Local Arts

Here’s what’s coming up in Charlotte’s visual arts

By Lia Newman Arts Correspondent
Tom Schmidt’s Notebook Series will be included in Coined in the South, a juried exhibition at the Mint Museum offering $16,000 in cash prizes. The exhibition, which was organized in partnership with the Young Affiliates of the Mint, will showcase innovative and emerging artists in the Southeast.
Tom Schmidt’s Notebook Series will be included in Coined in the South, a juried exhibition at the Mint Museum offering $16,000 in cash prizes. The exhibition, which was organized in partnership with the Young Affiliates of the Mint, will showcase innovative and emerging artists in the Southeast. Courtesy of the Mint Museum

Best Bet

Four years ago, the Young Affiliates of the Mint Museum — known as the YAMs — organized a juried exhibition entitled 80 x 80, celebrating 80 years of the Mint Museum with 80 works of art. Building on the success of the initial exhibition, the YAMs have since presented an annual, themed juried exhibition each year in the mostly unfinished fifth floor expansion space.

This year, the museum is collaborating with the YAMs and moving the exhibition into the fourth-floor galleries. These exhibitions have historically drawn large crowds, and the shows have provided a much-welcomed venue for artists, particularly in the southeastern part of the United States, to exhibit their work.

Featuring 46 artists, Coined in the South will present some stellar works selected by jurors Marilyn Zapf, Adam Justice and Jonell Logan. On Oct. 10, VIPs (artists, Young Affiliates of the Mint, Crown Society members and individual sponsors) will get a first glance at the exhibition from 5-7 p.m. before it opens to the public from 7-9 p.m.

Where to go

On Oct. 10, UNC Charlotte opens a new exhibition, Burnt Generation: Contemporary Iranian Photography, at its uptown location, Projective Eye Gallery.

Curated by Fariba Farshad, the exhibition features eight artists working in documentary, portraiture and fine art photography. The title references the name given to those born between 1963 and 1980 — witnesses of the revolution that overthrew the Pahlavi monarchy, the ensuing chaos and the subsequent Iran-Iraq war.

Though Iranian society has been impacted by complex social and political unrest, each work in the exhibition aims to depict daily life void of clichés and stereotypes. Exhibited artists include Azadeh Akhlaghi, Gohar Dashti, Shadi Ghadirian, Babak Kazemi, Abbas Kowsari, Ali Nadjian and Ramyar Manouchehrzadeh, and Newsha Tavakolian. The reception takes place from 6-8 p.m. and will include a conversation between curator Farshad and Adam Justice, director of the UNC Charlotte Galleries.

Gohar Dashti’s untitled work is included in Burnt Generation: Contemporary Iranian Photography at UNC Charlotte’s Projective Eye Gallery.
Gohar Dashti’s untitled work is included in Burnt Generation: Contemporary Iranian Photography at UNC Charlotte’s Projective Eye Gallery. Courtesy of Candlestar

Who to meet

The Baik Residency at the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College will bring three artists originally from Asia, all exploring identity in relationship to borders, whether those be geographic/geopolitical, religious or gender lines.

Korean artist Yong Soon Min, who lives Los Angeles, Sri Lankan artist Jagath Weerasinghe and Indonesian artist Tintin Wulia, who splits time between Sweden and Australia, will utilize the Van Every Gallery as a studio in October, allowing their creative process to be visible, before presenting a group exhibition of their work. Several events throughout this experimental residency will allow for interaction with the artists, including a casual dinner and gallery introduction on Oct. 9, from 6-7:30 p.m. RSVP to Lia Newman at linewman@davidson.edu.

Jagath Weerasinghe of Sri Lanka is one of three artists participating in the Baik Residency at the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College.
Jagath Weerasinghe of Sri Lanka is one of three artists participating in the Baik Residency at the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College. Courtesy of Davidson College

More arts coverage

You can find all our arts season preview stories and calendars in one place: charlotteobserver.com/topics/charlotte-arts-guide.

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