What’s up this week in Charlotte’s visual arts?
What to do
Catch the first event in the Sphere Series -- discussions on the power of art to spark creative solutions and social change -- 6-8 p.m. Oct. 10. Founded by Queens University Professor Hilary Burt with representatives from LACA Projects, McColl Center for Art + Innovation and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, this effort starts with “The Changing Landscape of the Art Market,” moderated by Bechtler curator Jennifer Sudul Edwards. On the panel: Cristin Tierney of the Cristin Tierney Gallery in New York; Kaeli Deane, a vice president at the auction house Phillips; Stas Johnson-Chyzhykov, an associate director at Artsy.net; and Nicole Berry of The Armory Show.
Where to go
Stop by these South End art galleries to see their new exhibitions:
▪ Hidell Brooks recently opened two painting shows, “Sarah Helser: No Wrong Reason” and “Charlie Hanavich: More Than 15.”
▪ Ciel Gallery is currently hosting a national juried exhibition titled “I Spy,” with work by artists across the U.S. who offer a raw, personal glimpse into how they interpret the world.
▪ At Lark and Key, “Confluence” joins the mystical and whimsical paintings of Duy Huynh and potter Julie Covington, with the two artists collaborating on some works.
What to see
Stop by the Mint Museum Uptown to see a small jewel of an exhibition, a suite of 20 watercolors by Charlotte native Romare Bearden (1911-1988) illustrating Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey.” During his career, Bearden explored this imagery through multiple media to examine themes of journey and struggle, which he related to the African American experience. Viewers will notice this connection both indirectly and directly, as the cast of characters is all black. Afterward, we encourage you to visit Richard Hunt’s sculpture “Spiral Odyssey” in the neighboring Romare Bearden Park to see how Hunt pulled and abstracted imagery from his friend Bearden’s suite.
Each week, Grace Cote and Lia Newman 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, and they collaborate on the blog HappeningsCLT (happeningsCLT.com).
For a seasonlong visual arts calendar, go to: www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article172583126.html.
This story was originally published October 4, 2017 at 6:22 PM with the headline "What’s up this week in Charlotte’s visual arts?."