March 2014

Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte Offers Exhibition of Flowers from its Collection

The Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte, NC, will present Allure of Flowers: Botanical Motifs in Craft, Design, & Fashion, on view from Mar. 1 through Aug. 10, 2014.

The Mint will celebrate spring’s arrival by transforming galleries into virtual gardens of flowers drawn from the museum’s renowned permanent collection with this new exhibition.

The forms, colors, and textures of the botanical world have long inspired artists from across the globe in glass, ceramic, textile, and jewelry design. Allure of Flowers presents a survey of outstanding works from the mid-nineteenth century to today that illustrate the evolution of floral ornament in modern and contemporary applied art.

“Allure of Flowers is a great opportunity for the Mint to showcase many exceptional glassworks, ceramics, and fashions from the permanent collection. Looking across time and across media, the collections themselves revealed the theme, with sinuous plants, sensual floral blossoms, and exuberant bouquets serving as the primary decorative elements in so much of our holdings,” said Annie Carlano, Senior Curator of Craft, Design, & Fashion for the Mint.

The public is invited to free “spotlight tours” on a series of Wednesday evenings when the museum is open free to the public: Mar. 5, Apr. 16, and May 7 at 7pm. They feature discussions with Mint curators and educators focusing on sections of the exhibition devoted to poppies, lilies, and asters.
The Mint’s Sunday Fun Day on Mar. 9 will feature “Bodacious Botanicals” with hands-on art activities and offers free admission for kids under 18 and half-price general adult admission ($5).

The Mint’s recurring “Taste of the Mint” program will feature small plate and drink pairings at Halcyon and E2 restaurants combined with a behind-the-scenes tour of Allure of Flowers beginning at 4pm on Mar. 17, for $50 per person or $35 for Mint members.

On Sunday, Apr. 4, at 3pm, South Carolina artist Alice Ballard, whose ceramic work focuses on natural forms, will give an artist’s talk which is free after museum admission.

The Mint’s FREE ArtFusion event on Apr. 9, at 6pm will celebrate the exhibition with another dose of “Flower Power.”

The public can try their hands at “Sketching in the Galleries” with a Mint art educator on May 7 at 6pm.

All events are at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte. For more information on these and other events or to register, visit (www.mintmuseum.org/happenings) or call 704/337-2107.

The exhibition was organized by The Mint Museum, the exhibition is generously funded through the 2013 Banking on Our Community event, with additional support from The Founders’ Circle, Ltd.

As the oldest art museum in North Carolina, with one of the largest collections in the Southeast, The Mint Museum offers its visitors inspiring and transformative experiences through art from around the world via innovative collections, groundbreaking exhibitions, and riveting educational programs. The Mint Museum is a non-profit, visual arts institution comprised of two dynamic facilities: Mint Museum Uptown and Mint Museum Randolph.

Located in what was the original branch of the United States Mint, Mint Museum Randolph opened in 1936 in Charlotte’s Eastover neighborhood as the state’s first art museum. Today, in a beautiful park setting, intimate galleries invite visitors to engage with the art of the ancient Americas, ceramics and decorative arts, fashion, European and African art, among other collections. Resources include a reference library with over 18,000 volumes, a theater featuring lectures and performances, and a museum shop offering merchandise that complements both the permanent collection and special exhibitions.

Mint Museum Uptown houses the internationally renowned Craft + Design collection, as well as outstanding collections of American, contemporary, and European art. Designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates of Boston, the five-story, 145,000-square-foot facility combines inspiring architecture with cutting-edge exhibitions to provide visitors with unparalleled educational and cultural experiences. Located in the heart of Charlotte’s burgeoning center city, Mint Museum Uptown is an integral part of the Levine Center for the Arts, a cultural campus that includes the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture, the Knight Theater, and the Duke Energy Center. Mint Museum Uptown also features a wide range of visitor amenities, including the 240-seat James B. Duke Auditorium, the Lewis Family Gallery, art studios, a restaurant, and a museum shop.

For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Museum at 704/337-2000 or visit (www.mintmuseum.org).

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