What’s up this week in Charlotte’s visual arts?
What to do
Visit Hodges Taylor Gallery for the opening of “MAKE/SHIFT: Rachel Meginnes + Thomas Schmidt” 6-8 p.m. Sept. 21. This exhibition is the first for both artists at the gallery, and pairs Meginnes’ textiles with Schmidt’s ceramics. Both artists have an interesting and non-traditional way of handling their media; Meginnes works with discarded quilts, revealing and manipulating their batting, and Schmidt employs digital and hand-molding techniques to achieve his sometimes-trompe-l’oeil porcelain and ceramic works.
Who to meet
Get to know the work of Paul Martyka, longtime Winthrop University art professor who passed away in 2016. The opening reception for “Seeds to Sow” will take place at the University’s Rutledge Gallery 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 21. This retrospective will showcase Martyka’s skills with printmaking, painting and mixed media, and especially focus on his experimentation and distinct visual style. A highlight of the exhibition will be his hand-printed cut paper collages, one of which won Best in Show at the 2008 S.C. State Museum’s 20th Anniversary Juried Exhibition.
Who else to meet
Head to UNC Charlotte Center City on Sept. 17 to hear Refik Anadol speak at 7:30 p.m. Anadol is the digital media artist behind “Interconnected,” the new public art project at the airport that converts three massive LED screens into an ever-changing digital artwork modeled on real-time airport operations data ranging from flight times and shuttle bus circulation to departures and arrivals. The event is free and open to the public.
Where to go
Head to Kings Drive for the Festival in the Park Art Walk Sept. 21-23. The festival is celebrating its 54th year, and the Art Walk is in its ninth year, located along Little Sugar Creek Greenway on Kings Drive starting at Morehead Street. This is a great place to get to know artists from the region who you will not find in our local galleries, and includes painters, carpenters, jewelry artists, photographers, glass and metal workers and ceramicists. If you’re just getting started with your art collection, this is a fun and interesting place to begin.
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).