Season 1 began January 2020

Season 2 began in January, 2024



This free series began January 8, 2020 at the Forsyth Co (Central) Downtown Library then moved to Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art starting Feb 6 from 5:30-7:00pm. Programs start promptly at 6pm. Social Mingling begins at 5:30.

Mixed Doubles is a playful, informative, and engaging approach to a broad range of subjects presented two at a time by a diverse group of informed and passionate individuals or teams from various disciplines in the Triad region. Playful, open-ended, entertaining, and highly educational by its very nature, topics in this initial season range from the history of punk rock to the study of robotics, and from basic pruning techniques to belly-dancing and behind the scenes of animation and special effects. At least one of the sessions will be ‘curated’ during the initial season by audience members and other members of our community who will have the opportunity during the series to suggest topics and individuals who align with the spirit of the Mixed Doubles program. 

Unique Presentations
During each event of the series, the two speakers featured each evening will each present for 20 minutes on their topic, without making any references to the other speaker or topic. This was followed by a 15-minute combined Q&A period (both speakers on the stage together) during which anything can occur. We encourage the audience to get adventurous with their questions., a chance for creative chaos! Presentations will include lectures, images, film and video, music, or demonstrations. The series will also feature unannounced special guests.

Our goal is to highlight, celebrate, and share the diverse viewpoints, knowledge and expertise, interests, research, experiences, and meaningful activities that occur in the Triad community in a non-hierarchal, fun and relaxed manner. We’re ‘mixing it up’—combining scholars, researchers, practitioners, promoters, dancers, artists, scientists---all active in their respective fields of interests, all passionate about what they do. We firmly believe that everyone is an expert in a particular field or branch of knowledge.

Mixed Doubles Tandem Topics for Season One 

Wk 1
Punk Rock and French Cooking 
Dean Wilcox, Dean, Department of Liberal Arts, UNC, School of the Arts
Catherine Monteran Jones, chef, bon vivant, and former restaurant owner

Wk 2
Dreaming/Creativity and The World of Robotics 
Dale Pollock, Professor of Cinema Studies, UNC, School of the Arts
Dr. Elva Jones, Professor of Computer Science, Winston Salem State University

Wk 3
Medieval Women Mystics and Sculpture for Art and Musical Performance
Ulrike Wiethaus, Professor of Religion and American Ethnic Studies, Wake Forest University
Mark Dixon, artist, musician, and inventor

Wk 4
Belly Dancing and Pruning Secrets 
Paula Stump, dancer/performer
Mary Jac Brennan, North Carolina Cooperative Extension agent

Wk 5
Bats/Noise and Bands, Burlesque, Hot Rods
Nickolay Hristov, Design Researcher 
Courtney Southern, Co-Founder, Heavy Rebel Weekender

Wk 6
Fakers, Phonies and Liars and Cultivating Mushrooms 
Ryan D. Shirey, department of English, Wake Forest University
Cathy and Earl Wheeler, Borrowed Land Farms, Pinnacle, NC

Wk 7
Urban Gardening and Animation/Special Effects
Michael Banner, Urban Gardener and activist
Keith Hobgood, creative director, Out of Our Minds Studios

Wk 8
To be determined by the audience and the community

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