The Brief – March 2022
MARCH 2022 • The Festival of Ideas Issue CONTENT Planting Seeds The Festival of Ideas A Word Planting Seeds A blade of grass, a field of poppies, a grove of trees, all begin with a seed. Ideas too, like a palmful of seeds, hold the power to bring us beauty, inspiration, nourishment, comfort and shelter.
April 8-10, The Charlotte Center’s Festival of Ideas is set to be an oasis for the mind. The Festival, a partnership with Charlotte SHOUT!, comprises 7 thought-provoking gatherings, features 5 celebrated innovators, and spans 3 days. Countless ideas are in store!
The Charlotte Center believes in the power of gathering as a community to share hopes, exchange perspectives, and envision fresh possibilities. We bring together people, facilitate connections, and enliven the humanities—languages, literature, history, philosophy, religion, and more—with discussions that seed imaginative, real-world solutions for a stronger city and flourishing residents.
You are invited to help kick off our inaugural Festival of Ideas. It will take place in various museums and venues along South Tryon Street and the Levine Center for the Arts. Each gathering is free to the public with registration. Seats are limited, so register today. Details below.
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” ELEANOR ROOSEVELT American political figure and activist 
Don’t Miss The Festival of Ideas at Charlotte SHOUT! 
FUN x INSPIRATION 
AVENUE OF IDEAS GUERILLA POETS
The Avenue of Ideas will celebrate poetry with performances by Guerilla Poets. Guerilla Poets, a local non-profit group of artists, carries a mission to create access to the power of the arts through spoken work poetry. The poets write, perform, and teach youth across the region how to listen, honor, and share their unique voices.
Come get lifted, get in touch, and get to thinking on the Avenue of Ideas!
Levine Avenue of the Arts Friday, April 8 3:00-5:00 pm CIVIC LIFE 
THE FORUM FEATURING TED SPEAKER AND WRITER ERIC LIU With a Special Musical Performance by MercuryCarter
Leaders grow and flourish with ongoing learning. Communities benefit from adapting to the times. Eric Liu will share his ideas and insights on civic life and leadership.
Based in Seattle, Liu directs the Aspen Institute’s Citizenship & American Identity Program and is a correspondent at The Atlantic magazine. Liu, a former White House speechwriter, has authored multiple books. His latest is Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility and Democracy, which grows out of the Civic Saturday phenomenon that Liu and his team pioneered and has now spread nationwide.
Come hear and learn from Liu while connecting with fellow leaders and impassioned citizens. It’s sure to be an unforgettable evening!
Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture Friday, April 8 6:00 pm | Reception with appetizers and beverages; cash bar for wine and beer 7:00 pm | The Forum: Connect. Consider. Ignite. 9:00 pm | Optional: 'The After-Party' for reflection and conversation hosted by our board chair FUN x INSPIRATION 
AVENUE OF IDEAS DRUMS4LIFE
The Avenue of Ideas will celebrate world beats and culture with African drumming. Drums4Life, a local non-profit organization, is an African drumming troupe that will bring their unique energy and spirit to the streets of Uptown. The drummers combine music, history, and hands-on healing through the rhythmic power of drumming.
You'll enjoy lively performance, learn a little history, and engage with ancient and modern traditions.
Levine Avenue of the Arts Saturday, April 9 10:00 am – 12:00 pm LEARNING 
LECTURE ON 'THE FUTURE OF LEARNING' FEATURING EDUCATOR AND AUTHOR SAM CHALTAIN
A new world is struggling to be born. It will not emerge through the reinvention of institutions and social structures. It will not arrive solely through the reformation of policies and priorities. The world we seek depends on our ability to remember that our identity is interwoven into a living planet, and an interdependent human family. The fullness of our humanity, the sustainability of our planet, and the emergence of a better world rest within a new story of learning.
Sam Chaltain, an educator, school designer, and author, is dedicated to reorienting the way we think about learning, the future, and one another. Believing “the future is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed,” Sam provides a framework for remaking our schools, our workspaces, and our social structures in ways that align with the design principles of the natural world.
Come for an eclectic, provocative presentation of ideas. Your basic understanding of our place on the planet will be forever altered.
Wells Fargo Auditorium Saturday, April 9 4:00-5:30 pm CREATIVE EXPRESSION 
PAGE & STAGE OPEN MIC FEATURING ACCLAIMED POET MAHOGANY L. BROWNE
Whether you identify as a page poet or spoken word artist, poets everywhere are invited to take the stage and share words and wisdom in an open mic and musical gathering. Don’t miss the art and energy of our brilliant guest emcee and amazing poets throughout the Queen City.
SHOUT! Lounge Saturday, April 9 6:00-7:30 pm HEALING 
‘IN THE LIGHT & UNDER THE SKIN’ AN IMMERSIVE ART EXPERIENCE FEATURING GUEST ARTIST BRETT PHARES & A PANEL WITH JOEL BONASERA, ANGELA GALA, AND JUSTIN PERRY
Can an art form address the social challenges we face and help heal trauma using projected light to express unconscious, even genetic, solutions to our psycho-social maladies?
Stirred by the ambient-media works of NYC-based artist and curator Brett Phares, leading local thinkers and doers will explore this question and more. Angela Gala will moderate a discussion with Phares and panelists—therapist and social justice activist Justin Perry, LCSW, and physicist Joel Bonasera—on the healing power of light.
Phares, widely known for working in immersive art and the built environment, has 20+ years of experience in interactive media. He has created innovative projects for both startups and international brands, all informing the visual syntax of his personal work. Phares earned an MFA from Hunter College in Integrated Media Arts, and MA in Art History, Theory and Criticism from SUNY Stony Brook.
Take part in what Smithsonian Magazine and National Geographic describe as a “unique and memorable art experience”!
The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Saturday, April 9 8:00 – 9:00 pm Discussion HEALING 
IMAGINE THAT! CIVIC REFLECTION CONVERSATIONS
What appealing possibilities do you see? What is your biggest hope? Your big idea? What difference might you make in your life? In your community? In the world?
Imagine That! is an open event in the atrium of the Mint Museum Uptown. Drop in and experience prose, poetry and art and respond imaginatively to what you hear and see. Participate in facilitated Civic Reflection – an innovative discussion model that engages people in thinking deeply about their civic choices and commitments.
Come participate in a culminating carousel of conversation, prompted by readings on imagination, healing, belonging and civic life. Participants will gain greater understanding of themselves, each other, and the Charlotte community.
Mint Museum Uptown Sunday, April 10 1:00-4:00 pm About The Charlotte Center WHERE THE CURIOUS ENGAGE FOR GOOD.
The Charlotte Center is a civic action catalyst that invites people into meaningful discussion, connection and problem-solving informed by deep consideration of the human experience.
Our mission is to help people and communities flourish.
gratitude to our sponsors 
Thank you to all of our generous donors and sponsors that make our work possible. A WORD 
An idea is salvation by imagination.
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT American architect, writer and educator 
Spread the Word Please share this email with your friends, family, and colleagues who may want to join our journey of wondering, learning, and striving.
The Charlotte Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
Word to the Wise is compiled and edited monthly by Valaida Fullwood Design by Goldenrod Design Co. |
