Posts Tagged ‘Charlotte NC’

6th Annual Potters Market Invitational Takes Place on Sept. 11, 2010, at the Mint Museum Randolph in Charlotte, NC

Sunday, August 15th, 2010

What says North Carolina better than handmade pottery and bluegrass music? The Delhom Service League of The Mint Museum is gearing up for the sixth year of its Potters Market Invitational. Pottery enthusiasts come from miles around to view and purchase the best and latest in ceramic art. Ceramics for sale range from traditional utilitarian pots to studio ceramics, including jewelry. Don’t know much about ceramics? The Potters Market is the best place to learn while talking to the individual potters about the scope and vision of their creations.


Ben Owen III

The sale takes place Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, from 10am to 4pm on the lawn of the Mint Museum Randolph, located at 2730 Randolph Road in Charlotte, NC. It will feature bluegrass music from fiddler Rose Spinks and banjo player Harry Taylor of the Glazed Over String Band. Tickets are $10 for adults ($8 after 2pm); $5 for children 5-17; and free for children under 5. Ticket sales begin the day of the event at 9:30am. The entry fee includes admission to the Mint Museum Randolph. Proceeds support The Mint Museum’s decorative arts collection. Box lunches are available for purchase from Delectables by Holly.


Hiroshi Sueyoshi

Many potters have called North Carolina home over the last few centuries. Natural clay deposits attracted potters of European descent starting in the late 18th century. Since then, North Carolina has become one of the country’s richest ceramic meccas, full of unique styles and forms. Each year, the Potters Market Invitational features 40 superb potters representing the state’s most important pottery-producing areas: Seagrove, the Piedmont, Catawba Valley and the mountains, including Penland and Asheville. Potters participate by selection on a rotating basis, giving shoppers access to a wide variety of artists from one year to the next.


Matt Jones

Potters returning this year include: Ben Owen III, Donna Craven and Crystal King. Added to the 2010 line-up are a select group of up-and-coming potters known for their distinctive work which is gaining national attention. New potters participating this year include: Jeff Dean and Stephanie Martin, John and Scottie Post, Rob Pulleyn and Hiroshi Sueyoshi.


Liz Zlot Summerfield

Participating potters for this year’s PMI include: Blaine Avery, Michael Ball, Tammy Leigh Brooks, Kyle Carpenter, Donna Craven, Jeff Dean, Stephanie Martin, Judith Duff, Kim Ellington, Steven Forbes de-Soule, Terry Gess, Bruce Gholson, Samantha Henneke, Becky Gray, Shawn Ireland, Nick Joerling, Daniel Johnston, Fred Johnston, Carol Gentithes, Maggie & Freeman Jones, Matt Jones, Matt Kelleher, Shoko Teruyama, Crystal King, Terry & Anna King, Eric Knoche, Sid Luck, Robin, Rob, Beth Mangum, Will McCanless, Phil Morgan, Ben Owen lll, Pam, Vernon, Travis Owen, Jennie L. Keats, Shirl & Jim Parmentier, Jane Peiser, Ronan Kyle Peterson, John & Scottie Post, Rob Pulleyn, Amy Sanders, Akira Satake, Ken & Connie Sedberry, Jenny Lou Sherburne, David Stuempfle, Hiroshi Sueyoshi, and Liz Zlot Summerfield.

With North Carolina’s central role in American pottery and growing international reputation, the Mint Museum Randolph devotes special efforts to documenting the history of North Carolina ceramics through its historic ceramics collection. The 6th Annual Potters Market Invitational is presented by the Delhom Service League, an affiliate group of The Mint Museum.

For more information, visit (www.mintmuseum.org) or call the front desk at 704/337-2000.

RedSky Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Offers Group Ceramics Show

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Here is yet another pottery exhibit taking place in the Carolinas. Short, but to the point. This is a good one – don’t judge the show by the length of the press release.

RedSky Gallery in Charlotte, NC, is proud to present a collaborative ceramics exhibition from a select group of North Carolina ceramic artists. The exhibition continues through Aug. 31, 2010.

This show features a combination of sculptural and studio ceramics from Donna Craven, Kim Ellington, Carol Gentithes, Fred Johnston, Matt Kelleher and Emily Reason.


Emily Reason                        Kim Ellington

RedSky Gallery features original works on paper and canvas, sculpture, ceramic, glass, studio furniture, art-to-wear, jewelry, and more. Over 500 regional and national artists are represented at two gallery locations in Dilworth and the EpiCentre in Uptown.

For further call the gallery at 704/377-6400 or visit (www.redskygallery.com).

