The Charlotte Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. We are supported by individual donors, grants, sponsorships, and revenue from our programs. We are as strong as the community that supports us. Our programming begins early 2021. Join us as a founding member and sponsor.
The Charlotte Center
for the humanities & civic imagination
where the curious engage for good.
Our mission is to help people and communities flourish. The Charlotte Center accomplishes its mission by bringing people together to explore human flourishing through the lens of the humanities and civic imagination. We seek to deepen
human connection so we might live our best lives.
The more we know about ourselves and each other, the wiser we are in what we do.
Join us for the
2025 Charlotte ideas festival!
Join us as we launch Charlotte SHOUT! with an unforgettable evening celebrating the festival’s four vibrant pillars: Food, Music, Arts, and Ideas. This kickoff at the newly restored Carolina Theatre will set the stage for two weeks of creativity, culture, and community. The evening will culminate with the official launch of the Charlotte Ideas Festival, featuring a timely keynote presentation by AI leader Noelle Russell on the crucial intersection of innovation and ethics. Tickets: $25
How might we preserve the city’s history in the places we eat? Join us for an evening with Jamie Brown, co-founder of Supperland, Haberdish, Ever Andalo, Growlers Pourhouse, and Reigning Doughnuts, for an intimate conversation about how food and historic preservation intersect. With a passion for restoring historic buildings and transforming them into beloved dining destinations, Jamie has reimagined old spaces—like a former church turned award-winning steakhouse and a textile mill reborn as a Southern kitchen. Tickets: $25
How do ideas evolve? How does history shape the present and future? Join us in partnership with UNC Charlotte for Timelines, a day of panel discussions, interviews, and creative activations featuring local and regional thought leaders who challenge conventional wisdom and explore the ever-changing landscape of knowledge. Throughout the day, engage in conversations that examine shifting narratives, breakthrough innovations, and transformative practices. Join us for one session or the whole day! All Day Pass: $25
Join us at the Carolina Theatre for an exclusive lunchtime conversation with Rick Schnall, co-chairman of the Charlotte Hornets, and co-president of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice private equity firm, as he takes you behind the scenes of the sports industry. From the complexities of managing an NBA franchise to the business strategies that drive team success, this discussion will provide a unique look at the high-stakes world where athletics and business intersect. Tickets: $25
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation invites you to join us for a remarkable literary evening at the Carolina Theatre featuring two of today’s most celebrated authors, Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson, as they come together for an intimate and engaging conversation. Tickets $35/$50 - Available March 1st!
What are the myths of modern parenting? What practices give meaning to raising children? Michelle Icard is the author of three bestselling books on parenting and the challenges of raising children today. Tickets $25
Watch past Events
“vision is not enough. It must be combined with venture. it is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.”
-vaclav havel
WE COMBINE THE HUMANITIES AND CIVIC IMAGINATION
The Humanities
The humanities explore and express the human experience. Poetry, literature, history, philosophy, religion, and the arts help us make sense of our lives. They ask questions about what is good. How should we live. And what is the right thing to do. We find answers in stories. In what we believe. In the things we create. The humanities offer a basis for a different kind of conversation: one that seeks to understand who we are and who we can be.
Civic Imagination
Civic imagination is a process by which citizens envision a better tomorrow and ways to make it happen. It is exercises and prompts that unlock creativity for a more optimum future. Civic imagination helps turn questions into answers and ideas into action.
“AND NOW,” CRIED MAX, “LET THE WILD RUMPUS START.”
- maurice sendak
Where the Curious Engage for Good
The Charlotte Ideas Festival is a 6-day festival within the 3-week Charlotte SHOUT! festival that celebrates Food-Art-Music-Ideas. Encounter leading thinkers discussing the most compelling and timely topics. Meet fellow curious people. Participate in great nights of connection and conversation!
Our programs
Our programs are integrated and holistic, moving from experience to action. The Forum is a speaker series that brings people together to build relationships and spur ideas for more flourishing lives; our Civic Reflection program helps people be more engaged; the Charlotte Ideas Festival is a celebration of the humanities and civic imagination; all designed to help people and communities live their best lives.
