The Connected Campus is a semester-long series of curated events presented by campus departments that leverage the universality of the arts to engage diverse audiences in a deeper exploration of a concept, culture or movement. Events foster creative scholarship and campus and community partnerships in support of the mission of Queens University of Charlotte and the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement.
Engage Charlotte’s expanding & diverse populations | Gambrell Mission
Foster creativity and innovative thinking | Queens Value
Expand event impact & audiences through shared marketing and fundraising | Program Goal
To serve, not be served | Queens Motto
Earthwise series programs provide a gathering space where art, music, ideas, science, and stories reconnect people with the living world. Through creative expression, shared wisdom, and community dialogue, we explore how to live more deeply, responsibly, and in harmony with nature—and with each other. Convened by the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement, these events took place during the Fall of 2025 at Queens University of Charlotte.
25 COURSES & PROGRAMS
11 Student Activities & Courses
Crafting for Raptors - Biology |The Serviceberry Bookclubs - Preyer Honors, Alumni, Thrive Program | ARH 406 Black Mountain College Art - Art | HNR 1100 - English & Writing Studies | QLC 220 - English & Writing Studies | Recommended Reading ListEverett Library | Robin Wall Kimmerer - Workshop, Garden Walk at Wing Haven | Sustainability Club Projects
14 Public Events
EXHIBITION ROOTED: Our Connection With Nature
OPENING Gallery Exhibit Opening Reception
ACTIVITY Little Sugar Creek Cleanup at Freedom Park
TOUR Greenhouse Open Hours
PANEL A Green Society: Historical, Philosophical, and Political Roots of Sustainability
PANEL A Conversation about Biophilia & Design: Why it Matters
LECTURE Artist Talk with Thomas Dambo
FILM A Man Named Pearl
FILM Hidden Rivers of Southern Appalachia
CONCERT Rooted Resonance: Inspired by the Natural World
LECTURE Robin Wall Kimmerer, author
13 Project Funding Sources
Estimated Attendance: 3,200
11 Queens Partner Program operational budgets | WFAE media sponsorship | Gambrell Foundation grant
2 Queens University Strategic Plan Connections
Cultivating Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Collaboration, & Scholarship | Leading in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
3,200 Served
IMPACT
OUR STUDENTS
Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have been a part of something so special with two people whom I admire so greatly. The opportunity to be a part of this wonderful conversation with these two incredible women as our culmination of our Connected Campus events through the was simply a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you Shawn Bowers Buxton and Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer for modeling the type of grounded and thoughtful writing and leadership I aspire to someday achieve.
This place is amazing! I'm coming back, and bringing my friends [to the Crowder Greenhouse].
In a bustling world, ROOTED – Exploring Our Connection with Nature offers a pause for reflection. Through the work of regionally acclaimed artists, this exhibition invites viewers on a meditative journey into the simplistic beauty and fragility of the natural world as expressed through their various chosen mediums. Each piece challenges us to examine our past, present, and future relationship with the natural world, and how we can best sustain our connection with the planet and our own internal peace.
Collectively, the artists in the ROOTED exhibition invite us to reflect on our deep connection with the natural world. Whether through delicately painted translucent shells, the meditative stillness of landscape scenes, or the firing of raw clay into sculptural forms or vessels, each work invites us to pause, breathe deeply and listen closely to the quiet truths of nature, carefully revealed by the artists. Together, these pieces compel us to notice the undeniable fragility and beauty of the everchanging world that sustains us and reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect the very roots that ground us.
It is fascinating seeing all the connections between gallery curation, math and science, and other forms of art. I never thought I could find similarities between singing choir pieces and hanging artwork in a gallery. Nor that crunching numbers in math class having a practical application in gallery curation. I appreciate this new perspective and new skill set, and I can’t wait to see what further connections I can make with gallery curation and my day-to-day life.
OUR FACULTY
Meeting writer, botanist, and activist Robin Wall Kimmerer was a literal dream come true! You know those dinner party questions — if you could have a conversation with anyone dead or alive, who would it be? Well, Robin was one on my go-to answers. I cannot begin to explain the ways Robin’s book, Braiding Sweetgrass, rearranged some fundamental ways of thinking and being for me. Being in discussion with Robin, esteemed colleagues, and dear students in an intimate book club setting was such a gift. Following that with a dialogue on stage in front of a packed house at with my student, Sofia Bartholomew, was a pinch-me moment. Robin’s warm and gentle spirit was only matched by her passionate call to make the world better. What a gift it was to have her at Queens University of Charlotte!
WITH GRATITUDE
Through science, films, art, music, literature, and lived stories, Earthwise invites audiences into a deeper exploration of land and legacy.
As the Connected Campus title suggests, collaboration happens at the series level with a diverse array of campus and community arts and non-arts presenting partners exploring our dynamic and enduring relationship to nature through their lens of expertise. Educational institutions nurture extensive networks of campus and community partners and the Gambrell Center strives to leverage the arts to energize and expand these networks and provide a welcoming home for shared exploration.
Drawing on academic expertise and diverse populations, we are committed to actively working together - across sectors and silos - to support multidisciplinary programs that foster creative scholarship and civic engagement at Queens University of Charlotte.
Thank you to the many campus and community partners that enriched and enlivened The Connected Campus 2025.
