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

What to see

See “Paintings Is Its Own Country” at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, on view now through April 2. Curated by Dexter Wimberly, this exhibition pairs work by emerging and established artists, showing where painting has been and where it is going. The exhibition argues that “painting, despite its long existence, still offers limitless space for freedom, diversity and self-expression.”

Who to meet

Meet Leah Rosenberg at her opening reception and artist talk at Hodges Taylor. Her solo exhibition “To Open Eyes” is a show of work dealing with color and how it creates a dialogue between viewer and artist. She is a devoted “color collector,” meaning she takes colors from her immediate surroundings and records them through her art.

The opening reception is Dec. 13 from 6-8 p.m., and an artist lecture moderated by Lia Newman, director/curator at Davidson College Art Galleries, will take place Dec. 14 at 11 a.m.

What to do

Look up next time you are going through the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. There is a new public art installation by Los Angeles-based kinetic artist Christian Moeller hanging from the ceiling in The Plaza, at the corner of Concourses D and E.

“Loops” celebrates the wonder of flight and was inspired by aircraft holding patterns created by jet planes. The two long, curved tubes, made from aluminum, are animated by a constant and slow rotation.

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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