The Deadline to Enter the 2010 Carolina’s Got Art! in Charlotte, NC, is August 15, 2010

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

It’s less than a month away, and I know some of you artists out there will have to hustle to make the deadline. Almost 500 artists from throughout the Carolinas entered last year. It’s an electronic entry so you won’t have to haul your work to someplace just to find out if the made the cut. You won’t do that until you know you’re in! Put you have to enter first.

But, first – here’s a press release we received at Carolina Arts about last year’s event.

Unexpected things can sometimes change a life – just ask recent Winthrop University graduate, Jon Wald, who was awarded the top prize in the 2009 inaugural Carolina’s Got Art! competition.

When asked about winning the $2,500 Best-in-Show award and subsequently selling his artwork during the show, Wald said, “First, I paid off my debts, which is a huge relief in itself. Then, I bought new supplies. One item was an Arduino (an easy-to-use microprocessor). I used the prize money to justify leaving work early every day to teach myself how to program the chip. Ultimately, I think it has helped lead me toward an entirely new method for making art.”

Wald was one of seven other artists from North and South Carolina who walked away with a portion of over $9,000 in prizes awarded by Carolina’s Got Art! that premiered in October, 2009. The initial success of the exhibition has motivated Carolina’s Got Art! founder and owner of Elder Art Gallery, Larry Elder, to launch the second annual competition, slated to open October 1, 2010, with an awards presentation to this year’s winners. The exhibition will continue through October 30, 2010, at Atherton Mill in Charlotte, NC’s Historic SouthEnd District.

“We had no idea that Carolina’s Got Art! would generate such excitement for the local visual arts community,” says Elder. “We accepted over 1100 entries and our juror selected 135 original pieces to comprise the exhibition.” During the month of October, 2009, the exhibition attracted over 2000 visitors.

Columbia, SC-based Edens & Avant, owners of Atherton Mill, is once again demonstrating its commitment to the visual arts in the two Carolinas by offering their historic property for the host location. Artists are encouraged to visit (www.carolinasgotart.com) for complete details. Carolina’s Got Art! is accepting online entries for the 2010 exhibition until August 15, 2010.

This year’s juror will be Mario Naves, an artist, writer and teacher who lives and works in New York City. He is renowned for his torn and cut abstract collages, works of art that have been described by The New York Times as being “delicate and gorgeous” and by Art in America as “joyous, sophisticated, charming, and goofy”.

The Elizabeth Harris Gallery in Chelsea represents Naves’ art. His collages are included in private and corporate collections across the world. Naves has been the recipient of awards from The National Endowment for The Arts, The George Sugarman Foundation, the E.D. Foundation and The National Academy Museum. He was recently named a Distinguished Alumni by the College of Fine Arts at the University of Utah.

A critic as well as practicing artist, Naves has written on the visual arts for over twenty years. He has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, The New Criterion, Smithsonian, New Art Examiner, Slate and, from 1999-2009, The New York Observer, where his sometimes prickly opinions earned him the reputation of being a “maverick dissenter”. He is currently a gallery critic for City Arts, a bi-weekly journal devoted to culture in New York.

Naves has taught and lectured at The Cooper Union, The New York Studio School, Montclair State University, Rutgers University, The National Academy and The Ringling College of Art and Design. He currently teaches at Pratt Institute and Brooklyn College.

For further information contact Elder Art Gallery (www.elderart.com) by calling 704/370-6337 or visit (www.carolinasgotart.com) or (www.facebook.com/carolinasgotart).

The Deadline to Enter the 2010 Carolina’s Got Art! in Charlotte, NC, is August 15, 2010

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

It’s a month away, but I know some of you artists out there will have to hustle to make the deadline. Almost 500 artists from throughout the Carolinas entered last year. It’s an electronic entry process so you won’t have to haul your work to someplace just to find out if you made the cut. You won’t have do that until you know you’re in! But you have to enter first.

But, first – here’s a press release we received at Carolina Arts about last year’s event you need to read.

Unexpected things can sometimes change a life – just ask recent Winthrop University graduate, Jon Wald, who was awarded the top prize in the 2009 inaugural Carolina’s Got Art! competition.

When asked about winning the $2,500 Best-in-Show award and subsequently selling his artwork during the show, Wald said, “First, I paid off my debts, which is a huge relief in itself. Then, I bought new supplies. One item was an Arduino (an easy-to-use microprocessor). I used the prize money to justify leaving work early every day to teach myself how to program the chip. Ultimately, I think it has helped lead me toward an entirely new method for making art.”

