Arts Everywhere Day set for April 12

Carolina boasts a variety of talented artists using different mediums. From graphic artists to experimental musicians, there is a place for all types of creativity.

Ashley Melzer, the director of Carolina’s Arts and Humanities Grant Studio, had this breadth of artistic offerings on her mind when coordinating this year’s Arts Everywhere Day, set for April 12.

“In the past, Arts Everywhere Day has often relied on a specific theme,” Melzer said. “This year I voted to get rid of it. We’re trying to show that art is everywhere on campus and that it’s really generative.”

The all-day event, now in its eighth year, aims to celebrate arts on campus. Be it the performers at PlayMakers Repertory Company or a new student group, all creative outlets are welcome.

With the help of seniors and Chancellor’s Fellows Taliajah Vann, Victoria Bryant and Jesus Enriquez, Melzer has worked to make the event representative of the student body.

“The Chancellor’s Fellows really get a student perspective in the room,” Melzer said. “It makes sure that, as a staff member, I’m not dictating what I think the student body cares about.”

No matter what part of campus you’re on, there will be opportunities to engage with art. And in the case of rain, Melzer knows from prior experience that an indoor celebration would still be rewarding to Tar Heels.

“Last year, due to rain, we had to move the event to the Student Union,” Melzer said. “But it wound up being beautiful because we had K-pop dancers next to Latin dancers and a cappella groups. If you sat there all day, you got introduced to everything that this campus has to offer.”

The centerpiece events will be an interactive fair at the Pit and a performance showcase on the South Building steps. Here is the day’s full schedule:

“The Longleaf Pine Savanna: An Artistic Exploration of an Ecosystem,” 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Pegg Exhibit Hall, North Carolina Botanical Garden.
“Initiations” exhibition, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Brown Gallery, Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History.
“Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum,” 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Ackland Art Museum.
Arts Everywhere interactive art fair, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit.
Rubber stamp carving, 12:30-2 p.m., International Student and Scholar Services office, FedEx Global Education Center.
Tour: A Closer Look at “Past Forward,” 1-1:30 p.m., Ackland Art Museum.
Button making for Arts Everywhere and National Library Week, 1-3 p.m., Davis Library.
Blackout poetry zines, 2-4 p.m., Sloane Art Library, Hanes Art Center.
Arts Everywhere performance showcase, 6-8 p.m., South Building.
“This Art Belongs to the Artist: Art as Human Rights” exhibition and symposium, 3-7 p.m., Hanes Art Center.
Artists’ Conversation: Caldwell Artists-in-Residence Teri Greeves and Keri Ataumbi, 6 p.m., Ackland Art Museum.
“The Game,” 7:30 p.m., Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art.