Take charge of your art appreciation with Charlotte MAP
Public service announcement for young professionals visiting an art gallery with zero desire or budget to buy anything: The owner doesn’t necessarily expect you to make a purchase.
If that owner is Larry Elder of Elder Gallery in South End, he walks over to you to make you feel welcome. And to educate you, if you have questions.
Elder, whose gallery has been on the corner of South Tryon Street and Camden Road for five years, has a customer base that is typically age 40 and up and is willing to purchase art in his “sweet spot” range of $1,500-$5,500. But he’s had an eye on the swarm of Millennials (yes, the M word, I typed it) that the apartment boom has brought to his neighborhood.
That’s why he walked up to Harrison Reeves, 26, last spring when Reeves was checking out the gallery with his girlfriend. “My parents have a collection of art and I’ve always been curious,” said Reeves, who works for Driven Brands in Charlotte. “… We just wanted to do something different on a weekend.”
The conversation they had that day brought about the Charlotte Millennial Art Program (MAP), which takes place the last Wednesday of each month at Elder Gallery. The fourth installment is Aug. 31 and, if you’re age 21-35, this event is free for you.
Jennifer Edwards, curator of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, will present Trendsetters in the Contemporary Art World at 6 p.m. Wooden Robot is supplying beers and Queen City Catering is bringing in food.
Through this series of monthly events, Reeves and his event partner, Colin Keil, 26, present an open and casual forum in which their demographic can learn about art. They are exploring topics from the evolution of art to the business of art.
The first speaker was a 40-year-old art collector named Michael Orell, who talked about how purchasing art for the first time is like drinking beer for the first time. You don’t really know what you like or what is of good quality and you just start by buying the cheapest option. But the more you gain exposure, the more sophisticated your palate becomes.
The most recent Charlotte MAP event with local artist Stephanie Neely brought in 40 people with her presentation: “My Life as an Artist in Charlotte.”
“The turnout from what we have done shows there is a genuine interest to learn — and maybe more of a curiosity than an interest — but it’s there,” Reeves said.
Elder feels the art scene itself — comprised of the institutions and the gallery owners — is hugely responsible for igniting public excitement and appreciation for art.
“I would challenge the other art venues, be it privately owned or not-for-profit,” he said. “I think they need to be more welcoming, they need to be more aggressive, they need to take on the tone of sharing information and educating people. Somebody has to take ownership.”
At the same time, I’d challenge the rest of us to take ownership over our own sense of appreciation for the arts. If you’re passing by an open art gallery, walk on in. If there’s a free event at the Levine Center for the Arts — take the time to go. If you pass a piece of public art while you’re traversing the Rail Trail, stop and stare.
The art scene is “there for everyone to enjoy and appreciate and to learn about,” Reeves said.
Photos: Katie Toussaint
This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Take charge of your art appreciation with Charlotte MAP."