Sept. 2 marks artist Romare Bearden’s 100th birthday, but Charlotte begins its celebration of this Mecklenburg County native tonight. Bearden is best known for textured collages depicting scenes of social customs in modern African-American society, often with inspirations stemming from his first home in North Carolina.

“LOOKING FORWARD / LOOKING BACK: Honoring the Legacy of Romare Bearden” is an exhibition of the work from acclaimed sculptor Kendall Buster, selected artist for the major commission for Romare Bearden Park in uptown Charlotte, and emerging mixed-media artist Chris Watts.

This show in the Van Every/Smith Galleries in the Katherine and Tom Belk Visual Arts Center of Davidson College, (Davidson College is a Knight Arts grantee) is in honor of the community-wide celebration of Romare Bearden’s 100th birthday. The opening reception is Thursday, Aug. 25, from 7 to 9 p.m. with an artist talk by Buster at 7:30 p.m.

The exhibitions will be on display Aug. 26 through Oct. 26, 2011. Guest parking is available in the lot behind the Belk Visual Arts Center. The building is wheelchair accessible. All programs of the Van Every/Smith Galleries are free and everyone is welcome. More details here.

Mark you calendars for Friday, Sept. 2, 2011. This day will have a variety of ways to celebrate this auspicious occasion, the birthday of Bearden, who was an amazing artist and a 20th century American master.

First, at 9 a.m., there will be the public ground breaking of the long-awaited Romare Bearden Park. Charlotte has been making plans for this park for more than 10 years, which will transform an entire block of uptown (the corner of South Church and Third Street) into a unique space of gardens and fountains, commemorating the Mecklenburg County native. Here is more information on the Sept. 2 Groundbreaking Celebration for Romare Bearden Park and for parking uptown.

First Friday at the Mint Museum Uptown, a Knight Arts grantee, will resume with “Romare Bearden: Southern Recollections” also on Friday, Sept. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. (Members get in free and non-members pay only $10.) The evening will kick off with the unveiling of its latest Bearden acquisition, “Back Porch Serenade.”

On Sunday, Sept. 4 at 3 p.m., the Mint Museum Uptown will offer the “Premiere: Romare Bearden’s Jazz Compositions,” featuring a rare performance of some of Bearden’s written jazz compositions.

There will also be a North Carolina Dance Theatre world premier coordinating with the centennial celebration of Bearden. Resident Choreographer Dwight Rhoden will present a dance inspired by the life and work of Bearden. Rhoden will use Bearden’s influence, blending both artists’ vision and technique, to choreograph his world premiere.

Bearden’s work will also be displayed in the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, a Knight Arts grantee. This exhibition will feature rarely seen watercolors and prints by the artist on loan from Charlotte-area collections. These works on paper explore several themes relative to African-American cultural experiences, as well as Bearden’s personal experiences in North Carolina and the Caribbean.

Of course, there will be many opportunities and celebrations over the next year, but the grand opening weekend will be one you don’t want to miss.

A full list of community-wide arts and culture events can be found here: www.charlottecultureguide.com.