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Bardo Arts Center Blog

Explore upcoming events, experiences, and opportunities!

Picture Character Promo Poop Rock

Picture Character

The rapid rise 📈 of emoji (Japanese for “picture character”) is a global 🌍 phenomenon without precedent. Their widespread use and ability to convey complex messages have not only cemented emoji's place as an emerging digital language 🗣, but prompted difficult questions 🤔 about the creation of a language and digital communication’s fraught ties 😣 to identity and inclusion. In PICTURE CHARACTER, Directors Martha Shane and Ian Cheney lead viewers 👀 on a deep dive into the ever-evolving world of picture characters, from their humble beginnings in Japan 󾓥 to mobile keyboards 📱 the world 🌎 over, and shed fresh light 💡 on the private consortium 👥 that approves new emoji offerings and the individuals fighting ✊ to make the language more representative of its billions of users.  

Nicole Brewer

Anti-Racist Arts Workshop

Nicole Brewer, creator of Conscientious Theatre Training and originator of the Anti-Racist Theatre (A.R.T.) movement is teaching her unique approach which blends anti-racist theory, social justice, collectivism, healing justice and theatre exercises for an embodied understanding of racism and our agency to become anti-racist.  

Virtual Opportunities

Virtual Opportunities 2020-2021

Explore a wide variety of virtual opportunities from the WCU Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center (BAC), the BAC Performance Hall, and the Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts. Discover on-demand experiences and a selection of upcoming virtual exhibitions, films, and more.   

Tekki Lomnicki in Code of the Freaks

Code of the Freaks

Code of the Freaks presents a radical reframing of the use of disabled characters in film. Using hundreds of clips spanning over 100 years of moviemaking, and a cast of disabled artists, scholars and activists, it’s a scorching critique of some of Hollywood’s most beloved characters. This revelatory documentary investigates the power of movie imagery to shape the beliefs and behaviors of the general public toward disabled people, and of disabled people toward themselves.   

Picture Character Official Promo Image

SouthArts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers

Although the Hall will be closed to the public, we are offering a streaming documentary film series featuring opportunities to meet various members of the film crew through a virtual post-film Q and A experience. The films are part of the SouthArts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers and will be available to watch on any device, including your TV through a Roku and more. Further information, including ticketing details, coming soon!  

Lonnie Holley in his studio in 2018

Thumbs Up for Mother Universe: Stories from the Life of Lonnie Holley

Filmed over 20 years, Thumbs Up for Mother Universe, tells Lonnie Holley's story, revealing how one man's instinct to create has enabled him to succeed against all odds - a journey from garbage dumps and prison camps, to festival stages and The Met.  

Reggae Boyz Film Still

Reggae Boyz

Reggae Boyz uses pop cultures’ most transcendent forces – sports and music – to delve into the heart and soul of Jamaica. The documentary tells the inspiring story of the Jamaica National Soccer Team's 2014 journey to the World Cup.   

Taller Lenateros Video Tour Still

Taller Lenateros Video Tour

Enjoy a studio tour from featured artists in the WCU Fine Art Museum permanent collection, Taller Leñateros, exploring some of their techniques and materials used to make artist books.   

Picture a Scientist

Picture a Scientist

A biologist, a chemist, and a geologist, lead viewers on a journey deep into their own experiences in the sciences, overcoming brutal harassment, institutional discrimination, and years of subtle slights to revolutionize the culture of science, providing perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all.  

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