MOON GLOW, First Bioluminescent Art Exhibit in State, comes to Greensboro Oct. 22

Greensboro is set to become the first city in North Carolina to host a bioluminescent art exhibit, MOON GLOW: An Illuminated Living Art Experience. Held for one day only on Oct. 22, 2026, MOON GLOW will be located at 503 Studio, 503 E Washington St., from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Created by renowned artist and scientist Hunter Cole, PhD, this event marks the second of its kind in the U.S.

MOON GLOW, inspired by the night sky, offers an immersive experience featuring a glittering display of the moon's phases and stars. Held in a spacious warehouse-like gallery, soaring ceilings create the sense of looking up into an expanse of luminous night sky, unencumbered. Visitors to MOON GLOW can view constellations, travel through galaxies and engage with interactive displays and even dancers on a journey through time and space.
"MOON GLOW allows us to bask in the splendor of the night sky, reminiscent of stargazing from a mountain peak, far removed from the hustle and bustle of city lights," Cole explains. "My creative process begins with scientific principles, then intertwines the harmonies of life, light and imagination to produce art that rekindles our childhood sense of awe and wonder."

MOON GLOW will be created using living drawings made with bioluminescent bacteria that glow blue green in darkness and naturally fade over time. Cole paints liquid cultures onto petri dishes to form images that shine brightly during peak growth, then gradually dim and vanish as nutrients run out.

"MOON GLOW also reminds us of our mortality. We are born with an eternal light that strengthens as we grow, reaching its zenith in adulthood, only to gradually dim as we continue to age," Cole explains. "So seize the moment, rule the day; wear your crown with authority, and transform every hour into your magnificent kingdom."

Tickets for MOON GLOW are $10 with all proceeds benefiting The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro. Purchase tickets while supplies last at MOON GLOW: An Illuminated Living Art Experience.

About the Artist
Hunter Cole, PhD, is an artist and scientist who reinterprets scientific concepts through art. Her work spans paintings, photography, digital art and living pieces created with bioluminescent bacteria. She is currently a lecturer at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and teaches Biology through Art in the classroom and a collaborative format at UNCG.
Cole earned her PhD and master's degree in genetics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She also created the course Biology Through Art, adapted at Loyola University Chicago and adapted into an online version at Loyola University New Orleans and is currently teaching an adapted collaborative format at UNCG.

Notable projects include the Living Light photographic series created by the glow of bioluminescent bacteria; GLOW: an Illuminated Living Art Experience (Oct. 10, 2019) at the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center in New Orleans; and Biological Domains, a 2016 permanent installation commissioned by Loyola University Chicago for its Lakeshore campus consisting of 14 biology-themed paintings.
Connect or collaborate with Hunter Cole at: www.huntercole.art and www.instagram.com/huntercoleartist.

Category: Community | Local / Community