Wald was one of seven other artists from North and South Carolina who walked away with a portion of over $9,000 in prizes awarded by Carolina’s Got Art! that premiered in October, 2009. The initial success of the exhibition has motivated Carolina’s Got Art! founder and owner of Elder Art Gallery, Larry Elder, to launch the second annual competition, slated to open October 1, 2010, with an awards presentation to this year’s winners. The exhibition will continue through October 30, 2010, at Atherton Mill in Charlotte, NC’s Historic SouthEnd District.

“We had no idea that Carolina’s Got Art! would generate such excitement for the local visual arts community,” says Elder. “We accepted over 1100 entries and our juror selected 135 original pieces to comprise the exhibition.” During the month of October, 2009, the exhibition attracted over 2000 visitors.

Columbia, SC-based Edens & Avant, owners of Atherton Mill, is once again demonstrating its commitment to the visual arts in the two Carolinas by offering their historic property for the host location. Artists are encouraged to visit (www.carolinasgotart.com) for complete details. Carolina’s Got Art! is accepting online entries for the 2010 exhibition until August 15, 2010.

This year’s juror will be Mario Naves, an artist, writer and teacher who lives and works in New York City. He is renowned for his torn and cut abstract collages, works of art that have been described by The New York Times as being “delicate and gorgeous” and by Art in America as “joyous, sophisticated, charming, and goofy”.

The Elizabeth Harris Gallery in Chelsea represents Naves’ art. His collages are included in private and corporate collections across the world. Naves has been the recipient of awards from The National Endowment for The Arts, The George Sugarman Foundation, the E.D. Foundation and The National Academy Museum. He was recently named a Distinguished Alumni by the College of Fine Arts at the University of Utah.

A critic as well as practicing artist, Naves has written on the visual arts for over twenty years. He has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, The New Criterion, Smithsonian, New Art Examiner, Slate and, from 1999-2009, The New York Observer, where his sometimes prickly opinions earned him the reputation of being a “maverick dissenter”. He is currently a gallery critic for City Arts, a bi-weekly journal devoted to culture in New York.

Naves has taught and lectured at The Cooper Union, The New York Studio School, Montclair State University, Rutgers University, The National Academy and The Ringling College of Art and Design. He currently teaches at Pratt Institute and Brooklyn College.

For further information contact Elder Art Gallery (www.elderart.com) by calling 704/370-6337 or visit (www.carolinasgotart.com) or (www.facebook.com/carolinasgotart).

Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Partners with American Institute of Architects to Feature Works by Area Architects

Monday, May 31st, 2010

I’ve stated this a few times before in this blog – as deadlines go by, something interesting always comes in too late to do anything about. We received a press release about this exhibit – which will be included in our expanded online version of the June 2010 issue of Carolina Arts, and perhaps in our July printed paper, but I wanted to post it here ahead of time. Frankly the image sent with the press release did it for me.

Here’s the press release:

Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Features Works by Area Architects


Work by Murray Whisnant

The Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, NC, will present the exhibit, Art by Architects, co-sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, on view from June 4 through July 31, 2010.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Hodges Taylor Gallery are co-sponsoring an exhibition of art by architects, providing an opportunity for Charlotte area architects to showcase their other creative talents – painting, printmaking, sculpture, and photography.

Thirty architects submitted a variety of works that reflected their artistic interests and activities beyond their architectural careers. The works were then curated by members and staff of AIA Charlotte and Hodges Taylor Gallery with the selected works comprising the exhibition.

In business since 1981, Hodges Taylor is uptown Charlotte’s oldest gallery, committed to supporting art and artists of the Southeast, including painters, printmakers, photographers and sculptors. The gallery offers a public venue uptown for viewing artwork and, having established itself as a knowledgeable and experienced resource for contemporary art, serves as art consultants for collectors and businesses.

The gallery is located at 401 North Tryon and is open Tue. – Sat., from 11am to 3pm or by appointment. For further information call Christie Taylor at 704/334-3799, e-mail to (ctaylor@hodgestaylor.com) or visit (www.hodgestaylor.com).

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, NC, Reaches Out to NASCAR Visitors

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Here’s some more news about the ever-expanding Center City Charlotte project. It’s nice to see a museum of modern art reaching out to NASCAR fans. Not all art lovers are one dimensional. I love art – I also love NFL Football. Go Panthers! Hope that youth building project works out.

Here’s the press release we received at Carolina Arts:

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, located at the Levine Center for the Arts in Center City, Charlotte, NC, will host a BMW Art Car May 10 through May 21, 2010. The first Art Car in the BMW’s special collection, painted by Alexander Calder in 1975, will be on display inside the museum’s lobby to coincide with the opening of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 11, 2010. The Hall of Fame is just two blocks away from the Bechtler and opening day ticket holders will be offered a $2 discount off regular museum admission prices.

