Community Calendar

Rail Trail Lights is back from February 3-19! The Rail Trail will celebrate local art with 6 never-before-seen interactive light installations. Attendees can stroll down the Rail Trail enjoying one-of-a-kind art, with opportunities to take the perfect photo, grab a bite to eat, explore the South End neighborhood, and do it all again the next day.

The Independent Picture House, Charlotte’s only non-profit community cinema, is proud to announce its first annual Black Film Series, which will take place during February's Black History Month. The series will be presented in partnership with three screening partners who helped shape the programming of films: the "Classic Black Film Series", the "CineOdyssey Film Festival" and the "Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists". Throughout the series, eight featured movies will be shown. There will also be at least one "talk back" event each week, where a community leader, educator or media will lead a discussion
with the audience about one of the films shown.

Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts, known for its popular theatre education programs and live performances for young people, has announced its School of Theatre acting class schedule and student performance dates for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.

Students will come to class one day a week starting the week of September 12 and continuing through February 10, 2023. Class dates and times vary, please see schedule. Each week students will build on material learned in class. Participating students will eligible to audition for the following Spring 2023 School of Theatre productions:

THE CHOCOLATE WAR- March 17-18, 2023

SCHOOL DAYS- March 18, 2023

MISS NELSON IS MISSING- March 18-19, 2023

MATILDA JR.- March 24 -25, 2023

ZOMBIE PROM- March 25-26, 2023

Parents who want to learn more about the School of Theatre classes and/or register their children may do so by going to www.matthewsplayhouse.com/classes222. Anyone who registers before August 12, 2022 will receive $20 off their class registrations.

Rail Trail Lights is back from February 3-19! The Rail Trail will celebrate local art with 6 never-before-seen interactive light installations. Attendees can stroll down the Rail Trail enjoying one-of-a-kind art, with opportunities to take the perfect photo, grab a bite to eat, explore the South End neighborhood, and do it all again the next day.

The Department of Religious Studies Presents Carolyn Chen, Department of Ethnic Studies University of California Berkeley

Work may be the new religion in Silicon Valley, a concept that has implications for hard-working employees everywhere. The Department of Religious Studies at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte presents “Work Pray Code: What Happens When Work Becomes Religion?” The lecture and Q&A will be presented by Carolyn Chen, Co-Director of the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion as part of the 38th Annual Loy H. Witherspoon Lecture. Dr. Chen has conducted more than five years of in-depth interviews with Silicon Valley tech workers to examine how and why companies bring religious practices and ideas into work spaces and cultures. This study shows that work comes to satisfy needs for identity, belonging, purpose, and even transcendence that have traditionally been associated with organized religion. She warns that adopting and repurposing practices like meditation and mindfulness in the workplace weakens not only religious institutions but the social and civic institutions that were once the foundations of our communities.

The Loy H. Witherspoon lecture is the oldest endowed lecture series at UNC Charlotte, and the Department of Religious Studies is celebrating its 50th year at the University. Learn more.

Carolyn Chen received her doctorate in Sociology from UC Berkeley in 2002. At UC Berkeley, Professor Chen is Co-Director of the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion, a member of the Center for Chinese Studies, and the Religious Diversity Cluster at the Othering and Belonging Institute, and an affiliate in the Department of Sociology. Prior to teaching at Berkeley, she was Associate Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies at Northwestern University, where she served as Director of the Asian American Studies Program. Professor Chen’s research focuses on two areas: work and religion in contemporary America, and religion, race, and ethnicity, especially among Asian Americans. She is author of Getting Saved in America: Taiwanese Immigration and Religious Experience (Princeton 2008) and co-editor of Sustaining Faith Traditions: Race, Ethnicity and Religion among the Latino and Asian-American Second Generation (NYU 2012). Her new book is Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley (Princeton 2022).

The Independent Picture House, Charlotte’s only non-profit community cinema, is proud to announce its first annual Black Film Series, which will take place during February's Black History Month. The series will be presented in partnership with three screening partners who helped shape the programming of films: the "Classic Black Film Series", the "CineOdyssey Film Festival" and the "Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists". Throughout the series, eight featured movies will be shown. There will also be at least one "talk back" event each week, where a community leader, educator or media will lead a discussion
with the audience about one of the films shown.

Calling all dancers and not-yet dancers with and without disabilities: Inspire Inclusion Dance/Step Together is an inclusive dance program that invites beginning through advanced dancers to join together in dance and friendship. Classes include technique but focuses on creative exploration and development utilizing Laban Efforts and basic elements of dance as building blocks for moving together and community building. We offer in person classes at multiple locations, ZOOM classes and performances. Register Today! New classes starting mid-March.

Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts, known for its popular theatre education programs and live performances for young people, has announced its School of Theatre acting class schedule and student performance dates for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.

Students will come to class one day a week starting the week of September 12 and continuing through February 10, 2023. Class dates and times vary, please see schedule. Each week students will build on material learned in class. Participating students will eligible to audition for the following Spring 2023 School of Theatre productions:

THE CHOCOLATE WAR- March 17-18, 2023

SCHOOL DAYS- March 18, 2023

MISS NELSON IS MISSING- March 18-19, 2023

MATILDA JR.- March 24 -25, 2023

ZOMBIE PROM- March 25-26, 2023

Parents who want to learn more about the School of Theatre classes and/or register their children may do so by going to www.matthewsplayhouse.com/classes222. Anyone who registers before August 12, 2022 will receive $20 off their class registrations.

Rail Trail Lights is back from February 3-19! The Rail Trail will celebrate local art with 6 never-before-seen interactive light installations. Attendees can stroll down the Rail Trail enjoying one-of-a-kind art, with opportunities to take the perfect photo, grab a bite to eat, explore the South End neighborhood, and do it all again the next day.

Get ready for the next edition of our community concert series, OneBand, hosted in partnership with the amazing humans at Charlotte is Creative! Enjoy a mini concert performed by a group of local musicians, as well as a special guest performer or two throughout the night! It's totally free to attend, and the amazing StrudelTeig Food Truck will be serving dinner during the event!