PHOTOS BY ANDREW KENNEY - akenney@newsobserver.com
Jason Franklin, an art teacher at Cary Academy, created the exhibit about men and their cars.
'Cruise-In' ends today
Today is the final day for "The Cruise-In: A Retrospective of Guys and their Rides," Jason Franklin's exhibit of paintings, photos and video that tell a social story around old hot rods beginning in the early 20th century, in Southern sharecropping fields.
"When the sharecroppers would bring in, for example, their tobacco crop, the dealerships would show up" with cars for sale, Franklin said. And with homeownership often obstructed by social walls, he added, the automobile often was a more attainable possession and symbol for African-American men.
"I'm going to defer my energy and time and resources into something that I can own," he explained. "Grandfather did it, father does it and now son does it."
Financed by Cary Academy, where he teaches art, Franklin traveled across Virginia in summer 2010 to meet black men and their vehicles. Some were relatives or friends; others were introduced by helpful uncles. He took photographs, recorded interviews and imprinted his experiences in bright, fluidlike oil paintings.
"I wanted to take it to a whole different level," he said. "These are beautifully kept cars. These guys have these intimate relationships with these cars."
Through the decades, Franklin said, cars were symbols and an anchors. Even an interviewee with lofty accolades and academic degrees kept the most esteem, Franklin said, for his 1985 Cadillac Seville.
"I think it's about pride and dignity," the artist said. He drives, by the way, a 2005 Dodge Ram pickup that he'll keep until he dies, he said.
The exhibit is at Cary Arts Center, 101 Dry Ave. It's open from 1-6 p.m. today.
Info: 469-4069 or
www .townofcary.org .
Dance troupe performs
Two performances of Random Dance's FAR cap a weeklong residency at Duke University this week. The performances, choreographed by Wayne McGregor, are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Reynolds Theater in Duke's Bryan Center.
For tickets, call 684-4444 or visit www.dukeperformances .org .
A PlayMakers summer
Applications are due March 2 for PlayMakers Repertory Company's fifth Summer Youth Conservatory.
The conservatory offers high school and middle school students a chance to work with professional directors, choreographers and musical directors. Auditions are March 10-11.
For an application and audition info, visit www.playmakers rep.org /outreach/syc .
In the Revolution
Brig. Gen. James Gorham, the first African-American general in the N.C. Army National Guard, will be the keynote speaker Saturday at a free N.C. Museum of History program focusing on the significant contributions of people of color in the American Revolution.
During the event, Raleigh firefighter Chaz Moore will become the first African-American in North Carolina inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution. His enslaved ancestor, Tobias "Toby" Gilmore, fought for the Patriots.
The program, "Return to Tradition," is from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the museum, 5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh.
Don't miss ...
A free screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary "To Hell and Back," is on tap at 7 p.m. Thursday at The Varsity on Franklin in Chapel Hill. The screening is part of PlayMakers Repertory Company's "Breaking History: Power, Politics and the Legacy of War," a series of special events in conjunction with its production of "The Making of a King: Henry IV & Henry V." Tickets to the screening are available at the Varsity box office, 123 E. Franklin St. Info: 967-8665 or www.varsityonfranklin .com/events.asp . ... Photojournalist Allan Tannenbaum's "New York in the 70s," a collection of photos made while he was chief photographer and photo editor of the SoHo Weekly News, runs through Saturday at Emerge Fine Art, 200 S. Academy St., Suite 110, Cary. Info: www.emergefineart.com. ... Paintings by Keith Norval, mixed-media works by Ian Sands and glass work by Teddy Devereux are on display through March 26 at the Block Gallery, on the first and second floors of the Raleigh municipal building, 222 W. Hargett St., Raleigh. In conjunction with their exhibit, "Sermon to the Birds" by Jeff Whetstone is featured in the Block2 Street Video Series. See Whetstone's work in the window of the urban Design Center, 133 Fayetteville St., Raleigh from dusk to 3 a.m. through March 26. Visit 1.usa.gov/xzPHGL for more information.
