DINOSAURS INVADE CAMPUS

The UNC Charlotte campus has been invaded by "Twentieth-Century Dinosaurs."

These colorful dinosaurs, giant bugs and grinning roadrunners, created by New Jersey artist Jim Gary, are on display on campus through Sunday, July 25. The exhibit is sponsored by Lowe's Motor Speedway and the Belk College of Business.

You can explore this imaginative display through a self-guided tour walking tour, which begins in front of the Reese Building (see link to map below). Several dinosaurs will be displayed at the main entrance to campus on Highway 49 and on Broadrick Boulevard, which leads to Reese. Parking is available in the Cone Center visitors deck.

T-shirts displaying Gary's dinosaurs have sold out, but a new order may be placed if there is sufficient demand. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, contact Sasha Trosch in the Belk College of Business by email before July 10.

Gary creates his "Twentieth-Century Dinosaurs" from old car parts, including oil pans, brake shoes, springs and tie rods. His original, whimsical work has been displayed around the world. Gary was the first living sculptor to be featured in a one-man show at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. He has also been featured in countless art textbooks, children's books and magazines. Gary's work is collected by museums and private collectors in the U.S. and abroad.

The creatures most recently were the featured exhibit at the Food Lion AutoFair.

So, what's the connection between a college of business and an art exhibit?

Claude Lilly, dean of the Belk College (shown on the right in the photo above, with artist Jim Gary), met Jim Gary in the 1990s, when Gary's art was exhibited at the Tallahassee, Fla., Junior Museum (now known as the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science). Lilly was chair of the museum's board and a member of the faculty at Florida State University at the time. Last fall, Lilly showed Gary's work to H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, general manager at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and Wheeler immediately saw the appeal of the exhibit for children, car buffs and people of all ages. He brought the exhibit to the Speedway for AutoFair and arranged for the creatures to be displayed on the UNC Charlotte campus for five weeks.

"We're grateful to Humpy Wheeler and Lowe's Motor Speedway for sharing Jim Gary's art with the Charlotte community through this exhibit on campus," Lilly said. "Although the Belk College's educational focus is business, we also value the arts and the contribution of artists to our community and society. We're proud to be a co-sponsor of the 'Twentieth-Century Dinosaurs,' and look forward to welcoming visitors to our campus."

Directions to campus >
Self-guided tour sheet > (PDF file)
Campus map > (PDF file)
Dinosaur photo gallery, courtesy of UNC Charlotte General Counsel Bill Steimer >

Niner Online editorial >

Jim Gary webpage >