A Plaza Midwood art gallery is closing. You have through January to view what’s on display
As Sozo Gallery celebrates its 10-year anniversary in Charlotte, it has announced it will be closing its doors shortly after.
The contemporary visual art gallery relocated from uptown to Plaza Midwood last year. It will close on Jan. 31, 2023.
HOW TO VISIT:
- Sozo Gallery will continue its regular hours through December.
- It will be open by appointment from Jan. 3-31.
Sozo’s founder and director, Hannah Blanton, will open SELAH, an artist advisory firm and art consultancy. SELAH will focus on Blanton’s continued mission to build connections between artists and collectors. “SELAH will allow for more studio visits, planning and conversations with artists, selecting works for collectors and growing collections in the ways I have come to enjoy most,” Blanton posted on Instagram.
This mission will help further the gallery’s focus, which has been on bringing works from emerging and established artists from around the world to Charlotte’s private art collectors.
“I offer my profound thanks to the many artists, collectors, mentors and organizations that have partnered with Sozo Gallery through the years. Each of you has had an important influence on the evolution and growth of Sozo,” Blanton said in a statement emailed to CharlotteFive.
[READ NEXT: Her ‘greatest decision’: Charlotte artist explains why she took up an easel at age 45.]
The Charlotte Observer featured UNC graduate Kenny Nguyen during his second solo show at the gallery in 2019. “I think (art) is such a beautiful way to communicate with people,” Nguyen told The Observer.
“It’s kind of crossing over this boundary. I think the biggest issue of me being an immigrant is the language,” said Nguyen, who moved to the United States at 19 years old from South Vietnam. “This is just a beautiful way of communication.”
And in 2020, Sozo partnered with the Brooklyn Collective to curate art exhibitions to support its mission. Brooklyn was once a thriving, mixed-income Black neighborhood in uptown before city leaders razed it in the name of urban renewal.
The exhibition featured three local Black artists.
It was held in what was once known as the Mecklenburg Investment Company building, one of the original buildings from Brooklyn, which was built in 1922.
“This journey with Sozo Gallery has been a dream come true for me,” Blanton posted on Instagram. “My heart is full. Thank you all so much for your support and belief in Sozo.”
Sozo Gallery
Location: 904 Pecan Ave Suite 101, Charlotte, NC 28205
Instagram: @sozogallery
This story was originally published November 29, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
