by The World Arts Festival Committee

Our community has become truly global. It is comprised of people of many cultural heritages, which are expressed in a multitude of rich and diverse artistic forms.

To celebrate this the ArtsCenter in Carrboro has joined up with the University Center for International Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill to produce a World Arts Festival in the fall.

Colin Bissett, executive director of the ArtsCenter, and Patrick Loebs, musician and an aficionado of world music, came up with the idea for an arts festival to represent this cultural diversity by means of a festival encompassing the exchange of cultural styles through performances, art, food and education.

James Peacock, director of the University Center for International Studies, together with Tessa Dean, Stacie Saunders, Mary Ruth, Elliott Mills, Peter Burke and Nerys Levy, are among the festival's planners. Peacock says that the marriage between the two centers "is very natural," given their common interest in celebrating cultural diversity.

Four weekends scattered throughout October, November and December will be dedicated to conveying the sound, sight, smell and tastes of Asia, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, Europe, Australia and the Americas. During each weekend there will be musical performances showcasing the international artists in our community, master classes, children's events, arts exhibits and international foods served.

During the week, school groups can participate in arts and multicultural education programs offered by the ArtsCenter and the Center for International Studies (located across Franklin Street from the Morehead Planetarium), and families can view visual arts exhibits at both locations. While suggestions for the festival are welcome, some programs and exhibitions are already in place.

For example, opening on Oct. 5 at UNC is an exhibition sponsored by the University Center for International Studies on the Gnawa, an African trance culture in Morocco. Photographs of and items from Gnawa culture will be on show, including clothing, musical instruments and a listening station. Following this in late October will be an exhibition by Lyde Zavaleta, a South American artist whose work deals with social issues related to her native continent. More details on both these exhibitions will be available from the center in the late summer.

Meanwhile, back at the ArtsCenter, one group already signed up for the festival is El Grupo Camaleon, a six-piece combo that prides itself on showcasing Latin music from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and the Caribbean. "We want our audience to feel the music, to dance with their spirits" says Pablo Valencia, the group's Chilean-born singer and acoustic guitar player. From Bossa Nova to "Bolero," El Grupo Camaleon's wide-ranging sound is the result of a dedication to Latin culture that goes beyond music.

Also performing at the ArtsCenter will be the Magnolia Klezmer Band. One of the group's regular numbers, "Ale Bruda" (Yiddish for "we are all brothers"), is a fitting title for a festival of diverse cultures.

Peacock sees the World Arts Festival as "signifying the cultural coming of age of our community -- a microcosm of world cultures." For him it amplifies one of the main purposes of the University Center For International Studies which is to enrich international understanding.

To get involved in the World Arts Festival's music concerts, contact Colin Bissett at artscbissett@aol.com; for its master classes, contact Mary Ruth at artscourses@aol.com; for its children's/arts education programs, contact Stacie Saunders at familyprograms@aol.com; for its exhibits, contact Tessa Dean at tessa@unc.edu.

The World Arts Festival Committee is also looking for someone to coordinate the international foods aspect of the program. Interested parties should contact Colin Bissett.