Museum to host three extraordinary exhibitions, launch new fashion initiative in the coming fiscal year

The Mint Museum, long renowned for holding one of the largest and most significant Fashion Collections in the Southeastern United States, will celebrate the art form with its upcoming “Year of Fashion,” the museum announced today to attendees of its annual gala.

Weston M. Andress, chairman of the Mint’s Board of Trustees, issued a proclamation declaring the “Year of Fashion” to 400 attendees at the sold-out Coveted Couture gala, an annual fundraising event permanently devoted to celebrating the Mint’s collection, conservation, study, and exhibition of fashions both historic and contemporary. The “Year of Fashion” will span the museum’s next fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 and continuing through June 30, 2018.

“Today we celebrate the Mint for delivering relevant and compelling exhibitions and programming that engages all members of our diverse global community, and we are thrilled that we will be able to introduce new concepts of art to our community through this year-long focus on fashion,” Andress said.

“Fashion design is like kinetic sculpture, and leading couturiers are like master architects who build with fabric and applied elements using the body as armature,” said Annie Carlano, Senior Curator of Craft, Design, & Fashion at the Mint. “Our relationship with fashion is both universal and personal; fashion reflects the times we live in and who we are.”

The “Year of Fashion” will center around three exhibitions to be on view throughout the year, and is also accompanied by a major financial gift provided by loyal Mint supporters Ann and Michael Tarwater. In honor of his wife Ann, Michael Tarwater has given a lead gift to launch a Fashion Initiative at Mint Museum Randolph to enhance the storage, study, exhibition, and development of innovative immersive programs around fashion in years to come. “The Tarwaters believe the Mint should be the fashion leader in our region – and beyond.  They see fashion design as one of the most engaging and meaningful art forms, with rich aesthetic and cultural associations, and a gateway to understanding style through the ages. They are dedicated to making Charlotte a great city for all, and that includes robust support for the arts. With this lead gift for a dynamic fashion presence at the Mint, Ann and Michael are giving back to the city that has been their home for more than 30 years, and we cannot thank them enough,” said Carlano. Further details of the Fashion Initiative will be made public during the coming months.

The three exhibitions to be hosted at the Mint are:

• William Ivey Long: Costume Designs 2007-2016 . On view at Mint Museum Uptown from September 23, 2017 through June 3, 2018. North Carolina native William Ivey Long is one of the most renowned theatrical costume designers working today. Since the beginning of his career in the 1970s, he has designed over 70 Broadway shows, has won six Tony awards and received 15 nominations, and has earned many other honors and accolades. The exhibition will explore William Ivey Long’s most recent work, from 2007 to today. It will focus on his process, featuring sketches, swatches, mood boards, and other preparatory materials in addition to the costumes themselves. The exhibition, co-curated by Carlano, and Rebecca Elliot, Assistant Curator for Craft, Design, & Fashion, will provide visitors with exposure to this form of art and allow for comparison of the different goals of theatrical costume and fashion.

• Charlotte Collects: Contemporary Couture and Fabulous Fashion. On view at Mint Museum Randolph from October 14, 2017 through early 2018. This is the first of a series of Craft, Design, & Fashion exhibitions featuring significant collections and collectors in Charlotte. Curated by Carlano, Charlotte Collects is an exhibition that takes an intimate look at important fashion designs in the collections of several fashion leaders in our community. From exquisite bespoke creations by couturier Giambattista Valli, to the innovative designs by Issey Miyake and elegant minimalism of Jason Wu, the exhibition strives to present a wide range of 21^st century fashion through the personal stories of each of these collectors, with the goal of both celebrating these women, and building excitement for the future of fashion at Mint Museum Randolph.  Informative and dynamic, the installation will include runway videos.
• An exhibition of fashion designs by Oscar de la Renta, scheduled to be on view in spring 2018 at Mint Museum Randolph. Organized in close collaboration with the House of Oscar de la Renta and the designer’s family, the exhibition is curated by André Leon Talley, former American editor-at-large for Vogue and a lifelong friend of de la Renta. It is scheduled to debut at the Mint next spring following its recently announced run at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston this fall. It is anticipated to contain fashions made during the span of his career in Spain, Paris, and New York. The Mint hosted the late designer for a fashion show fundraiser organized by the Mint Museum Auxiliary in 2011.

Wells Fargo Private Bank has signed on as presenting sponsor of both the William Ivey Long and Oscar de la Renta exhibitions, as well as serving as lead sponsor of this year’s Coveted Couture gala. “Wells Fargo Private Bank is pleased to help the Mint present these signature exhibitions to the community,” said Jay Everette, Community Affairs Manager, Wells Fargo Foundation, and co-chair of this year’s Coveted Couture gala. “The intersection of art, fashion, costume, and design offers incredibly rich content and concepts to explore through both exhibition presentation and community programming.”

“The Mint thanks Wells Fargo, the Tarwater family, the Auxiliary, and all of the hundreds of other individual, corporate, and foundation sponsors who make possible our ability to continue to present these groundbreaking exhibitions to our community,” said Carlano.

The Mint also announced Saturday that the next Coveted Couture gala will be timed to coincide with the opening of the Oscar de la Renta exhibition, and will be co-chaired by Charlotte fashion industry leaders Laura Vinroot Poole and Perry Poole. More information on the plans will be available later in 2017 at mintmuseum.org/gala .

Above image: Lisa Dargan in couture by Giambattista Valli, 2014. Photograph by Gately Williams. From the upcoming exhibition Charlotte Collects: Contemporary Couture and Fabulous Fashion.

Museum to name interim leader, launch national search

The Mint Museum today announced its President & CEO Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson is leaving the museum on June 30, 2017.

The Mint Museum Board of Trustees will announce an interim president and launch a national search for her permanent replacement in the coming weeks.

“The Mint is most appreciative of Dr. Jameson’s strategic leadership in an especially difficult economic environment during the last seven years,” said Weston M. Andress, chairman of The Mint Museum’s Board of Trustees. “She is a leading voice for the arts and leaves the Mint in a strong position to move forward. We would like to thank Kathleen for her years of service.”

Dr. Jameson joined the Mint in 2010 from the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. She brought a strong combination of curatorial expertise and programming, management, and academic experience to the Mint.

On arrival in Charlotte, she assisted with the move to the new Mint Museum Uptown, a 145,000-square-foot facility that is part of what is now Levine Center for the Arts. She guided the revitalization of the Mint on Randolph Road, as well. Mint Museum Randolph houses ceramics and Decorative Arts, Art of the Ancient Americas, African Art, and Fashion collections.

During her tenure, the Mint hosted numerous significant exhibitions, including Here & Now: 80 Years of Photography at the Mint, an exhibition curated by Dr. Jameson that was drawn from the Mint’s permanent collection of stunning photographs.

In 2013, the groundbreaking international exhibition Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs 1851-1939 opened featuring 200 objects shown at every major world’s fair during that pivotal time in history.

The next year, the museum opened Connecting the World: The Panama Canal at 100 on the centennial of the opening of the Panama Canal.

Currently on view through August 13 at Mint Museum Randolph is The Wyeths: Three Generations, Works from the Bank of America Collection. State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now opens at Mint Museum Uptown this coming Saturday, April 22, and remains on view through September 3, 2017.

Exhibition from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to remain on view through September 3

The Mint Museum announces State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now , on view April 22 to September 3. The exhibition was organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, where it debuted in 2014, and features 75 works in sculpture, painting, drawing, video, and mixed media by 39 artists from every region of the U.S. The diverse range of styles and voices reflects what’s happening in American art right now. The exhibition examines how today’s artists are informed by the past, innovate with materials old and new, and engage deeply with issues relevant to their communities. The exhibition is presented in Charlotte by PNC Financial Services, with additional support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Young Affiliates of the Mint.

Members of the media are invited to preview the exhibition at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19 at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte. Light refreshments will be served and curatorial staff will be available for interviews. RSVP to the media preview to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org. High resolution images are available upon request and media photography is permitted during the event.

The State of the Art exhibition culminated a year-long process in which Crystal Bridges’ curatorial team logged more than 100,000 miles, crisscrossing the country to visit artists in rural communities, small towns, and urban centers. The exhibition seeks to explore what is happening in studios and creative communities and then introduce those artists to a broader audience. The exhibition opened to unprecedented national attention, such as a feature on CBS Sunday Morning, placing State of the Art at the forefront of an ongoing discussion about art in America. Accolades include a 2015 Excellence in Exhibition Award from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).

“I am very excited to share this exciting exhibition with our audience,” said Dr. Jonathan Stuhlman, the Mint’s senior curator of American, Modern, & Contemporary Art. “Visitors are sure to delight in the diversity of its subject matter, artistic approaches, and mediums – there truly is something for everyone. State of the Art demonstrates the many ways in which contemporary art can intersect and connect with our daily lives and personal histories.”

“We know what art can do, how it changes perspectives, even lives,” said Weston M. Andress, PNC regional president of Western Carolina. “We are committed to supporting innovative, thought-provoking works such as this fine exhibition offered by The Mint Museum. We are proud to bring it to our community.”

