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 see
Romare Bearden Park is one of our favorite places in the warm-weather months, which is why we were thrilled to see the newly installed sculpture by renowned artist Richard Hunt. The title of Hunt’s sculpture, “Spiral Odyssey,” is very much a reference to Bearden, who was his contemporary: Bearden was a founding member of the The Spiral, a group of African American artists concerned with civil rights issues, and also created multiple artworks around themes of Homer’s epic Odyssey. The stainless steel work weighs 4 tons and, in a conglomeration of spiraling appendages, swirls up to a height of 30 feet.
Where to go
Head to Anne Neilson Fine Art to see the exhibition “Rooted,” on view through July 15. If you haven’t already been there, know that this gallery is more than Neilson’s famous angel paintings; over the past few years she and her team have consistently brought in regional talent new to Charlotte audiences. All of the eight artists with work on view in “Rooted” either live in or have strong ties to the American Southeast, and are considered “emerging.” You may recognize some of the names, like Jeremy Pelt, who recently showed with the pop-up exhibition program “The Dwelling.” Featured artists work in a variety of media, including abstract and figurative painting, collage and photography.
This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 12:49 PM with the headline "What’s up this week in Charlotte’s visual arts?."