April 3 marks the opening of In Focus: Contemporary Photography from the Allen G. Thomas Jr. Collection–a show featuring more than 50 works by some of the best contemporary photographers addressing themes including gender, race, sexuality and ethnicity; notions of space and time, of places real and imagined, of memory and fantasy; and ideas about science, realism and transcendence. The free exhibit runs through July 17 at the N.C. Museum of Art; 839-6262 or www.ncartmuseum.com.