Among the included artists are North Carolina’s own Bob Trotman and Peter Glenn Oakley. Trotman’s carved wooden sculptures are tongue-in-cheek examinations of the corporate lifestyle and derive from his own childhood memories of his father’s corporate persona. Oakley reimagines mundane objects, in this case a sewing machine, into elegant marble sculptures, shifting our attention away from their practical uses to the beauty of their design.

Other exhibited artworks include Drawing E. Obsoleta, a video by former North Carolina artist Jeff Whetstone, where the artist attempts to manipulate the writhing form of a black snake to create a line-drawing of the landscape. Pittsburgh artist Lenka Clayton approaches her creations from a maternal perspective. In her installation titled 63 Objects Taken Out of My Son’s Mouth, Clayton showcases an array of small objects that would have originally been stepped on, ignored, or thrown away, but are now interpreted as potentially life-threatening hazards. The largest exhibited work is by Brooklyn artist Jonathan Schipper. Slow Room is an installation evoking ‘grandma’s living room’ where all the furniture and adornments are tethered to a hidden winch. Each piece is slowly pulled toward the back of the room until nothing exists but a pile of destroyed objects. For Schipper, this is a metaphor for the gradual progress and ultimate end of life; the slow lapse of time keeps us unaware of gradual changes made to our minds and bodies throughout our lifetimes.

Four of the artists will visit the Mint to give FREE public talks during the exhibition, along with NexGen Mint workshops to teens 14-18 and other opportunities for interaction. They include Delita Martin, whose free talk will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday May 4; Bob Trotman, who appears at 6 p.m. on Wednesday June 14; Eyakem Gulilat at 6 p.m. on Thursday July 19; and Jeff Whetstone at 6 p.m. on Wednesday August 9. Exhibition programs are supported, in part, by the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation. For details and other information about public programming surrounding the exhibition, visit mintmuseum.org/happenings .

Above image: Carl Joe Williams (1970- ). American Shotgun, 2012, mixed media on found door. Courtesy Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. Photo: Edward C. Robison III.

Organized by Jonell Logan from 300 Arts Project, The Exhibition Features work by artist Antoine Williams

Kidnapped Pagans is not your traditional exhibition. Organized by Jonell Logan, founder of 300 Art Project, this arts public/private art installation features work by former Charlotte resident Antoine Williams. Engaging in issues of history, culture, and the black experience, Williams combines drawing, painting, and collage to present and challenge the spaces that people of color occupy within our society.  This show will be on view in April 29-May 20^th, 2017 in the Level 5 exhibition space at the Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts. The exhibition will be available FREE to the public during regular museum operating hours. Works of art will also be installed throughout various neighborhoods in Charlotte for up to three months beginning in late April.

Kidnapped Pagans is one model for community ownership and engagement in the arts. As an independent curator, Logan partnered with The Mint Museum, individual property owners, Charlotte Center City Partners, and Charlotte Urban Design, City of Charlotte, to bring the work to Charlotte. In addition to being at The Mint, work by Antoine Williams will be installed on newspaper kiosks and private buildings throughout Charlotte.  The intention is to expand the exhibition beyond the museum boundaries, foster personal interaction with the work within our communities, and expand our collective understanding of how and where art can impact our lives. We will announce the installation and de-installation schedule so that Charlotteans who are interested in meeting Antoine can not only see the process, but talk to him one on one about art, culture, and the questions raised by the work. These installations will remain in Charlotte for 1-3 months, depending on site.

This dually-installed, public exhibition allows for a continuation of support of new and experimental methods of contemporary art making in Charlotte. Kidnapped Pagans creates a timely and creative dialogue around class, race and narrative within the African America perspective. As Charlotte investigates its challenges with economic mobility and cultural exchange, Williams’ work provides a unique opportunity to engage contemporary art, culture, narrative in a way that can foster greater exchange and understanding in a growing and learning Charlotte.

This project was made possible with support from the Knight Foundation and the Pollination Project.

Exhibition Description:

Kidnapped Pagans

“…And this is what it means to be an American Negro, this is who he is-a kidnapped

pagan, who was sold like an animal and treated like one…”  -James Baldwin

“I’m African-American, I’m African. I’m black as the moon, heritage of a small village

Pardon my residence. Came from the bottom of mankind, my hair is nappy… my nose is round

and wide.”  -Kendrick Lamar

Kidnapped Pagans is a site-specific installation of semi-autobiographical narrative vignettes by artist Antoine Williams. The installation, which will span the entirety of the front gallery, consisting of life-size figures made from wheat-paste and found object. These distorted figures are a part of the artist’s personal mythology, which, serves as metaphor for larger systemic issues that rest at the intersection of class, race, geography, and semiotics.

Also, within the space there will be one to two large to mid-size mixed media paintings that will encapsulate the narratives. Essentially this show will reflect the specifics of Black life in the southeast United States but echoes of contemporary issues we face as a nation.

About the Curator:

Kidnapped Pagans is organized by Jonell Logan, an independent curator and founder of 300 Arts Project. Logan recently curated the Lilith exhibition at The Light Factory, on view through April 6, 2017. Logan has worked at various museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

About the Artist:

Antoine Williams’ art practice is an investigation of his cultural identity through the exploration of societal signs as they relate to institutional inequities. He has created a mythology, which have become a narrative catalogue of loosely autobiographical humanoid beings that personify the complexities of perception, which can affect race, class, and masculinity. His works of art are heavily influenced by sci-fi literature from such authors as Octavia Butler and H.G. Wells. Themes in science fiction can be analogous to the Black experience in America. Therefore, Williams has created a world of beings that personify the complexity within hierarchies of power in everyday life. These figures manifest as mixed-media installations, paintings, drawings, and collage. These entities reference the Dadaist, who appropriated and re-contextualized images from society in order to create “anti-art”. Namely Hans Arp, who considered the destruction of “signs” as a subversive act. The signs he is interested in are tropes associated with the Black body within the American psyche.

In the vein of Felix Gonzales-Torres, Williams has a concern for making the personal, public. These beings (which are nameless) are inspired by personal experiences from a rural working class, upbringing, in Red Springs, North Carolina that related to wider contemporary concerns. Inspired by the Amiri Baraka poem “Something in the Way of Things”, these beings live in the intangible spaces that exist between the nuances of class and race. They are both born of and perpetuate the actions and thought processes due to social reproduction. They exist in an abstracted purgatory.

Call to action to #SavetheNEA, #SavetheNEH, #SavetheIMLS

Dear Mint Museum supporter:

 
President Trump’s newly proposed budget – released Thursday – cuts all funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute for Museum & Library Services (IMLS), among other agencies and programs. These cuts would have serious negative implications for The Mint Museum, its annual operating budget, and the arts community at large.

Please join our effort to be heard by contacting your elected officials or engaging your networks or social media circles to give them factual context about the Mint and the value we provide the community. You can click here for a link to take action, and use #SavetheNEA, #SavetheNEH, and #SavetheIMLS on social media.

We have also provided some Questions & Answers below for you to use when talking to others. The arts matter – let’s do our part to help fight these proposed cuts. Thank you for all you do to make the Mint accessible, relevant, and vital to the global community we work to serve with excellence and passion every day.

Q. Does the Mint receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, or the Institute for Museum & Library Services? 

A. In recent years these three agencies have provided the Mint nearly $300,000 in critical funding.

Q. Which Mint programs have been supported by funding from the NEA, NEH, or IMLS? 

A. In addition to general operating support provided by the North Carolina Arts Council each year, NEA grants have assisted Sunday Fun Days; digitization of our collections; and our teen program NexGen Mint (with some funding also supporting summer camp scholarships this year). NEH funds have supported preservation assistance for our collections, and the IMLS supported community outreach during the centennial of Romare Bearden’s birth. Additionally, the NEA and IMLS have supported Mint Museum Uptown’s Lewis Family Gallery and Art Packs and ArtVenture scavenger hunts distributed to thousands of families.

Q. What would the Mint do if these agencies were eliminated? 

A. There are many unanswered questions, including whether or not our annual NCAC operating support will be reduced or eliminated. While the consistent annual support the Mint receives from federal sources is not a large portion of our operations, we would need to replace this funding in order to maintain our commitment to serving our community.

Q. What can supporters of the Mint do to help? 

A. Please share this nformation with your own networks. You can also contact your elected officials and ask them to support these or other sources of arts funding. And, most of all, you can continue to be ambassadors of the Mint to our community, sharing news about the exceptional art and programming the Mint provides, and advocating for the museum as a powerful force for tourism, economic development, education, engagement, and inspiration to the community at large.

Below is additional information from the Association of Art Museum Directors:

Reach of the NEA: 

*No other arts funder-public or private-sends funds to every congressional district in every state and to all the U.S. territories.

*The NEA and NEH don’t tell states what to do with the funds they receive. The states set their own priorities.

*The NEA and NEH’s investment in state and regional arts organizations helps to bolster a strong arts and culture ecosystem in United States. 

*The loss of the NEA / NEH / IMLS would have the greatest impact on rural areas, low-income areas, and schoolchildren, seniors, and veterans.

