What’s up this week in Charlotte’s visual arts?
Each week, Grace Cote, Lia Newman, and Kati Stegall offer Observer readers a to-do list on immersing yourself in visual arts around town. Newman is director/curator of the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College, Cote is senior coordinator at Jerald Melberg Gallery, Stegall is Art-in-Transit program administrator at the Charlotte Area Transit System, and they collaborate on the blog HappeningsCLT (happeningsCLT.com).
For a seasonlong visual arts calendar, go to: www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article100517602.html.
What to do
One of our top events to attend this week is the opening reception March 8 for Halsey Hathaway’s exhibition at SOCO Gallery. Hathaway is under 40 years old, but has already built an impressive resume, with a BFA from Pratt Institute, MFA from Hunter College, and a number of group and solo exhibitions, from New York (his home base) to Mexico. Painting in opaque acrylics, Hathaway’s imagery is abstract, with what seems to be a nod to the human form. The exhibition marks the artist’s first at SOCO. Meet Hathaway 6-8 p.m. at the reception; the exhibition remains on view through May 6.
Where to go
In case you missed the reception, the latest exhibition in the “Keeping Watch” series just opened at the Projective Eye Gallery at UNCC’s Center City building. Over the years, we have experienced numerous curatorial projects under this heading from UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, and Lambla artWORKS. Beginning in 2014, there was Plastics, then Creeks, Air + Trees, and now, Habitat. The exhibition features photographic diptychs exploring nature versus man-made environments by Byron Baldwin, Cynthia Cole, Deborah Triplett, Meredith Hebden, Micah Cash and William Wylie, along with sculptural works by Natalie Abrams. Heather Freeman’s work hangs in the Center City building lobby and the front window case features collaborative work by Madison Dunaway, Caleb Roenigk and Terry Thirion. In monthly rotations, there will be three temporary floor installations. Currently, the gallery features work by Jennifer Angus. Head back on March 23 and you’ll see the work of Shaun Cassidy; visit on April 22, and you will experience an installation by Alison Donohue. We love the idea of these temporal exhibitions that seem to reiterate the fact that habitats can be fleeting. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, and “Keeping Watch: Habitat” will remain on view through April 27.
This story was originally published February 28, 2017 at 11:35 AM with the headline "What’s up this week in Charlotte’s visual arts?."