Arts and Humanities
The Foundation offers a wide variety of cultural experiences through its well-known Arts and Humanities Program. The Foundation offers these programs to the college faculty, staff, and community in a variety of ways. Whether it’s a lecture on the Middle East or a trip to Gettysburg, the Foundation plans several informative and entertaining Arts and Humanities events each semester.
Spring 2025 Series
The Spring 2025 schedule for the Arts and Humanities program is now live!
Monday, March 3, 2025
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty
Valerie Bauerlein
5:30 p.m. in WCC’s Moffatt Auditorium
Ballantine published Valerie Bauerlein’s definitive and gripping true account of Alex Murdaugh’s violent downfall, THE DEVIL AT HIS ELBOW: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty in August of 2024. It is an unparalleled account into not just Alex Murdaugh’s villainous crimes, but also the corruption of his forefathers.
Bauerlein spoke to over 200 people for the book, including the lead prosecutors, the defense attorneys, and members of the victim’s families. She spent months on the ground reporting in South Carolina and sat in the courtroom for every day of the trial. She knows what was whispered at the defense table and just how close he was to getting away with his crimes. Bauerlein was the only print journalist to visit Moselle, where the murders occurred, with the jury.
Bauerlein goes deeper into the Murdaugh family history than ever before, emphasizing just how powerful and evil the men of the family were, dominating their small isolated southern town whilst bankrupting its most vulnerable residents. Her book includes shocking new details about the trial, the boat crash, the investigation, and the family history that will surprise even the most devoted Murdaugh case follower.
Valerie Bauerlein is a national reporter for The Wall Street Journal who writes about small-town America and Southern politics, economics, and culture. She has covered the South her entire career, including nineteen years at the Journal and four years at The State in Columbia, South Carolina. Ms. Bauerlein graduated from Duke University. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and their two children.
Bauerlein has made a major contribution to journalism through her trial reporting. Her WSJ pieces on the murders have broken online readership records. Dateline NBC has devoted four episodes to the Murdaugh story in which Bauerlein appeared in three of them. She was prominently featured in the Netflix Murdaugh series, the biggest unscripted show of 2023 with 24 million viewers.
Monday, March 10, 2025
Walking the Portuguese Way: Our Journey on the Camino de Santiago
Jennifer and Kevin Johnson
5:30 p.m. in WCC’s Moffatt Auditorium
[WCC Faculty Spotlight]
Join Jennifer & Kevin Johnson as they share their unforgettable journey along the Camino de Santiago from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in August 2024. They will recount the highlights of their trip, including the breathtaking landscapes, the challenges they faced, and the memorable encounters with fellow pilgrims. Additionally, they will delve into the rich history and significance of this ancient pilgrimage route, exploring its origins, cultural impact, and the spiritual destination of Santiago de Compostela.
Jennifer has been an Applied Animal Science Instructor at Wayne Community College since 2006, where she has dedicated her career to educating and inspiring students in the field of agriculture. Her husband, Kevin, retired in 2024 as the County Director of the Wayne County Cooperative Extension Service, where he played a pivotal role in supporting and advancing agricultural practices in the community.
Together, Jennifer and Kevin share a deep passion for travel and the outdoors, which has been a driving force in their lives. Their careers have been centered around agriculture, and they have both received numerous awards for their advocacy and contributions to the field. They are proud parents of two adult children, both of whom are married.
Monday, March 17, 2025
Voicing The Ongoing Fight for Freedom
Sonny Kelly
5:30 p.m. in WCC’s Moffatt Auditorium
[Keller Memorial Lecture, American Revolution Semiquincentennial Lecture]
From the Revolutionary War to modern-day military operations, the valiant efforts of Black North Carolinian service men and women have served the U.S. military with valor and vigor since the nation’s beginnings. Their rich legacy of courage, compassion, and community building has too often gone unrecognized and unknown by most. As a performer, teacher, and scholar, Dr. Sonny Kelly has pulled some of the stories of the courageous Carolinians from the archive and brought them to life in a performative lecture entitled The Ongoing Fight for Freedom. Dr. Kelly sheds light on just a few of the stories of those Black veterans who hail from the great state of North Carolina. Dr. Sonny Kelly guides us on a journey of digging deep down to the Revolutionary roots of our nation to voice the stories of those often unsung heroes who helped to forge its routes. All the while, he inspires audiences to celebrate and engage in the ongoing fight for freedom that belongs to us all.
