ClearWater Artist Studios to host 2nd gallery show

ClearWater Artist Studios in Concord’s Gibson Village will host its second major gallery exhibit since its inaugural Gallery Open in May.

Several area artists will be on display Dec. 8 as part of Winterfest at ClearWater. The open gallery event will run 6-9 p.m. in the city’s former electric operations, a renovated 38,000-square-foot complex that houses 10 private art studios and a 2,200-square-foot gallery.

The exhibit will feature paintings as well as works in fiber art, sculpture and glass. There also will be live music, open studios with art demonstrations and a film screening. Wine and cheese will be served. The studio also will be open from 2-4 p.m. so children and their parents can make Christmas crafts.

Renovations are under way to make room for the studio’s newest tenant, the Southern Piedmont Woodturners. There are also a couple studios available for rent.

New landscaping and site signage are set to be installed by the end of the year. The master site plan calls for a café, an area for a farmers market and green space to host community events, according to Todd Mosley, construction coordinator with the city of Concord.

“We’re actually about four years out to having the space fully complete,” said Mosley. “We’re trying to get more traffic down here, we’re trying to get more advertising to get more people in here. The thing we’re working on now is getting ready for the Souther Piedmont Woodturners and they’ll bring in a lot of traffic.”

Mosley said the goal is for the studios to serve as an anchor for the arts community because it ties into the greenway and is a short walk from downtown Concord.

Charlotte-based painter Louise Farley has rented studio space since 2011. She said the growing arts community is slowly gaining momentum.

“It’s a center for people to come and look at art…,” said Farley, who expects the studio to withstand the test of time. “It’s been great for me, as far as painting goes, because it’s the best studio I’ve ever had.”

Debbie Manley creates glass mosaics in one of the studios at ClearWater.

“It’s expanding,” she said. “We’re doing well. … There’s a cafe coming, the wood turners are coming and there’s more studios going in downstairs for metal workers.”

She agreed that progress has been slow.

“I think we could do a lot better at getting out name our there,” said Manley. “It’s an opportunity for a lot of people to see people (engaged in) live art. This is not something people get to see often and it’s a very relaxed atmosphere in here. If you want to look, just look. If you want to ask questions, ask questions. If you want to sit down and chat, sit down and chat.”

Her highlight thus far was the grand opening.

“We’re just really trying to put ourselves out there so people can see what’s here now and to let them know there’s more coming,” she said.

Kenneth Long, a full-time contractor out of Rowan county, creates furniture and shelves out of reclaimed wood. He’s one of the latest artists to rent studio space and some of his latest projects – a set of fire pit benches and decorative stands -- were made using an 200-year-old pecan tree harvested in Concord. This will be the 47-year-old’s first exhibit.

“That was the first tree that got me inspired enough to want to do something with it,” he said. “You meet a lot of neat people here. It’s a really nice space and I’ve enjoyed talking to people who have different views on art. I’m just a county boy, so this art stuff is all really kind of new to me.”