The closing reception for photographer Barbara Tyroler’s exhibit “Beijing Impressions: Portraits of a Shifting Landscape” will be from 6-7:30 p.m. today, Sept. 5, at the FedEx Global Education Center, 301 Pittsboro St., on the UNC campus. Tyroler and UNC professor Yan Song will present a slideshow and lecture on “Urbanization in China: Critical Issues in an Era of Rapid Growth.” The reception doubles as the opening event in the two-month-long Frank: In Focus photography festival.

Mary Johnson Rockers, who has one of the great names in music, brings her band the Spark to The ArtsCenter on Saturday, Sept. 8, for “Full Steam Ahead,” a benefit for North Carolina Rails-Trails, which works to convert abandoned rail corridors into walking and biking trails. The evening also will include a silent auction and, yes, a brief song-and-dance history of North Carolina railroads. artscenterlive.org

Ralph Wileman, a past president of the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill, returns with “Needlepointillism,” a show of his unique needlepoint artworks, opening with a reception from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, at the Horace Williams House. The show will run until Sept. 30. chpreservation.com