Economic Factors: 

*Taxpayer investment in the NEA and NEH is minimal, just 94 cents per capita, less than the cost of one cup of coffee each year; but, 

*The NEA has a huge impact for that minimal investment. On average, each dollar awarded by the NEA to an arts organization enables that organization to leverage nine dollars from other sources. 

*This makes the NEA an economic driver, generating more than $600 million annually in these matching funds.

Thank you again for your support of the Mint and for assisting us in this call to action.

Sincerely,

Kathleen V. Jameson, Ph.D.

President & CEO, The Mint Museum

Media, hospitality industries invited to hear details of spring seasons

Members of the media and supporters are invited to hear details of the spring arts season for four of Charlotte’s key cultural institutions, including several new collaborations making their public debut.

Executives and staff from the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater; the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture; and The Mint Museum will introduce their spring cultural offerings and updated slate of collaborative events. Highlights include:

“See All Three” tours debut April 23: Led by curatorial and creative staff at the three museums, participants are invited to experience special guided tours discussing common threads among exhibitions at the Bechtler, Gantt Center, and Mint. The tours are free for members who have joined any of the three museums at the $250 level or higher. The upcoming tour will focus on the evolution of abstraction during the 20^th century, beginning with Bechtler Collection: Relaunched and Rediscovered; continuing with The Future is Abstract at the Gantt Center; and concluding with the new special exhibition State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now, opening that weekend at Mint Museum Uptown.

Yoga at Levine Center for the Arts on May 18: In collaboration with Charlotte Five, the institutions will team up to host a FREE communitywide outdoor yoga class on the plaza at Levine Center for the Arts, followed by an evening of food trucks cash bars, and free gallery access at the three museums. The event will be at 5:30 p.m. on May 18, which is also International Art Museum Day. Look for more information soon at CharlotteFive.com.

#LongLiveArts Festival returns June 3: For the second year, all four LCA institutions are collaborating on a FREE community festival celebrating all the performing and visual arts the institutions offer to the community. The event will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday June 3 and will feature performances, family-friendly activities, food trucks, and more.

ArtBreak tours continue monthly: Now entering their second year, the FREE docent-led tours are offered to the public at noon on the third Thursday of each month at each of the three museums. Themes for the tours shift every three months, allowing visitors to pick a different museum each month and have new experiences all year long. Since their debut in March 2016, the tours have drawn 769 visitors.

Following the presentation to those in attendance at the Mint on March 29, participants will be invited to select one of the three museums and experience an abbreviated “ArtBreak” tour for themselves. Other spring highlights at Levine Center for the Arts to be discussed include:

At Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Celebrating Jean Tinguely and Santana (May 12 – September 10, 2017)

Swiss artist Jean Tinguely’s iconic sculpture Santana, completed in 1966, celebrated its 50th birthday in 2016. To mark the occasion, the museum will offer a survey of Tinguely’s development as an artist through a presentation of his sculptures both from the Bechtler collection and on loan, drawings and prints, and personal correspondence between the artist and the Bechtler family. Additionally, Alberto Giacometti: 45 Drawings Portfolio remains on view through June 5.

At Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater

Charlotte Jazz Festival 2017, April 20-23: Blumenthal Performing Arts’ hit jazz festival returns to the Queen City this spring, once again featuring the critically acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra under the leadership of musical director Wynton Marsalis. Sponsored by The Leon Levine Foundation, Charlotte Jazz Festival 2017 will take place at Levine Center for the Arts and Romare Bearden Park, with even more to offer than the inaugural sellout year. In a new collaboration, each jazz ticket purchased brings a free pass to the three Levine Center for the Arts museums ($20 value). Visit CharlotteJazzFestival.com, BlumenthalArts.org, or call 704.372.1000 for complete details and pricing.

At Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

Four exhibitions remain on view through July 8: The Future is Abstract; Alison Saar: The Nature of Us; Zun Lee: Father Figure; and Jordan Casteel: Harlem Notes. This summer, the Center will feature private collections of African-American collectors. Additionally, the Center will discuss collaborations to bring art into the community with the Bechtler, Northwest School of the Arts, and the newly opened Renaissance West community.

At Mint Museum Uptown

On April 22, the Mint will debut State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now, an unprecedented survey of 75 works of contemporary art from every region of the country. Among the works will be the installation Slow Room by Jonathan Schipper, which will slowly self-destruct in front of visitors’ eyes over the course of four-plus months. Also included will be selections by North Carolina artist Bob Trotman. The exhibition, on view through September 3, is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, and presented in Charlotte with generous support from PNC Financial Services, and additional support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Young Affiliates of the Mint.

At Levine Center for the Arts

A generous grant from the THRIVE Fund is enabling the four institutions to work more closely together than ever before to increase visibility and access to the unified center. The $250,000 award from the THRIVE Fund over two years has made possible the center’s first-ever joint marketing campaign, created and administered by local firm Orbital Socket. A Levine Center for the Arts TV Ad, #LongLiveArts, created by Orbital Socket, won a Midsouth Regional Emmy Award earlier this year. The THRIVE Fund was established in 2013 to provide financial stability for Charlotte’s cultural sector under the leadership of Hugh McColl, former Bank of America chairman and CEO, and is currently administered by the Foundation For The Carolinas. The Mint Museum spearheaded the grant and is managing the project in collaboration with the other institutions. More information at levinecenterarts.org. Also, follow @LevineCenterArt on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

To RSVP or for further questions, contact:

Leigh Dyer

Director of Public Relations, The Mint Museum

704.337.2009

Leigh.Dyer@mintmuseum.org

ABOUT LEVINE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Levine Center for the Arts is one of Charlotte’s major cultural destinations, home to Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, John S. and James L. Knight Theater, and Mint Museum Uptown. The Center was made possible through the support of the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Campaign for Cultural Facilities, and The Leon Levine Foundation, one of the country’s largest and most impactful philanthropic organizations, along with the generosity of Bank of America Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, and Duke Energy Foundation, among many others.

ABOUT BECHTLER MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is dedicated to the exhibition of mid-20th-century modern art. It is named after the family of Andreas Bechtler, who assembled and inherited a collection created by seminal figures in modernism. The collection comprises more than 1,400 works. Some works are accompanied by books, photographs, and letters illustrating personal connections to the Bechtler family. For museum details visit bechtler.org.

ABOUT BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS + KNIGHT THEATER

Blumenthal Performing Arts serves the Carolinas as a leading cultural, entertainment and education provider. Blumenthal Performing Arts receives operating support from the Arts & Science Council and North Carolina Arts Council. Blumenthal Performing Arts is also supported by PNC Bank, sponsor of the PNC Broadway Lights. More information: blumenthalarts.org.

ABOUT HARVEY B. GANTT CENTER

Founded in 1974, Charlotte’s Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture (formerly the Afro-American Center) exists to present, preserve and celebrate the art, history and culture of African-Americans and others of the African Diaspora through dance, music, visual and literary arts, film, educational programs, theatre productions and community outreach. Named for Harvey Bernard Gantt, the prominent architect, community leader and former mayor of Charlotte, the Center is housed in an inspired and distinguished award-winning structure and is home to the nationally celebrated John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art, which was generously donated by Bank of America. More information: ganttcenter.org.

ABOUT THE MINT MUSEUM

The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative museum of international art and design committed to engaging and inspiring all members of our global community. Established as the first art museum in North Carolina in 1936, The Mint Museum has grown to include two dynamic facilities, Mint Museum Uptown and Mint Museum Randolph, and currently boasts one of largest collections in the Southeast. Mint Museum Uptown houses an internationally renowned Craft + Design Collection, as well as collections of American and Modern & Contemporary Art. The five-story, 175,000 square-foot facility was designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates of Boston. Historic Mint Museum Randolph is located three miles to the south. More information: mintmuseum.org.

The Wyeths: Three Generations, Works from the Bank of America Collection to go on view March 11-August 13, 2017

For more than a century, the members of the Wyeth family have created works of art that have stirred the imagination and fascinated art lovers worldwide. The Mint Museum is now preparing to host an exhibition of Bank of America’s largest collection of unique works by one family, providing a window into the Wyeth family’s artists through more than 60 remarkable paintings, drawings, and photographs.

The Wyeths: Three Generations, Works from the Bank of America Collection will open March 11 and remain on view through August 13 at Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road in Charlotte. Members of the media and special guests are invited to preview the exhibition at 10 a.m. on Thursday March 9. Interviews with curators, Mint staff, and Bank of America representatives will be available, and media photography is permitted. RSVP to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org to attend.

“Through our Art in our Communities program, Bank of America has made our corporate art collection available for museums and nonprofit galleries around the world,” said Bank of America’s North Carolina and Charlotte Market President Charles Bowman, who also sits on the Mint’s board of trustees. “This is the first time this unique Wyeth exhibition will be on display in the South and the first time it’s been seen in the U.S. in seven years. We’re very excited to bring these generational works to the Mint Museum for the Charlotte community to enjoy.” In addition to lending the works to the Mint, the exhibition is sponsored by Bank of America.

“This is the most comprehensive exhibition of work by the members of the Wyeth family that the museum has ever hosted,” said Dr. Jonathan Stuhlman, the Mint’s Senior Curator of American, Modern, and Contemporary Art. “We extend our gratitude to Bank of America for sharing these treasures of American art with our visitors, who will delight in the opportunity to see so many of these beautifully-executed images of stories, people, and scenery created over the course of the entire 20th century.”