Kelly is a professional performer, storyteller, motivator, speaker, veteran, and scholar. Currently a full-time instructor of Communication at Fayetteville Technical Community College, Dr. Kelly holds a PhD in Communication and Performance Studies from UNC Chapel Hill, an MA degree from St. Mary’s University in Communication Studies, and a BA degree from Stanford University in International Relations. Dr. Kelly has performed across the nation as a storyteller, actor, motivator, lecturer, and trainer for over two decades. He is the founder and CEO of Legacy Heirs Productions, Inc. He and his colleagues specialize in creating, developing, and sharing, inspirational and motivational performances and art. He aims to educate, engage, and empower diverse audiences across the globe! Learn more at legacyheirs.com.
Monday, March 24, 2025
Gurus, Prophets, and the Problem of Charisma in American Politics
Molly Worthen
5:30 p.m. in WCC’s Moffatt Auditorium
[Presented in partnership with Carolina Public Humanities]
What is charisma? Why is it so hard to understand the power that some leaders have over their followers? What happens to humans’ religious impulses in a secular age? Worthen will take up these questions in a preview of her new book, Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Trump.
Molly Worthen is an Associate Professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a freelance journalist. Worthen received her BA and PhD from Yale University. She teaches courses on North American religion and politics, global Christianity, and the history of ideas. She writes on these themes for The New York Times and has contributed to The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, and other publications. She has also created video and audio courses on the history of Christianity and the history of charismatic leadership for the Great Courses and Audible. Her previous books are Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism and The Man on Whom Nothing Was Lost: The Grand Strategy of Charles Hill. Her newest publication, Spellbound, will be available in May of this year.
Monday, March 31, 2025
Can Humans Live Sustainably on Our Planet?
Jim White
Snapshot: Climate Photography Exhibit Opening
2:00 p.m. in WCC’s Moffatt Auditorium
The journal Southern Cultures recently published an issue called “Snapshot: Climate”, which showcases photographs of climate change from around the American southeast. The issue highlights the diverse ways that climate change is impacting the communities and landscapes of the region. With generous support from the North Caroliniana Society, Wayne Community College and Carolina Public Humanities are working with Southern Cultures to bring a gallery show of photographs from the issue to Goldsboro, where they will be exhibited alongside images taken by Wayne County artists that capture what climate change looks like in our community.
Dr. Jim White will be on campus to celebrate the opening of the exhibit. White is the Craver Family Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with more than 18,000 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students. He came to UNC-Chapel Hill in July 2022 from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he served as acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for five years and had been a faculty member since 1989. An internationally recognized expert in climate science, White has published some 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, is a highly cited researcher in the field, and regularly gives public talks on climate change and sustainability.
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
An Afternoon at Tryon Palace and Gardens
$30 Per Participant (Lunch Not Included)
Have you ever been to Tryon Palace, North Carolina’s Colonial capital? Or has it been a long time since you visited? The Foundation is taking a day trip to New Bern to tour the Palace, Gardens, and the North Carolina History Center. Tryon Palace is important in our state’s history. It was completed in 1770, and it served as the first permanent capitol of North Carolina and was home to Governor Tryon and his family. Tryon Palace was also the site of the first sessions of the general assembly for the State of North Carolina following the revolution and housed the state governors until 1794. In 1798, a fire destroyed the main building and after a major reconstruction effort led by state and local interests, the Palace reopened in 1959 for us all to enjoy.
The trip will begin with an early lunch at Morgan’s Tavern. Located in Downtown New Bern, it offers a diverse menu and unique interior atmosphere with exposed wood beams and original brick walls. The group will step into the 18th century touring Tryon Palace’s historic and reconstructed buildings where costumed interpreters bring early American history to life. We will stroll through the gardens and finish with a visit to the North Carolina History Center. The Center features an orientation film and is filled with state-of-the-art exhibits and galleries. The cost is $30.00 per person, not including lunch.