Our Mission
Southern Futures works for equity, justice, and possibility, using the arts and humanities to imagine and create positive change for Carolina’s home region. Bridging UNC-Chapel Hill’s College of Arts & Sciences, University Libraries, and Carolina Performing Arts, Southern Futures is a collaborative network for the students, scholars, creators, and community leaders doing extraordinary work to reimagine the American South.
OUR FOCUS:
Southern Futures harnesses the arts and humanities to reimagine justice, equity, and possibility in the US South by supporting three core, interconnected areas of focus:
Emerging + Innovative Leaders
Southern Futures inspires, informs, and connects people committed to communities across the region. We support students, artists, and leaders with scholarships, grants, partnerships, commissioning funds, internships, and curatorial experiences. We look to a rising generation of leaders, encouraging new perspectives and collaborations to expand our understanding of what is possible for our shared futures.
Transformative Arts and Humanities
Southern Futures uses the arts and humanities to build a future where all southern communities can thrive. We connect community expertise and creativity with Carolina’s resources and people to facilitate equitable partnerships, and use the energy and life-changing perspectives of performance, visual art, research, and storytelling to understand where we are and imagine where we could go.
Forward-looking Scholarship
Southern Futures fuels cutting-edge scholarship, artistic research, and creative processes that move the academy and the region forward. We're transforming systems in partnership with and in service of southern communities. Working across disciplines, we listen deeply and dream big to invest in the future of the South.
