Artful: What to do and see in Charlotte
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).
Where to go
“Cultivating Creativity: 24 Extra Hours to be Creative” will be offered 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday at McColl Center for Art and Innovation. This panel discussion and networking workshop is presented by the folks who brought us one of our city’s greatest creative assets, the Innovation Institute. The lineup of speakers is dynamite: Amy Bagwell (Wall Poems of Charlotte), Matt Olin (Creative Mornings Charlotte), Charles Thomas (The Knight Foundation) and Hyong Yi (assistant city manager of Charlotte). Whether you are an artist seeking a muse or someone interested in expanding the capacity of your imagination, come and explore the intersection of time and creativity: Is time an inspiration or a limitation? Admission is $8 for members, $10 for general admission, $60 for New Member VIP admission (includes membership to McColl Center and an Innovation Institute Journal/Sketchbook). All admission prices include a free drink ticket. Cultivating Creativity page: mccollcenter.org/events/cultivating-creativity-discussion-networking/135.
What to do
Host a viewing party for the opening of “Particle Falls” Friday evening: This interactive, animated, projected installation by artist Andrea Polli will go on view on the exterior of the UNC Charlotte Center City campus at 6:30 p.m. March 4 and will run through April 23. It’s meant to raise awareness of the fine particulate pollution in our air (and there’ll be more on the installation, and the project it’s a larger part of, in an upcoming Sunday Carolina Living). More info about Clean Air Carolina, one of the college’s community partners: www.cleanaircarolina.org.
Who to meet
Allison Luce is a sculptor who explores tricky topics such as eternity, existence, the body and fragility in her work. She is currently one of the Arts & Science Council’s Art Pop artists, and you can see her sculpture “Matchless” featured on billboards throughout the year. Luce also serves on the board of directors of Christians in the Visual Arts, which is hosting a symposium March 4-5 on “The Calling and Vocation of a Life in the Arts.” Her website: www.allisonluce.com.
This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 3:17 PM.