Patriarch N.C. Wyeth was one of the country’s foremost illustrators at the turn of the 20th century. Included in the exhibition are his illustrations for books by Robert Louis Stevenson and Washington Irving. N.C.’s son, Andrew, is known for his haunting, highly detailed realist paintings and is represented by works from the 1940s through the 1990s. Although not as well-known as her brother, Andrew, Henriette Wyeth was an accomplished artist who painted striking portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. She is represented in the exhibition, as is her husband, Peter Hurd, who chronicled the landscape of the American west. Andrew Wyeth’s son, Jamie, represents the third generation of the family in the show. Jamie continues the family’s tradition of realism using oil paint rather than his father’s preferred mediums of tempera and watercolor. His paintings often feature the people, animals, and landscapes of Maine and Pennsylvania, and are imbued with a unique sense of magic and mystery.

Charlotteans may remember the success of the Mint’s presentation of Andrew Wyeth’s “Helga” paintings in 2004-2005. This presentation is part of the ongoing celebration of the Mint’s 80^th anniversary year as North Carolina’s first art museum, and reflects its ongoing commitment to American art. This exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated brochure and a variety of educational programming, with details available at mintmuseum.org/happenings. Among the special guests during the exhibition’s run will be Victoria Wyeth, granddaughter of Andrew Wyeth, who will appear for a FREE “ Evening with Victoria Wyeth ” talk at 6 p.m. on Wednesday March 29.

IMAGE: Jamie Wyeth (1946- ), The Tempest, A Triptych, 1999, watercolor, gouache, and varnish highlights on gray archival cardboard. Bank of America Collection.

Second art show headed to Level 5 expansion space

The Young Affiliates of the Mint (the “YAMs”) announce their Second Annual Art Show, Gendered: An Inclusive Art Show, to be held in Mint Museum Uptown’s Level 5 expansion space, with a call to artists to submit bodies of work that explore intersectionalities with gender, race, class, and identity. Gendered will be a group exhibition including 10-15 artists, each of whom will show a body of cohesive work to be selected by guest curators. The Young Affiliates are accepting submissions now through March 26, 2017. The show will be regional, accepting entries from artists living and/or making art in the Southeastern states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia.  Artists must submit high resolution images of the works submitted, an artist statement, and a CV. The entry fee is $40 for up to 15 works of art from a cohesive body of work. Gendered will open to the public on June 16, 2017 and be on view until July 21, 2017 with additional programming to be announced in conjunction with the show.

80×80: An Art Show , the Young Affiliates’ Inaugural Art Show, was awarded BEST EXHIBITION OF 2016 by the readers of Creative Loafing. Held in June of 2016 at Mint Museum Uptown, opening night was attended by over 600 people. 80×80 featured 80 works in honor of Mint Museum’s 80th anniversary, opening a dialogue between artists, unbridled from any overarching theme, content, medium, or geographic parameters. A featured 80×80 piece, ’Impala’ by Anne Lemanski of Spruce Pine, N.C., was acquired by The Mint Museum through a generous private donation and is currently on view at the Schiff-Bresler Family Fiber Art Gallery at the Uptown location.

For submissions and more information about GENDERED visit youngaffiliates.org/gendered  

For questions regarding GENDERED, email: youngaffiliatesartshow@gmail.com

For more questions about Young Affiliates email: youngaffiliatespr@gmail.com

ABOUT THE YOUNG AFFILIATES:

The Young Affiliates of the Mint Museum is the longest running young professional group and the premier social arts organization for young professionals in Charlotte, North Carolina. For 27 years, the YAMs have supported the Mint Museum through a variety of social, cultural, leadership, and fundraising activities and events. The YAMs have made substantial donations of tangible and intangible goods to The Mint Museum since 1990.

New fiber art works in space named for Schiff-Bresler Family

The Mint Museum is pleased to announce a new named space in the Craft & Design Galleries at Mint Museum Uptown. Through the generosity of the Bresler Family Foundation, the Schiff-Bresler Family Fiber Art Gallery was inaugurated in recent weeks with a stunning installation including five new acquisitions in honor of Fleur Bresler, an initiative of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design Board of Directors. A longtime craft supporter, collector, quilt maker, donor, and friend of the Mint, Fleur and her late husband Charles Bresler gifted thirty-six historic American quilts to the Mint in 2001 and 2002. Fleur Bresler also donated a rare iconic Etruscan Chair by Danny Lane to the Mint in 2011.

As part of the Mint’s ongoing “Year of the Woman,” the museum is celebrating Fleur Bresler for all she has done to advance craft in this country, for her dedication to artists, at all stages of their careers, and for true philanthropy, raising the bar high, and leading by example. The “Year of the Woman” began in summer 2016 with the celebration of the museum’s 80^th anniversary as an institution founded by women, led by women, and known for pioneering exhibitions of work by women artists.

Five of the new acquisitions demonstrate the museum’s collection development in Craft + Design to focus on 21^st-century innovative international works. Highlights of the inaugural installation include Impala, a free standing sculpture by Anne Lemanski, designed and created in Charlotte during Lemanski’s residency at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation earlier this year and purchased by the Bresler Family expressly for the fiber art initiative. Wall mounted fiber art includes Chance of Flurries 2011, by another North Carolina-based artist, Nava Lubelski; Dream Year: 2015 by Mi-Kyoung Lee; Wall Hanging 3 2015, by Tanya Aguiñiga; and in between sculpture and wall hanging, displayed in a gigantic light box, Quilt Film Quilt 2015 by Sabrina Gschwandtner.

The inaugural installation also features a newly acquired furnishing panel designed by Anni Albers for Knoll, Eclat 1974, and a lace composition Fragments of My Dreams 3 1980, by fiber art pioneer Luba Krejci. Punctuating the new accessions are John Garrett’s Tales Told on a Sunday Afternoon Between Los Cordovas and the Pilar Landslide 1997, Claire Zeisler’s Blue Vision 1981, Ramona Sakiestewa’s Migration/9 2000, and the Project Ten Ten Ten installation  Urban Color Palette, Charlotte 2010, by Hildur Bjarnadóttir.

The works are expected to remain on view through October 2017 in the Level 3 galleries, which are accessible FREE each Wednesday evening from 5-9 p.m. and available via general admission during the remainder of regular operating hours.

Call NOW to book your private tour and workshop between December 2016 and February 2017!

Join us for a unique art experience at The Mint Museum! Discover the compelling life stories of the women artists featured in Women of Abstract Expressionism and Fired Up: Contemporary Glass by Women Artists from the Toledo Museum of Art . 

This two-hour program features catered refreshments and a private, expert-led tour of the Mint’s two premier exhibitions, followed by thoughtful discussion led by Sharon Lachow-Blumberg. Sharon is an accomplished psychological coach, facilitator of change, coloring book artist, and author. Her consulting firm, I’m Not Done Yet, helps individuals and organizations thrive through change and transition, with a focus on outcomes and engagement.

Challenge yourself and others to think creatively to overcome obstacles and live a relevant, resilient, and remarkable life. Please round up your network of women friends and colleagues and book your program today.

Mint Museum Uptown

Reservations available Wednesdays – Fridays in December 2016 and January and February 2017

Noon – 2 p.m. or 4 – 6 p.m.

Maximum Group Size:12

$40 per person

Please call Julie Olson Anna at 704.337.2043 or Julie.olsonanna@mintmuseum.org to secure your Women2Women Museum Experience now!

Click here for more information about Group Tours .

It’s all part of the Mint’s Year of the Woman! Visit mintmuseum.org/80th to learn more.

The Mint Museum Partners with Latin American Women’s Association to offer arts education opportunities to families in need.

The Mint Museum offers the opportunity to give someone a gift that brings a full year of inspiring experiences, while simultaneously helping a family in need. For every gift membership purchased through December 31, the Mint will give a free family membership to a family participating in the Latin American Women’s Association mentoring program.

The program focuses on parenting and school engagement and focuses on children attending schools in low-income neighborhoods. “The partnership with The Mint Museum in this Gift of Membership Campaign provides opportunities for many Latino families to take part in the programs offered by the Mint. Families will be enriched as they become members and enhance their quality of life by being exposed to the arts and beyond,” said Violeta Moser, Executive Director of the Latin American Women’s Association (LAWA).

Mint memberships bring a full year of unlimited free admission to the museum as well as discounts on shopping, art classes, summer camps, and other members-only opportunities throughout the year.

The partnership has grown from the Mint’s acclaimed Latino Initiative, which focuses on bringing under-served families to the museum as well as ongoing outreach to the Latino community.

Increasingly, educators are recognizing the value of arts education in training and developing the American workforce for innovation – a movement known as “STEM to STEAM,” or adding art and design to the traditional fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

And during the holiday season, studies and surveys are showing that gift-givers are increasingly looking for one-of-a-kind experiences for their loved ones instead of, or alongside, material gifts.

