For all the attention paid to the late Thelonious Monk in the 25 years since his death, one aspect of his life has drawn relatively little attention: his roots in Rocky Mount, where the pantheon-dwelling pianist was born in 1917. "Following Monk,

Downtown Raleigh is going through cultural growing pains. Restaurants, bars and other forms of nighttime activity are cropping up as never before, yet galleries and places to hear live music still struggle to stay in business.

Emily Kass was jazzed about plans to expand the Ackland Art Museum when she arrived a year ago as its director. But with the new 38,000-square-foot wing years away, Kass saw no reason to keep stewing in the cramped galleries on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

Robert Weiss, artistic director of Carolina Ballet, has always placed a premium on live music for his company's performances.

Theater artists are expected to make something from nothing. But Joseph Haj, PlayMakers Repertory Company's producing artistic director, surpassed expectations in his first year.

You cannot stop "American Idol," and you sure as heck can't escape it. At a time when the music industry seems incapable of developing breakthrough acts, "American Idol" produces a bumper crop each season.

You might expect Jerome Davis to be frantic. Not over Thursday's opening of his theater company's 11th season with "Hamlet" but an even bigger opening: the Murphey School auditorium, future home of Burning Coal Theatre.

Just about every Friday night is a special occasion for area art lovers -- and for area food lovers, crowd lovers and adventure lovers. Here's a rundown of the art walks offered in the Triangle.

1-"Spirit of the Brush: Chinese Calligraphy and Painting," Ackland Art Museum, UNC-CH. Through Nov. 25.

1-"60X60," one-minute electronic compositions, Arts Now Series, Talley Student Center Ballroom, NCSU, Raleigh.

1-"The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer," meditative biography, Burning Coal Theatre, Kennedy Theatre, Raleigh. Through Nov. 18.

1-Durham Symphony, holiday pops, Center for Senior Life, Durham.