In addition to film and live performances, the Carolina Civic Center historic theater has added exhibits by regional artists to its cultural offerings. “Suspended States,” a show of 17 works in mixed media on paper by UNC Pembroke faculty member Carla Rokes, will be on display starting Friday August 28 through October 22 in the theater’s main and mezzanine lobbies.

A free reception featuring an artist gallery talk will be held 5:30pm Thursday September 17 at the Civic Center. Otherwise, the exhibit can be viewed and purchased during Civic Center scheduled performances. For a full schedule of Civic Center events, please visit our web site at www.carolinaciviccenter.com

All of the works will be available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Civic Center’s educational programming.

A native of the Carolinas, Carla received her B.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her M.F.A. from Pratt Institute in New York. Carla has been teaching studio art at UNCP since 2003. Her areas of concentration are Drawing and Design.

In her current body of work she explores contemporary surrealism and figurative abstraction. Her paintings and drawings involve mixed media including layered digital images, acrylic paint, marker, graphite, and enamel on canvas and paper.

She has exhibited her work both regionally and nationally in 22 galleries including 6 solo exhibitions and 18 invitational and juried exhibitions. She has organized and curated 10 national exhibitions.

In addition to her studio art practice and teaching, she directs the A.D. Gallery within the Art Department, where she organizes approximately 11 exhibitions annually including 4 student exhibitions. Before joining the Art Department Faculty at UNCP, Carla worked as a Development Officer at The Drawing Center and Assistant Gallery Manager at Rosenberg and Kaufman Fine Arts in New York City.