative, or maker. Participants may drop off artwork to Vibes, The Creative Arts Incubator located at 1915 W Innes St. Salisbury, North Carolina at the following dates and times:
- Monday January 23, 2023 from 10 AM-2 PM & 4-6 PM
- Tuesday January 23 from 10 AM-2 PM & 4-6 PM
- Wednesday January 25 from 10 AM-2 PM
- Thursday January 26 from 10 AM-2 PM & 4-6PM
- Friday January 27 from 10 AM-2 PM or at the workshop from 5-6:30 PM
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College student participants may drop off work Monday January 23, 2023 through Friday January 27, 2023 to Building N107 Faculty Offices Room 110 during normal college hours.
All accepted artwork should be prepared to display.
Screening of PBS Race: Join us for the screening of PBS Race: The Power of Illusion in The Bridge Gallery in preparation for A Fighting Chance Exhibition and Black History Month:
- Wednesday January 25, 2023 from 11:00 am -12:00 pm : Screening of Part 1
- Wednesday February 1, 2023 from 11:00 am -12:00 pm : Screening of Part 2
- Wednesday February 8, 2023 from 11:00 am -12:00 pm : Screening of Part 3
- Wednesday February 8, 2023 from 12:00 -1:00 pm : Reflection & Discussion
Screening of Part 1
Virginia law once defined a black person as someone with 1/16th African ancestry; in Florida, it was 1/8th African ancestry. If you can cross a state line and literally, legally change race, what does race really mean? This program argues that the idea of race was developed and reinforced through politics, economics, and culture. Real estate practices as well as federal regulations kept new neighborhoods segregated after World War II, and it was the white families awarded mortgages whose assets accumulated, creating a legacy of opportunity for their children and grandchildren. With the starting line for the next generation drawn at different points on the field, the racial divide could only grow larger. Part of the series Race: The Power of an Illusion.
Screening of Part 2
It’s not uncommon to attribute differential group outcomes for SAT scores, musical ability, or athletic performance to innate racial traits—yet there are no characteristics, not even one gene, that distinguish all members of one “race” from another, as this program explains. The video follows a dozen students, including African-American athletes and Asian-American violin players, who sequence and compare their own DNA, only to discover their closest genetic matches are as likely to be with people from other “races” as their own. While it’s true that certain gene forms are more common in some populations than others, the students learn that these reflect ancestry, not “race.” Part of the series Race: The Power of an Illusion.
Screening of Part 3
Ironically, it was the notion of political liberty and the natural rights of man that led to the ideology of white supremacy. Ancient peoples stigmatized others on the basis of language, class, and religion, but they did not sort people into races. As the Founding Fathers grappled with the hypocrisy of slavery in the new democracy, Thomas Jefferson was among the first to discuss “the natural inferiority of Africans”—a convenient justification for social inequality, and the same type of thinking that rationalized the seizing of Native American lands. In this program the history of the concept of “race” is explored, along with the 19th-century science that legitimized racism. Part of the series Race: The Power of an Illusion.
Practice What You Teach: A Faculty Exhibition
November 15, 2022 – January 12, 2023
(Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm)
The Bridge Gallery in the Art & Design Building on North Campus, N107
An exhibition showcasing art and design work by full-time and part-time faculty members in the department of Art & Design at Rowan Cabarrus Community College.
Artist Reception: Friday, December 9, 2022 5:00-6:30 PM at the Bridge Gallery located on the North Campus building in N107. Free and open to the public.
Faculty Exhibition Artist Presentation: Thursday, January 12, 2023, 11:00AM – 12:00PM. Join us for a brief artist presentation in The Bridge Gallery located at the North Campus in building N107. Please pass this information on to your students and feel free to bring your classes.
The Designs of Democracy
October 21, 2022 – November 9, 2022
(Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm)
The Bridge Gallery in the Art & Design Building on North Campus, N107
An exhibition coinciding with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s 2022 Voter Sticker Design Contest. Each work is an artistic response to the electoral process and highlights diverse voices across Rowan and Cabarrus counties. Congratulations to the winners and finalists listed below!
Contest winners:
Cabarrus County:
- “I Voted”: Kayleon Dortch-Elliott
- “I Registered”: Manuel Antonio Cuevas Nuñez
Rowan County:
- “I Voted”: Charles Day
- “I Registered”: Carolina Vergason
Finalists:
- Jeffrey Chase Raines
- Khettie Chanthaheuang
- Dorothy Brady
- Ryan Branham
- Meredith Mozingo
- Kevin Leichman
- Elizabeth Avalos
- Carolina Vergason
- MC Dunbar
- Brianna Richer
- Richard Barbee
- Matt Landes
- Kaylee Whitley
- Sarahi Sanchez Aguilar
- Naomi Hall-Bruce
- Kyle Incardona
Closing Reception: November 4, 2022 (Friday) 5:00-7:00PM. Free and open to the public.
Film Screening Date: Willie Velasquez: Your Vote is Your Voice– October 28, 2022 (Friday) 12:00-1:30PM. Free and open to the public.
Women’s Work
September 13 – October 16, 2022
The Bridge Gallery in the Art & Design Building on North Campus
Women’s Work is a group exhibition highlighting female-identifying artists who are working in a wide range of styles and mediums including painting, photography, drawing, sculpture, and graphic arts. Even in the 21st century, the female viewpoint is still an often-minimized perspective within the arts. For example, just 11 percent of all acquisitions and 14 percent of exhibitions at 26 prominent American museums over the past decade were of work by female artists. According to a joint investigation by Artnet News and In Other Worlds, a total of 260,470 works of art have entered the museums’ permanent collections since 2008. Only 29,247 were created by women. Women’s Work is an exhibition that aims to emphasize our greater communities and elevate women’s voices and experiences, which is vital for creating a more equitable world.
Join us for an opening reception on Friday, September 16 from 5:00 – 7:00pm at The Bridge Gallery located in the North Campus Building N107.
Special Extended Programming Discussion Lunch: 10/29/22 (Thursday) 12:15-1:00pm – Presentation by SGA President, Gabrielle Brown about period poverty initiative. Bring your own bagged lunch to the North Campus in building N107. This event will also be available via Zoom.
Gabrielle Brown is Student Government Association President at Rowan-Cabarrus and is an active advocate for women’s issues. She will talk about the availability of free feminine hygiene products at the college and the importance of this and other initiatives in assisting students as they pursue their academic and career goals.
This exhibition is free and open to the public.
Spring 2021 Faculty Show
Spring 2020 Alumni Show
S.O.A.R Show
Brave Hearts – Tim Coffey
August 19 – September 13, 2019
The Bridge Gallery in the Art & Design Building on North Campus
Come view Brave Hearts, an exhibition of photographs by Tim Coffey of LBGTQ Individuals and Couples, as well as straight allies. The portraits include powerful quotes from the subjects. Inspired by the 2019 Salisbury Pride theme of “Never Silent” and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, these moving photographs capture people who are committed to living out their truth.
All are welcome to The Bridge Gallery, and there is no admission charge.
The Department of Fine & Applied Arts thanks Salisbury Pride for generously supporting this exhibition. In addition to creating his own work, Tim is one of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s freelance photographers. Learn more about Tim’s work at www.coffeyphoto.com
My Views – The Bridge
Thanks to all who participated in “My Views” during the inaugural exhibition at the The Bridge. The show is fantastic – a truly thought provoking display of the various unique perspectives that make up our community. If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit the exhibition please do. It is a must see!
Open Call – My Views:
The Bridge is located in the 700 building on North Campus at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury, NC. More information can be found at staging.rccc.edu/finearts
The Bridge Open Call Flyer