Mint memberships support nearly all aspects of museum operations, including opportunities for student field trips; special free programming for the community; guest speakers; and more. Membership prices range from $25-$100 per year (plus tax) with levels for teachers, students, individuals, couples, families, seniors, and out-of-towners. Mint members also receive reciprocal benefits at designated Southeastern museums. Higher giving levels bring more benefits to Sustainer, Benefactor, and Crown Society members. For more information, visit mintmuseum.org/join or call 704.337.2018. For more information about LAWA, visit lawanc.org .

From October 13-27, enjoy a prix fixe menu at Halcyon and cultural attraction discounts!

Join Halcyon, Flavors from the Earth Restaurant and the Levine Center for the Arts cultural attractions during Center City #Oktoberfeast !

From October 13-27, enjoy a three-course prix fixe menu at the restaurant dubbed “one of America’s best museum restaurants” by Travel + Leisure. Choose a salad, entrée, dessert, and wine for just $42. And combine your restaurant stay with a trip to a cultural attraction! For this two-week period, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and Mint Museum Uptown are offering special discounts on shopping and museum admission to anyone who mentions Center City #Oktoberfeast! Enjoy $2 off general admission at the Mint; $2 off general admission at the Bechtler; or a special $5 admission rate at the Gantt Center ($4 off adult general admission). And don’t forget to visit the museum shops – all three museum shops are offering 10 percent off of total purchase to anyone who mentions Center City Oktoberfeast*! Levine Center for the Arts also includes Knight Theater, so you can also combine your visit with a Blumenthal Performing Arts or Charlotte Ballet show during the next two weeks!

Visit the Charlotte Center City Partners event page on Facebook  to find other delectable offers at uptown and South End restaurants during the next two weeks. And it all finishes with the inaugural Uptown Crawl on October 27 !

Halcyon, Flavors From The Earth

Center City OctoberFeast Menu

First Course (Please Choose One):

Salad Lyonnaise

Poached Egg. Benton’s Bacon Lardons. Frisee. Mustard Vinaigrette.

Cast Iron Salad

Brussel Sprouts. Onion. Sweet Potato. Walnuts. Gorgonzola. Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

Entrée Course (Please Choose One):

Butter Poached Spanish Sole

Potato Brandade. Smoked Shellfish. Lemon-Dill Butter Sauce

Petite Ribeye

Poached Egg. Trumpet Mushrooms. Roasted Shallots. Hollandaise. Demiglace

Dessert Course

House-Crafted Dark Chocolate Truffle with Daily Ice Cream

To Accompany Dinner, Please Enjoy A Glass Of One Of The Following:

Le Jade Picpoul de Pinet (White)

Or

Nozieres Ambroise de l’Her Malbec, Cahors (Red)

$42.00 

taxes and service are additional

*$50 purchases or more at the Gantt Center; no minimum purchase at the Mint or the Bechtler.

Dr. Leo Twiggs’ “Requiem for Mother Emanuel” series opens dialogue about racial conflict, tragedy, redemption, and forgiveness

The Mint Museum will host an exhibition of Dr. Leo Twiggs’ moving nine-painting cycle Requiem for Mother Emanuel . Twiggs, who lives and works in South Carolina, is one of the region’s most significant artists whose paintings have long dealt with the South’s difficult racial history. He conceived of the series, which he has described as dealing with one of the most difficult and important subjects he has ever undertaken, as a response to the tragic events of June 17, 2015 in Charleston, South Carolina.

In this cycle, Twiggs, in the words of Furman professor Dr. Courtney Tollison Hartness, sought to cope with “not only the horrors of the event,” but also to create an “outlet for his amazement as South Carolinians united in grief and the Confederate battle flag was removed from the State House grounds.” Twiggs himself states: “My paintings are a testimony to the nine who were slain. But I also record another moment: our state’s greatest moment . . . a response that moved us from tragedy to redemption. For one shining moment we looked at each other not as different races but as human beings.”

The cycle was recently on view at The Johnson Collection in Spartanburg, S.C., where it drew national attention after its impact on the coaches and captains of the Carolina Panthers NFL team. As Panthers’ captain Thomas Davis noted after viewing the exhibition in Spartanburg this summer, “I’m glad we had the opportunity to experience this. We know that seeing these paintings doesn’t change what happened, but I think it’s something that families can look upon and have a sense of relief knowing that they haven’t lost their family members in vain.” ESPN has produced a segment about the Panthers’ reaction to the exhibition which will air prior to the Panthers’ Monday Night Football broadcast on the evening of Monday October 10.

The Mint Museum’s President & CEO, Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, noted that her institution had been considering hosting the Twiggs exhibition since August; however, recent events in Charlotte served to “cement the Mint’s commitment and have deepened and underscored the museum’s ongoing mission to utilize art as a means of fostering an open dialogue about critical issues facing our community.”

The Twiggs exhibition will open at Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road, on November 23, 2016 and run through February 19, 2017. The museum is in the process of developing related programming accompanying the exhibition that will foster meaningful dialogue around the issues central to Twiggs’ art. The exhibition will be open during regular operating hours, which include four FREE hours of community access each Wednesday from 5-9 p.m. During other hours normal general admission fees apply.

MEDIA NOTE: Media are invited to preview the exhibition at 10 a.m. on Tuesday November 22. RSVP or send questions to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

Pop-up show featuring dresses fashioned from billboards will be open FREE at Mint Museum Uptown October 19-30

Outdoor Is In, a pop-up fashion exhibition of 19 dresses created from re-imagined and recycled vinyl billboards and organized by Adams Outdoor Advertising, will be on view to the public FREE at Mint Museum Uptown from Wednesday October 19 through Sunday, October 30.

The show, which features a dress from a recycled Mint Museum billboard along with billboard dresses from 15 other local and national businesses and nonprofits, will be open FREE to visitors during regular museum operating hours both weeks at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street. (11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. Sunday). Visitors may enter Level 5 without paying museum general admission if they wish to see only the fashion exhibition during their visits.

The show is in partnership with the Mint’s Year of the Woman, which is bringing two nationally pioneering exhibitions to Charlotte. Women of Abstract Expressionism, organized by the Denver Art Museum, is making its East Coast debut, and Fired Up: Contemporary Glass by Women Artists from the Toledo Museum of Art will be on view exclusively at the Mint. Both open to the public October 22, the 80^th anniversary of the Mint’s founding as the state’s first art museum, and will be open FREE during a community celebration weekend October 22-23.

“When we heard about the Mint’s celebration of the Year of the Woman, we recognized immediately that our first-of-its-kind project would be a perfect fit with the theme since the artists and designers who created the incredible dresses are all women,” said Jeannine Dodson of Adams Outdoor Advertising.

The concept for the Outdoor Is In fashion show came from a dress designed by Flavia Lovatelli, a Columbia, S.C. artist whose art was featured on a billboard as part of ArtPop, a collaboration between the Arts & Science Council and Adams Outdoor Advertising of Charlotte. Flavia at the time of being chosen for ArtPop was living in Charlotte (2014) and has since moved to Columbia. Lovatelli transformed her ArtPop billboard into a ball gown and inspired Adams Outdoor Advertising to challenge her and six other artists to re-imagine other billboards for an invite-only runway show at Mint Museum Uptown on Sept. 29. ArtPop is a national 501c3, headquartered and founded here in Charlotte whose mission is to promote local artists work through available media space. Art + Public Outdoor Project = ArtPop. The program is in 11 other cities.

Other Outdoor Is In designers, who call themselves “TrashionArtistas,” are Elyse Frederick of Charlotte, Edelweiss De Guzman of Mooresville, Rocio Llusca of Charlotte, Teresa Rench of Fort Mill, Althea Womack of Augusta, and Marynel Watters of Cornelius. The designers used billboards from the following companies and nonprofits: Anheuser-Busch, Dunkin Donuts, Carolinas Healthcare System, Chick-Fil-A, Coca-Cola, Fink’s Jewelers, Hendrick Honda on South Boulevard, Husqvarna, Miller Coors, Killingsworth Environmental, McDonald’s, The Mint Museum, Nichols Store, Pepsi, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Wells Fargo.

As part of the partnership, Adams Outdoor will be advertising Outdoor Is In along with the rest of the Mint’s Year of the Woman lineup on billboards around the Charlotte region.

Outdoor Is In is the latest pop-up show in the Mint’s Level 5 expansion space, home to the previous groundbreaking shows 80 x 80, featuring 80 contemporary works of art organized by Young Affiliates of the Mint; Moment Mile, a photography exhibition from The Light Factory; and The Boombox Project, an exhibition of photos by Lyle Owerko organized by SOCO Gallery. The 15,000 square foot expansion space, still raw and unfinished, was first unveiled in 2014 as part of a partnership with Wells Fargo. The museum is still developing its longer-range plans for the expansion space and plans to continue experimenting with new and creative art concepts there.

See more about Outdoor Is In at mintmuseum.org/art . Learn more about the Year of the Woman at mintmuseum.org/80th . Members of the media may view the show during the media preview for Women of Abstract Expressionism and Fired Up: Contemporary Glass by Women Artists from the Toledo Museum of Art on Friday, October 21 at 9:30 a.m. Light breakfast will be served and curators will be available for interviews. RSVP to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

The fashion show and exhibition reflect Adams Outdoor Advertising’s commitment to recycling and protecting the environment. Designers used EcoFlex Vinyl, which has biodegradable properties, to make many of the Outdoor Is In ensembles.

