You can find pieces in the Immersive Van Gogh gift shop from artists with special needs
.jpg "Cheryl Tierney after attending the exhibit and creating her own art during a lesson with Bree Stallings of Blumenthal Performing Arts.")
For art lovers, the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit in Charlotte offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the artwork of Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh. But for a few local art lovers in particular, the experience was a little more important.
Among them is Cheryl Tierney, a resident at Holy Angels, Inc., a community in Belmont dedicated to providing services, care and support for people of all ages who have special needs. Holy Angels runs the Bliss Gallery, an art program that provides studio space and display opportunities to the residents who are interested, including Tierney.
“I love art. I love making images come to life. People come in and want to buy my art. It makes me feel proud that someone comes in and wants to buy my art. It’s really special,” Tierney said. Tierney’s paintings and prints are available for sale at the exhibit. Visitors can also buy other goods, including scarves and candles, created by other residents of Holy Angels.
When gallery director Harmony Heslop saw that the Van Gogh exhibit would be on display in Charlotte, she contacted Bree Stallings, the director of artistic experiences for the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, who had previously been a guest artist at the Bliss Gallery.
Stallings invited a group of residents and staff to attend the exhibit and then participate in creating their own “Starry Night” mixed media paintings. Stallings said the Bliss Gallery group is one of a few that have been both a participant in the community showing and in selling their wares in the gift shop.
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Tierney was among the artists in the Bliss Gallery group who created their own interpretations of Van Gogh’s famous “Starry Night” painting. When Stallings saw their pieces, she asked if they would be interested in selling work in the Immersive Van Gogh gift store.
“It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that I was able to show two pieces of my own art at this exhibit,” Tierney said. “It’s exciting to know that hundreds of people get to see my art every day when they walk through the exhibit.”
While having her artwork for sale at the Van Gogh exhibit is new and exciting to her, it’s not Tierney’s first taste of commercial artistic success. In October 2020, she sold a painting of a pumpkin and gourds to Ivanka Trump when Trump visited the gallery in downtown Belmont.
Immersive Van Gogh
Location: 1774 Statesville Ave., Charlotte NC, 28206
Neighborhood: Druid Hills South at Camp North End
When: Through Oct. 31, 2021
Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday
Phone: 704-372-1000
Tickets: $39.99 for adults, $24.99 for children ages 6-16
Instagram: @vangoghclt