The Art Car will be displayed for a limited time before heading to France where it will join in the debut of the recently announced 17th BMW Art Car. The newest Art Car addition will be designed by prominent contemporary artist Jeff Koons. Accompanying the exhibit at the Bechtler will be rare, behind-the-scenes video footage of Calder signing his Art Car.

It’s fitting that the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art will be the temporary home to the Calder BMW Art Car. The Bechtler collection contains works by Calder, an American artist best known for his colorful mobile sculptures. Currently on display in the museum’s fourth floor gallery is a Calder watercolor, tapestry and artist book.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art opened in January 2010, as the only museum dedicated to the exhibition of mid-20th-century modern art in the southeastern United States. The museum is named after the family of Andreas Bechtler, a Charlotte resident and native of Switzerland who inherited and assembled a collection of more than 1,400 artworks created by major figures of 20th-century modernism. The Bechtler collection comprises art in various media by European and American artists, including seminal figures such as Giacometti, Miró, Ernst, Warhol, LeWitt, Hepworth and Picasso. The museum building was designed by renowned architect Mario Botta.

A 35-year tradition of turning cars into canvases was initiated by one man’s intertwined love of racing and art. In 1975, French race car driver Hervé Poulain commissioned American artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976) to paint the BMW 3.0 CSL Poulain was to drive in the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race. Inspired by the car’s impact on race fans, BMW championed the continuation of the project. The collection now includes 16 works from other renowned artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. Each car bears the art of a notable artist from its respective decade. BMW recently announced that Jeff Koons will create the 17th Art Car in the collection. For further info visit (www.bmwusanews.com/artsandculture).

American artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976) is one of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists. He is best known for his colorful mobiles and sculptures. Calder was the first in a line of renowned artists to help marry the world of art with the world of motorsports through the BMW Art Car collection. The BMW creation was one of Calder’s last works before he died. The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art has three works by Calder currently on view.

Opening May 11, 2010, in Charlotte, the 150,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, includes artifacts, interactive exhibits, a 275-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame gear shop and the NASCAR Media Group-operated broadcast studio. For further info visit (www.NASCARHall.com).

Visitors to the Bechtler can view the Calder BMW Art Car during normal museum hours with the purchase of an admission ticket. The museum will open specially on a Tuesday (the day it is normally closed) to celebrate the May 11 Hall of Fame kickoff.

Museum Hours: Weekdays and Saturdays 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. Open Sunday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. (Open until 9 p.m. the first and third Fridays of the month).

Admission: $8 for adults, $6 seniors, students and educators, free for members and children 10 and under, $4 youth 11-18 years old.

For further information call the Museum at 704/353-9200 or visit (www.bechtler.org).

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Let’s Hope the Musical Chairs Name Game is Over in Charlotte, NC

Monday, April 26th, 2010

We’ve been reporting on the new complex of art facilities in Uptown Charlotte, NC, ever since we started this blog – almost two years ago. The complex which includes the new Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture (formerly the Afro-American Cultural Center); the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; and the new Mint Museum Uptown (scheduled to open this October) was first called the Wachovia Cultural Campus. But then Wachovia was purchased by Wells Fargo, the name changed to the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus. From now on, the complex will be known as the Levine Center for the Arts – and for good reason.

In an article offered by the Charlotte Observer on April 21, 2010, we learned that a contribution of $15 million from the Leon Levine Foundation and a second $5 million contribution from Duke Energy, topped off an $83 million arts-endowment drive launched by the Arts & Science Council in November 2006.

Of course in the future – down the road – once the $85 million endowment isn’t producing enough money to keep the complex going – if someone wanted to contribute $200 million in our name, I’m sure they would change it to the Carolina Arts Unleashed Cultural Outlet Mall.

Like I’ve always said – money is the Mother’s milk of the arts and money talks.

You go girl – Charlotte! $85 million for an endowment for the arts. Who else can do that in the Carolinas? Who?

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New Duke Energy Tower Hijacks Charlotte, NC’s Night Skyline

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

During the last delivery of the April 2010 issue of Carolina Arts in Charlotte, NC, as I was cruising down Central Avenue – there was something new in the late night sky. The top of a tall building looked like it had a large white collar draped with a medal hung on a blue and red stripped ribbon. As I got closer to the Center City area I soon realized that it was the new Duke Energy tower across from the new Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture on S. Tryon Street – one of my delivery stops.

