Presented by The Arts at Queens as part of a collaboration with the Charlotte Symphony and its partners, "Changing Places: A Student Colloquium" will take place on the Queens campus on Friday, October 30, 2009, at 3 p.m. The event will give students from Charlotte-area campuses a forum for presenting academic and creative work.

The Charlotte region is changing, with new people arriving for a projected population of more than a million by 2010. People are moving here from Mexico, Bosnia, New York, India, California, and many other places, bringing with them their traditions and cultural perspectives. A Levine Museum of the New South exhibit, "Changing Places: From Black and White to Technicolor"®, explores these cultural changes and exchanges. Inspired by this exhibit, the Charlotte Symphony has developed the "Orchestra on Campus 2009" project in partnership with the Levine Museum, The Mint Museum, and area colleges and universities. Through "Changing Places: The Effects of Migration and Immigration on Artistic Expression," the Symphony and its partners will explore how cultural identity is expressed artistically, how changing places influences an artist’s work, how art can facilitate communication among cultures, and how art reinforces or destroys stereotype.

Queens invites faculty and students to explore one of the many themes suggested by "Changing Places"—the complex issues of culture, identity, stereotype, and language, and the relationship between culture and art. Faculty will submit the best student work for consideration, and a small group at Queens will develop the colloquium program. Decisions will be made in regards to excellence and on how the entries reflect the theme, with an eye toward creating a program comprised of diverse campus presenters, responses, and genres. All participating students and faculty will be invited to attend the event, and select students will be invited to present their work. Some work may also be published by Queens in early 2010. The colloquium will include a reception where all in attendance may participate in an exchange of ideas.

The deadline for entries is Monday, October 5, 2009. We will be happy to e-mail you complete submission guidelines. Send a request to Julie Funderburk, Faculty Arts Liaison for The Arts at Queens.