Another program demonstrating Adams Outdoor Advertising’s recycling efforts is Upcycle Life, a Charlotte-based nonprofit that trains and employs refugee women in our community.

*Flavia, Elyse Frederick & Rocio Llusca 3 of the designers in the Mint/Adams couture are all current or former #ArtPopCLT artists.

For more information about ArtPop, please visit their website ArtPopStreetGallery.com .

ABOUT ADAMS OUTDOOR ADVERTISING

Adams Outdoor Advertising, with its flagship office in Charlotte, is celebrating this year its 30th anniversary in the Charlotte metro market. With offices in 14 cities in the U.S., Adams is a full-service billboard company that works to provide local, regional and international clients with the best overall media strategy for their products and services.

Media invited to hear Bechtler, Blumenthal, Gantt, and Mint discuss fall plans

In a new “first” for Levine Center for the Arts, members of the media and key supporters are invited to the 46^th floor of the Duke Energy Center to hear details of the fall arts season for four of Charlotte’s key cultural institutions.

Executives and staff from the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater; the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture; and The Mint Museum will introduce their fall cultural offerings and updated slate of collaborative events for Levine Center for the Arts. The Duke Energy Foundation has generously allowed the institutions to host the event in the “Vista” space on the 46^th floor of the Duke Energy Center, one of Charlotte’s landmark skyscrapers and a key part of the Levine Center for the Arts campus.

Among the collaborative efforts they will discuss: The cultural institutions are participating in the inaugural “Uptown Crawl” gallery event, opening their spaces to uptown pedestrians and bicyclists in a FREE event on September 22; they continue to collaborate on FREE monthly ArtBreak tours targeting the uptown lunch-hour crowd; in a first-of-its-kind effort, the four young-professional organizations of the cultural institutions are collaborating on a special “progressive” event for spring 2017; and following the highly successful inaugural #LongLiveArts community festival in May, the institutions are planning a second event for June 2017. Details on these and other efforts will be available at the media event. It will be moderated by the “Arts Guy,” local personality Adam Patwa, who recently debuted as the new face of Levine Center for the Arts. The marketing effort was created by Charlotte firm Orbital Socket and made possible by the THRIVE Fund, administered by Foundation For The Carolinas.

Fall highlights at Levine Center for the Arts include:

At Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Upcoming Exhibitions

Bechtler Collection: Relaunched and Rediscovered (September 30, 2016 – April 23, 2017)

This exhibition expands on works from the museum’s collection including modern and contemporary artists. The impetus for the show comes from extensive new research into the collection and the artists in the holdings, many of whom have very little material available in English. Significant findings from the research will be included in the exhibition.

Celebrating Jean Tinguely and Santana (May 12, 2017 – September 10, 2017)

Swiss artist Jean Tinguely’s iconic sculpture Santana, completed in 1966, celebrated its 50th birthday in 2016.  To mark the occasion, the museum will offer a survey of Tinguely’s development as a sculptor through a presentation of his sculptures both from the Bechtler collection and on loan, drawings and prints, and personal correspondence between the artist and the Bechtler family.

Programming

Bechtler By Night – In partnership with Bank of America, the museum opens its four gallery floors to the public, free of charge, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. the third Friday of each month.

Jazz at the Bechtler – Mid-century art meets mid-century music on the first Friday of each month. Jazz concerts are performed by the Ziad Jazz Quartet.

Music and Museums – An innovative classical music concert/lecture program that fuses image, music, and conversation to provide a deeper understanding of selected artistic works.

Modernism + Film – Investigates themes in design, engineering, architecture and modern/contemporary art through the lens of film.

Family Day – Learn about the art and artists of Bechtler Collection and engage imaginations.

Community Outreach available to the public

Low to No Vision sponsored by Horizon Eye Care – Partnering with Metrolina Association for the Blind and other local and regional organizations, the museum offers tactile tours of select pieces from the collection to present a more meaningful museum experience for the low-to-no vision community.

Museum Memories – caters to those with early stage dementia and their caregivers.

At Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater

Breakin’ Convention, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2016

Breakin’ Convention, the renowned international festival of hip hop dance, is returning to the Queen City! Direct from London’s Sadler’s Wells theatre, the festival will feature performances by hip hop stars from around the globe and from the neighborhoods of Charlotte at Levine Center for the Arts Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. This two-day celebration of hip hop culture will feature Friday and Saturday night shows at the Knight Theater showcasing some of the world’s great hip hop stars. During the day on Oct 1, enjoy Street Jam – a FREE festival at Spirit Square.  Free activities and performances for the whole family include: live DJs, workshops, graffiti, and other elements of hip hop culture.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Nov. 22 – Dec. 4, 2016

Getting away with murder can be so much fun… and there’s no better proof than the knock-‘em-dead hit show that’s earned unanimous raves and won the 2014 Tony Award® for Best Musical. Coming direct from New York, where a most gentlemanly NPR critic said he’d “Never laughed so hard at a Broadway musical,” Gentleman’s Guide tells the uproarious story of Monty Navarro, a distant heir to a family fortune who sets out to jump the line of succession, by any means necessary. The New York Times cheers, “It will lift the hearts of all those who’ve been pining for what sometimes seems a lost art form.”

At Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

The exhibitions Shaping the Vessel, Nellie Ashford: Through My Eyes and Quilts & Social Fabric remain in the galleries through January 16, 2017.

Upcoming programming includes:

• Gantt Symposium 2016 with Anna Deavere Smith on September 22.

Acclaimed widely for her roles in “The West Wing,” “Nurse Jackie,” and “black-ish,” actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith uses her singular brand of theatre to highlight issues of community, character and diversity in America and turns her interviews into scripts, transforming herself into an astonishing number of characters in this one-woman lecture performance.  A private Youth Symposium at Northwest School of the Arts the following day will serve as the launch of a new CMS partnership.

• The Heritage & History Series features nationally noted artists and scholars who preserve Black culture through an array of disciplines.  In hosting each culture keeper, the Gantt Center invites public participation in special events and experiences that illuminate important stories and engage audiences. Series programs include The Family Collage with Journalist A’Lelia Bundles on Tuesday, October 11 and 9^th Wonder, the Harvard Hip Hop Fellow on Thursday, November 17.

Continuing the yearlong theme, Redefining Art, the Gantt Center will open three new exhibitions on January 28, 2017:

o   The Future is Abstract

o   Alison Saar: Bearing Weight. Bearing Witness.

o   Jordan Casteel: Harlem

At Mint Museum Uptown

Join the Mint for the “Year of the Woman.” The museum was founded by women; has been led by women; and is celebrating female artists with its fall slate of exhibitions, both of which open to the public on the museum’s 80^th anniversary – October 22, 2016. More information on the fall slate, including a FREE community weekend October 22-23, is available at mintmuseum.org/80th .

Women of Abstract Expressionism (October 22, 2016-January 22, 2016)

This fall The Mint Museum is the only East Coast venue for this groundbreaking exhibition, the first major museum exhibition to focus on the innovative women artists affiliated with the Abstract Expressionist movement during its seminal years between 1945 and 1960. Organized by the Denver Art Museum, it will feature approximately 50 energetic, colorful, large-scale paintings created by 12 artists, including Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Grace Hartigan, Judith Godwin, Perle Fine, Deborah Remington, Jay DeFeo, and Sonia Getchoff. It is presented to the community by Wells Fargo Private Bank. Additional generous support provided by the Mint Museum Auxiliary, Duke Energy, Electrolux, and Davidson College.

Fired Up: Contemporary Glass by Women Artists from the Toledo Museum of Art (October 22, 2016-February 26, 2017)

Fired Up, co-organized by the Toledo Museum of Art and exclusively on view at Mint Museum Uptown, is the first American art museum exhibition about contemporary women artists who work with glass. It presents outstanding glass sculptures from Toledo’s renowned Glass Pavilion as well as recent acquisitions to their collection, on view for the first time in this exhibition. International in scope, over 40 sculptures are included in the exhibition, including works by Emily Brock, Lee Bul, Lisa Lou, Karen Lamonte, Silvia Levenson, Maya Lin, Laura de Santillana, Sibylle Peretti, Sylvie Vandenhoucke, and April Surgent. The exhibition has received generous support from Novant Health and UTC Aerospace Systems.

At Levine Center for the Arts

Levine Center for the Arts, named for local philanthropists Sandra and Leon Levine, was completed in 2010 through the support of the Campaign for Cultural Facilities; the City of Charlotte; and Mecklenburg County. A generous grant from the THRIVE Fund is enabling the four institutions to work more closely together than ever before to increase visibility and access to the unified center. The $250,000 award from the THRIVE Fund over two years is making possible the center’s first-ever joint marketing campaign. The THRIVE Fund was established in 2013 to provide financial stability for Charlotte’s cultural sector under the leadership of Hugh McColl, former Bank of America chairman and CEO, and is currently administered by the Foundation For The Carolinas. The Mint Museum spearheaded the grant and is managing the project in collaboration with the other institutions. More information at levinecenterarts.org .