My first thought was that if I owned one of the other high-rise buildings in Charlotte I wouldn’t be so happy about this new arrival. I liked the way all the tall buildings twinkled in the night sky, but now, this new building’s top was stealing the show. Of course there was always the flashing neon display on one of the buildings, but you had to be in a certain area of the city to see it. But, there is no way you won’t see the top of the new Duke Energy tower.

I don’t know what the folks in Charlotte think of this new development, but it may start a night sky war – where every owner of a tall building tries to come up with something new to steal the show. And, before you know it Charlotte’s night sky looks like Las Vegas, and I don’t think anyone would be for that. And, I think the general public should have a say as to how the night sky is used in their community.

My vote would be for Duke to turn the lights out, but then I don’t get my energy from Duke Energy – so they can’t turn my lights out for saying I don’t like it.

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Come See Dale Chihuly Chandelier Disassembled at Mint Museum of Craft + Design – April 6, 2010

Monday, April 5th, 2010

We received this press release at Carolina Arts while I was out delivering papers. I’m sorry for the late notice.

On April 6, 2010, workers from Seattle-based Chihuly Studios will disassemble Dale Chihuly’s renowned Royal Blue Mint Chandelier, which hangs in the lobby of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in downtown Charlotte, NC. Weighing 2,200 pounds, the Chihuly chandelier is made up of hundreds of delicate, asymmetrical glass pieces that fuse craft, art, ornament and design. Chihuly’s chandeliers have become icons of architecture throughout the world, and Royal Blue Mint Chandelier will be reinstalled in the entry gallery of the new Mint Museum Uptown, opening October 1, 2010, at the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus.

For more info on that move visit this link.

The Mint Museum of Craft + Design lobby will be open from 10am to 5pm, so that the public can observe Chihuly Studios at work. The museum’s galleries are currently closed to pack the collections for their move down Tryon Street to the Mint Museum Uptown. The Mint Museum Shop on Hearst Plaza remains open until June.

For further info visit (www.mintmuseum.org).

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Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, Offers Special Hours to View Fiber Artist at Work

Friday, March 19th, 2010

We received this press release at Carolina Arts and it’s not often you get to watch a world-class artist at work, but here’s an opportunity. It’s just part of the built up to the exciting opening of the new Mint Museum Uptown, the third visual art component of the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus, joining the new Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture (formerly the Afro-American Cultural Center) and the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. Both of these facilities are open now.

Here’s that press release:

The Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, is offering special viewing hours this month to allow the public to observe the artistic process behind a commissioned work that will be installed in the new Mint Museum Uptown this fall. On Mar. 26-27 and Mar. 29-30, 2010 (from 2-6pm each day), the public is invited to observe Icelandic fiber artist Hildur Bjarnadóttir working in the lobby of the former Mint Museum of Craft + Design location (220 North Tryon Street), which will be transformed into a temporary studio during the artist’s visit.

During her visit to Charlotte, Bjarnadóttir will be creating a fiber art work for Project Ten Ten Ten, a series of commissions created especially for the new Mint Museum Uptown galleries by 10 of the world’s most innovative craft and design artists. Visitors to the craft museum will be able to observe Bjarnadóttir making natural dye from local plants and ask questions about the artistic process. The dye will be incorporated into the commissioned work, which will be unveiled at the new facility’s grand opening.

“Project Ten Ten Ten will catapult the Mint Museum of Craft + Design to the highest level of artistic excellence by commissioning 10 of the most important craft and design artists from around the world for site-specific work,” said Annie Carlano, Director of Craft + Design. When the doors open on Oct. 1, 2010, visitors will see spectacular works by glass artist/designer Danny Lane (United Kingdom), conceptual jewelry artist Ted Noten (The Netherlands), and furniture maker/designer Joseph Walsh (Ireland), in addition to the fiber work by Hildur Bjarnadóttir. Equally striking commissions by Kawana Tetsunori, Kate Malone, Tom Joyce, Cristina Córdova, Susan Point and Ayala Serfaty are also being planned for the new facility.

Bjarnadóttir learned crocheting, knitting and embroidery as a child from her mother, and came of age during the flowering of fiber art in Europe. In her native Iceland she saw museum exhibitions of contemporary textiles and assumed the medium was exalted in the art world. She later learned that this is not the predominant view, and creates work that is a reaction to the commonplace negative comparison of textiles to “fine art.” Whether affixed to a wall or placed upon a pedestal, her needlework creations tell stories of traditional women’s work with a cutting-edge, even macabre, twist.

Accommodations for Bjarnadóttir are being generously provided by Catalyst Condominiums (www.catalystcharlotte.com). Her fiber art commission is being funded by Mr. Wesley Mancini and the International Textile Market Association.

For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Mint Museum at 704-337-2009 or visit (www.mintmuseum.org).

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