North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Sharon Graeber, a Greensboro native and architect, will be 2024’s first artist in residence for the Greensboro Residency of Original Works (GROW) program at Creative Greensboro. Her residency begins Jan. 8.
Graeber will offer Saturday sessions on Introduction to Design for elementary, middle, and high school students and host community conversations on Thursday evenings, where members of the public are invited to share their perceptions of the architectural profession. She will also create a series of paintings that reflect her memories of growing up in east Greensboro.
Her residency will culminate during downtown Greensboro’s First Friday on Feb. 2, with an exhibit of her paintings and a presentation of her learnings from the Community Conversations. High school students who participate in the residency’s Saturday design workshops will be invited back on Saturday, February 3, 2024, to create design portfolios. All workshops and events are free. Design workshops are limited to 10 participants.
Open House/Meet and Greet – Mon. Jan. 8 from 1 to 5 pm
- Drop by the GROW space to meet Graeber and learn about her goals for her GROW residency.
Community Conversations – Thursdays – Jan. 11, 18, 23, and 30 from 6 to 7:30 pm
- The general public is invited to share their perceptions of the architectural profession. Register online.
Design Workshops – Saturdays – Jan. 13, 20, and 27
- 10 to 11 am – Introduction to Design for Elementary School Students – Register online.
- 1 to 2:30 pm – Introduction to Design for Middle School Students – Register online.
- 3 to 5 pm – Introduction to Design for High School Students – Register online.
Culminating Residency Exhibition and Community Conversations Presentation
Friday, Feb. 2 from 5 to 8:30 pm
- Graeber will host an exhibition of paintings created during her GROW residency. Visitors to this exhibit are invited to name and caption her paintings at the event. She will also present what she learned during the Community Conversations where participants shared their perceptions of the architectural profession.
Design Portfolio Preparation for High School Students – Sat. Feb. 3 – Students may attend one or both session to complete their portfolios. Register online.
- 10 to 11 am – Introduction to Design – Portfolio Preparation (Session 1)
- 11:30 am to 12:30 pm – Introduction to Design – Portfolio Preparation (Session 2)
The GROW residency space is next to the Davie Street entrance of the Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N. Davie St. To learn more about the residency, visit CreativeGreensboro.com.
Graeber has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in architecture, with a concentration in community development, from NC State University’s College of Design. She has practiced architecture for more than 40 years in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C area and North Carolina, working on a variety of projects including hospital renovation, gymnasium and recreation center design, transit facility planning and design, and historical restoration. Graeber has worked on projects with the Air National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the US Department of Labor. She is vice chair of the City of Greensboro’s Historic Preservation Commission. Her paintings have been on rotating exhibit at the Fellowship Hall of Grace Lutheran Church in Greensboro since 2012.