WHEN: Tuesday Sept. 20 at 10 a.m.

WHERE: Duke Energy Center, 550 South Tryon Street, Charlotte – “Vista” space on the 46th floor

WHAT: Enjoy a light breakfast, soaring views, and updates on the fall arts season at the four Levine Center for the Arts institutions – the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater;  Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture; and The Mint Museum

RSVP: No later than 9 a.m. on Monday Sept. 19. E-mail leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org or call 704.337.2009. PLEASE NOTE: All media who wish to attend must be added to Duke Energy’s admission list 24 hours in advance; no last-minute additions. Please send a “yes” even if you are still a “maybe” – it’s easier to drop off later!

12th annual Mint Museum Potters Market Invitational set for Saturday, September 10

Collectors and pottery lovers will have access to the latest works by leaders in the rich tradition of North Carolina pottery when potters from across North Carolina and surrounding areas return to Mint Museum Randolph for the 12th annual Mint Museum Potters Market Invitational on Saturday, September 10, 2016.

Fifty outstanding North Carolina potters and two South Carolina potters have been invited to participate in this year’s event presented by the Delhom Service League, the ceramics affiliate of The Mint Museum, promoting ceramic arts and education. They’ll come from Seagrove, Western N.C., the Catawba Valley, and the Piedmont, and set up their booths in a tent on the lawn of the museum with remarkable works in clay – useful wares including mugs, teapots and jars, as well as over sized pots, contemporary art pottery, and sculptures. It’s like a shopping tour of the state’s best potteries all under one tent in one day. Attendees have the opportunity to get to know the potters as well as their work.

The addition of Winton and Rosa Eugene, from Cowpens, S.C., to the lineup of potters broadens the regional focus while keeping the spotlight squarely on North Carolina pottery traditions. Other well-known participating potters include Akira Satake, Ben Owen III, Cristina Cordova, Eric Knoche, and Julie Wiggins. Every year, hundreds of pottery enthusiasts line up in advance of the opening to gain access to the day’s best treasures.

The Delhom Service League dedicates the 2016 Potters Market Invitational to Daisy Wade Bridges (1932-2015), and is proud to honor her by establishing the Daisy Wade Bridges Purchase Prize from the Potters Market Invitational. Daisy Wade Bridges collected avidly and widely, and it is a certainty that without her dedicated support and enthusiasm there would not be a ceramics collection at The Mint Museum. One of Bridges’ favorite projects was the Potters Market Invitational, and each year she generously donated to the museum several pieces of pottery from this event, making certain that the museum’s North Carolina pottery collection would be broadened and inclusive. Bridges was a major force in ensuring the prominent place The Mint Museum holds in the world of ceramics.

The Delhom Service League is celebrating its 40th Birthday this year. Established in 1976, this unique organization has grown from a few students of ceramics to over one hundred men and women who not only study the history of ceramics but also work to present educational programming, support the ceramics collection, add volumes to the Delhom-Gambrell Library, and provide funds for the purchase of objects to enhance the collection. Their most recent projects include funding the publication British Ceramics 1675-1825, a catalogue of the collection edited by Brian Gallagher, Curator of Decorative Arts, as well as support for the new installation of the European ceramics collection throughout Mint Museum Randolph.

The $10 admission fee includes access to the potters’ tent from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well as free admission to the museum and docent led gallery tours. “Many of the potters that will be selling under the tent also have objects in the museum collection,” says Joe Skwara, who chairs the project this year for Delhom Service League and also serves as a docent. “Potters Market Invitational is such a great opportunity to connect with artists as real, live people, and then see their art inside the museum.”

Additionally, there are folk musicians, pottery-making demonstrations, and food. Children 12 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Newly on view in the galleries will be the re-installation of the museum’s North Carolina pottery collection , which was guest curated by North Carolina potter David Stuempfle to reflect work by artists whose work is included in Potters Market Invitational. A free shuttle connects Mint Museum Randolph to Mint Museum Uptown from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. so visitors may experience both locations.

Individual sponsorships of $100 include Early Admission at 9:15 a.m. in advance of the general public. Special parking and continental breakfast are also included. Individual sponsorships of $150 also include attendance at the Meet the Potters Party being held Friday, September 9 from 6:30-9 p.m. Sponsors will enjoy dinner, music, and an opportunity to mingle with the potters and other pottery enthusiasts. Funds raised by Potters Market Invitational provide acquisitions of pottery and library materials for the Mint.

Potters Market Invitational admission tickets and sponsorships are available at the door and in advance at mintmuseum.org/happenings/1026. For questions, please email delhomserviceleague@gmail.com or call 704.337.2000. See our rack card and list of potters. Find Potters Market Invitational on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

“Women of Abstract Expressionism” and “Fired Up: Women in Glass” to open October 22

Women were the driving force behind the founding of The Mint Museum as North Carolina’s first art museum. Women, including current President & CEO Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, have provided exemplary leadership to the Mint. And now, the museum is preparing to celebrate women artists with two exhibitions opening on the museum’s 80^th anniversary this October 22.

Members of the media and special guests are invited to preview Women of Abstract Expressionism and Fired Up: Contemporary Glass by Women Artists from the Toledo Museum of Art on Friday, October 21 at 9:30 a.m. at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte. Light breakfast will be served and curators will be available for interviews. RSVP to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

Weston M. Andress, PNC Regional President for Western Carolinas and chair of The Mint Museum Board of Trustees, has issued a proclamation declaring the fiscal year running July 2016 through June 2017 to be the “Year of the Woman,” and the museum has launched a new website portal, video, and slate of community events to invite the global community to celebrate alongside the museum. See full details, and an interactive timeline recounting the museum’s history, at mintmuseum.org/80th/ .

“The Mint has planned a great year of exhibitions and events that showcase women’s contributions to the museum since its founding,” Andress said. “We hope the community will join us to help celebrate our 80th anniversary year.”

Added Dr. Jameson: “As the first woman to serve as President & CEO of The Mint Museum, and following in the steps of the many women who played instrumental roles over the years, I am pleased to be able to observe this historically significant event, and to help bring these two world-class exhibitions to the community.”

The Mint Museum’s building was originally the first branch of the U.S. Mint outside Philadelphia when it was constructed in 1836. It fell into disuse and was threatened with demolition by the 1930s, but a group of Charlotte residents led by Mary Myers Dwelle fought to preserve it and move it to its current location in Eastover, where it is now known as Mint Museum Randolph. It opened to the public on October 22, 1936. Mint Museum Uptown opened in 2010 as part of Levine Center for the Arts, the same year that Dr. Jameson became President & CEO.

Women of Abstract Expressionism on view Oct. 22, 2016-Jan. 22, 2017

This fall The Mint Museum is the only East Coast venue for this groundbreaking exhibition, the first major museum exhibition to focus on the innovative women artists affiliated with the Abstract Expressionist movement during its seminal years between 1945 and 1960.

The exhibition, which was on view at the Denver Art Museum through September 25, has garnered significant attention from press and critics across the country, with Time Magazine calling it an “indispensable show.” Along with shining a spotlight on the women who were key participants in the movement, the exhibition also emphasizes the role that artists working on the West Coast played in its development. It also reveals the broad range of styles and techniques that these artists employed, from pouring and staining to slashing and swirling brushwork.

Visitors to Mint Museum Uptown will be delighted and inspired by approximately 50 energetic, colorful, large-scale paintings created by 12 of these artists. While some of the women are well-known, such as Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, and Grace Hartigan, the work of others, ranging from Judith Godwin, Perle Fine, and Deborah Remington to Jay DeFeo and Sonia Getchoff, will be a revelation.

Women of Abstract Expressionism will be accompanied by a variety of engaging lectures and events as well as a fully-illustrated catalogue published by Yale University Press featuring contributions by its curator, Dr. Gwen Chanzit, and scholars Robert Hobbs, Ellen Landau, Susan Landauer, Joan Marter, and Irving Sandler. Following its run at the Mint, the exhibition will travel to Palm Springs Art Museum in February 2017.

This exhibition is presented to the community by Wells Fargo Private Bank. Additional generous support provided by Duke Energy, Electrolux, the Mint Museum Auxiliary, and Davidson College.

Fired Up: Contemporary Glass by Women Artists from the Toledo Museum of Art exclusively on view at the Mint Oct. 22, 2016-Feb. 26, 2017

Color and form create instinctual appeal in glass – the most versatile and seductive of materials. Fired Up, co-organized by the Mint and the Toledo Museum of Art and exclusively on view at Mint Museum Uptown, is the first American art museum exhibition about contemporary women artists who work with glass.

At the beginning of the studio glass movement that originated at the Toledo Museum of Art in the 1960s, women were overshadowed by their male counterparts, rarely encouraged to explore glass techniques by their teachers, and discouraged from entering the field due to the financial commitment required to operate a glass studio, from equipment to the team of assistants necessary to the collaborative process of studio glass. Today, in the “post studio” era, the situation has changed; here and abroad, women are among the most innovative glass artists and their contributions to both the technical and content aspects of their art are exceptional.

