Autavius SmithN.C. Central University art students and local artists displayed their pieces in the Alfonso Elder Student Union for the third annual Art Expo, March 2. Pop music and abstract artwork filled the building as students gathered around the art pieces laid out on vendors’ tables.
“The art expo gives us exposure and time to communicate with the community in a public space,” said junior art major and NCCU Art Club president Matthew White, who has been running the event for two years.
White said he has been interested in creating art since childhood, as his father was an art teacher in Charlotte.
“My dad influenced me [to do art] until I found my own style,” White said.
About 50 students attended the Art Expo between 6 and 10 p.m. to shop for artists’ prints and products. The prices ranged from $5 to $85 for larger pieces, like senior Khalil James, who displayed a large portrait of a black woman with her hair ornately wrapped.
Throughout the night, the Art Expo had NCCU student performances from a live DJ, dancers, and spoken word artists.
“I feel like it’s necessary for [N.C.] Central’s culture. Art is culture,” White said of the importance of the Art Expo. “This is how we breathe. It’s our soul. We need to represent our artists and performers.”
Story by Autavius Smith with contributions by Walter Spencer.
