Glenn Burkins is editor and publisher of Qcitymetro.com. This week he's filling in for Toni Baker-Tyson, who writes the Thursday nightlife column, "On the Town With Toni." Email Glenn at editor@qcitymetro.com.

Well, folks, Toni Baker-Tyson is getting some much-needed rest, so rather than leave you without a nightlife column this week, I decided to stand in her stead.

Before I get to my entertainment picks, let’s recap my activities from last weekend:

On Friday night I watched TV from the couch.

By Saturday night I managed to muster enough strength to turn over and scratch.

Sunday I went to church, followed by more couch time.

Boy, am I pooped. Hurry back, Toni.
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Photo: Courtesy of the Harvey B. Gantt Center

Qcity residents who say there’s nothing to do in Charlotte will have no excuse this weekend.

Friday marks the centennial of Romare Bearden’s birth, and locals are pulling out all the stops to celebrate the Charlotte-born artist. Here are some weekend events you don’t want to miss:

FRIDAY
The Gantt Center and the Mint Museum Uptown will each open exhibitions featuring works by and about Bearden, the nation’s most renowned collagist.

The Gantt Center will open its doors to three exhibitions. Bearden’s niece, Deidra Harris-Kelley, co-director of the Romare Bearden Foundation, along with acclaimed artists Radcliffe Bailey, Nanette Carter, Louis Delsarte and Wadsworth A. Jarrell also will be on hand. Work by the four artists is included in the show.
Time: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Admission: $5 for nonmembers
For more information: Visit the Gantt Center website.

The Mint’s Bearden exhibition will include gallery tours, live entertainment, hands-on collage activities, a cash bar and Bearden birthday celebration.
Time: 6. p.m. – 10 p.m.
Cost: $10 nonmembers
For more information: Visit the Mint Museum website

On the plazas in front of the two facilities, the Gantt Center and Mint Museum have partnered to present the “Bearden Bridge” — live music and spoken word to entertain arts lovers.
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SATURDAY
Gantt Center ~ Artist David Wilson will lead a hands-on collage workshop with live jazz accompaniment. Wilson created the vibrant glass mural, "Divergent Threads, Lucent Memories," which is installed on the south face of the Gantt Center building. An example of his digital collage work is included in the Beyond Bearden exhibit, and he is also, currently, a McColl Center artist-in-residence. Pamela Ford, the curator of a nationally traveling exhibition, "From Process to Print: The Graphic Work of Romare Bearden," will follow Wilson at 1 p.m. with a one-hour dialogue about Bearden's innovative printmaking practice.
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SUNDAY
Mint Museum Uptown ~ Listen to a rare performance of some of Romare Bearden’s jazz compositions.
Time: 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Cost: $10 for nonmembers
For more information: Visit the Mint Museum website.

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