Fired Up presents outstanding glass sculptures from Toledo’s renowned Glass Pavilion as well as recent acquisitions to their collection, on view for the first time in this exhibition, selected by co-curators Jutta-Annette Page, Senior Curator of Glass and Decorative Arts at Toledo, and Annie Carlano, Senior Curator of Craft, Design, & Fashion at the Mint. The Mint’s exceptional collection of contemporary glass is internationally praised, with works such as Danny Lane’s Threshold and Bertil Vallien’s King’s Voyage, but it contains few works by women (although the masterwork Relations, by Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, is a husband-and-wife collaboration). Only a handful of glass works created by female artists are in the permanent collection. Presenting Fired Up will fill a gap in glass education and hopefully inspire the collecting of works by women.

International in scope, over forty sculptures are included in the exhibition, including works by Emily Brock, Lee Bul, Lisa Lou, Karen Lamonte, Silvia Levenson, Maya Lin, Laura de Santillana, Sibylle Peretti, Sylvie Vandenhoucke, and April Surgent. Ranging in scale from the tiny to the monumental, the sculptures are organized into five thematic groups: abstraction, vessels, the human form, nature, and the built environment.

Both the Toledo Museum of Art and The Mint Museum have a strong commitment to developing new interpretative strategies for glass, and this exhibition provides an opportunity for additional collaboration in experimental approaches to visual literacy. The exhibition is presented with generous support from Novant Health and UTC Aerospace Systems.

Media partners for both exhibitions are The Charlotte Observer and Adams Outdoor Advertising, which has also organized the pop-up fashion exhibition Outdoor Is In , on view FREE at Mint Museum Uptown October 19-30.

Anniversary weekend festivities, October 21-23

The two new exhibitions open to the public amid the Mint’s celebration of its 80^th anniversary. The museum will toast the exhibition openings with a by-invitation VIP celebration on Friday, October 21 at Mint Museum Uptown – watch for the Duke Energy tower to be lit in the Mint’s signature teal color on that evening. And the community is invited to a FREE day-long celebration at both museum locations on Saturday, October 22 – at Mint Museum Uptown, visitors will enjoy free access to both exhibitions along with lectures from curators of both exhibitions; and at Mint Museum Randolph, look for lots of family-friendly activities in celebration of the historic property and its surroundings. And on Sunday, October 23, the public is invited to another day of free admission at both locations, plus a free concert by accomplished pianist Dorothy “Dot” Lewis-Griffith, daughter-in-law of E.C. Griffith (1889-1973), who donated the three-acre tract of Eastover land on which the museum now sits. Her concert will feature music composed in the 1930s around the time of the Mint’s opening.

Further events throughout the “Year of the Woman” will invite the public to interact with the museum and its exhibitions. Find details at mintmuseum.org/happenings. The Mint is grateful for support from five of its previous female board chairs for its 80^th anniversary activities: Mary Lou Babb, Beverly S. Hance, Patty Norman, Jo Ann Peer, and Pat Rodgers. As the museum’s video announcing the year-long celebration has noted: “The Great Lady is turning 80 – and she’s just getting warmed up.”

MEDIA NOTE:

High-resolution images from both exhibitions are available upon request. Email leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org .

Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club and local teen launch summer program

This summer as part of The Mint Museum’s NexGen Mint program for area teens, the museum is partnering with the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club and a local teen to start a new photography club. The Mint is offering the program as part of its community outreach from the Here & Now: 80 Years of Photography at the Mint, curated by the Mint’s President & CEO, Dr. Kathleen Jameson. The Here & Now exhibition is on view through September 18 at Mint Museum Uptown.

Kathyrine Hankin, a rising tenth-grader at Charlotte Country Day School, has started “Mind to Heart,” a community service organization for peer to peer academic tutoring at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club on Marsh Road.  This winter, Kathyrine approached the Mint’s educators to propose offering a summer photography program to provide creative expression for 10-14 year olds at the Club.

Cynthia Moreno, Director of Learning & Engagement for the Mint, said: “We are delighted to be offering this introductory photography program with help from Charles Smith, the Unit Director at the Marsh Road Boys and Girls Club, and Kathyrine Hankin, the local teen who helped inspire the project.” Resident artist for the program is Nicolle Driscoll, a local photographer and videographer who has worked with middle school and high school teens. The ten-session program is being offered on Monday and Tuesday afternoons through July 24. Volunteers for the program include Lexi Myers, a Mint intern from Clemson University, and Kathyrine Hankin.

More information about the exhibition is available by clicking here ; more information on the NexGen Mint program available at nexgenmint.org .

ABOUT THE SALVATION ARMY BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER CHARLOTTE

The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs was founded locally in 1934 on North Poplar Street. Today, eight clubs serve nearly 2,500 school-aged children, including more than 1,700 members, in Mecklenburg and Union counties. Programs include academics, recreation, the arts, character and leadership, and health and life skills. The clubs are located in diverse neighborhoods from Charlotte Housing Authority sites to the nation’s only club in a homeless shelter. The Boys & Girls Clubs is a division of The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte. For more information, visit bgccharlotte.org.

13th annual event celebrates Hispanic arts and culture

ArtSí Charlotte, an arts initiative that supports and connects Latino artists in the Charlotte area, has announced the featured artists for its signature event Con A de Arte. Artists featured this year include performers, visual artists, and writers who will present their works live at the Con A de Arte event taking place on Wednesday, June 8th at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, at 6 p.m. The presentations and awards will be followed by a reception that will give the public the opportunity to interact with the featured artists and awardees. Appetizers will be served. Cash bar available.

FEATURED ARTISTS:

• Herrison Chicas – Spoken Word
• Maria Elena Ferran – Visual Arts
• Saul Flores – Photography – Documentary
• Everdith Landrau  –  Dance
• Lucas Torres – Music

AWARD RECIPIENTS:

• Banu Valladares  – Sarah Wolfe Lifetime Achievement Award
• Latin American Women’s Association (LAWA) – Lifetime Achievement Community Award
• Rocio Llusca – Emerging Artist Award

As part of the Con A de Arte celebration, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will host a Literary Night at the Morrison Regional Branch on Tuesday, June 7 at 6 p.m. The Morrison Library is located at 7015 Morrison Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28211.SPECIAL PRESENTATION

Spoken word artist Herrison Chicas and photojournalist Saul Flores will present the documentary “Skin of the Natives: The Meaning of Life” at both events.

About the Speakers

Herrison Chicas is a renowned spoken word artist invited around the world to share his storytelling gift and his inspirational poetry to entertain, empower, and enlighten audiences. His work has been featured on major platforms such as National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and various TED talks, reaching more than 1.5 million people worldwide.

Saul Flores is a humanitarian, photojournalist, and activist who is nationally recognized for his 5,328 mile walk from Ecuador to the United States known as The Walk of the Immigrants. Flores’ photo storytelling project sparked a national awareness discussion of the human struggle related to immigration, social equity, human potential and public consciousness. His talks on this journey have been featured on Univision, TedxTalks, and National Public Radio.

ABOUT ARTSI

ArtSí is a community initiative that advances the Latino arts and culture in the Charlotte region and facilitates connections with the Charlotte arts community at large. ArtSí is run by volunteers, and it serves a membership base of over 200 individuals, from Latino artists to art supporters. Its work is backed by a group of well-known and respected local organizations that support its mission. Organizations supporting ArtSí include The Mint Museum, Queens University of Charlotte, and Levine Museum of the New South.

ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG LIBRARY:

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library began more than a century ago as a treasured repository of knowledge. Although people have evolved to read, explore and acquire knowledge in many new ways since then, one important feature has endured: Their services remains free to all who come to its premises with a desire to research, learn, and experience.

The Public Library serves hundreds of thousands of people while also responding to the needs of individual library visitors.

Claudia Soria

Director, Artsi Charlotte

Claudia@artsicharlotte.org

704.806.4236

The Young Affiliates of the Mint (the “YAMs”) will host an inaugural art show, 80×80, in the Level 5 expansion space of Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street, from Friday, June 10 to Saturday, June 25, 2016. Opening night of the exhibit will feature a media hour from 5 to 6 p.m., and the opening reception from 6 to 10 p.m. 80×80 features 80 works in honor of Mint Museum’s 80th anniversary. The 80 works were selected from over 1100 entries, and span a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, video and more. The panel of distinguished jurors includes Mary Edith Alexander, curator for Bank of America Corporate Art Program; Grace Cote, Senior Coordinator at Jerald Melberg Gallery; and Lori Kornegay, Curator of Art & Public Engagement at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art.

80×80 features 80 works in honor of Mint Museum’s 80th anniversary, which will be celebrated with a series of community events to be held this October. The Mint Museum opened in its original location on Randolph Road as the state’s first art museum in October 1936; Mint Museum Uptown opened in 2010. 80×80 will open a dialogue between artists, unbridled from any overarching theme, content, medium, or geographic parameters, and the Charlotte community. There is a noted schism between the museum space, the gallery space and the studio space. Through 80×80, the YAMs hope to bridge that gap to give attendees and participants the medium through which to view this new space and start a new conversation. For those curious about collectorship, designated works in 80×80 will be available for purchase.

For more information about 80×80, visit: youngaffiliates.org/80×80

For questions regarding 80×80, email: 80x80show@gmail.com

ABOUT THE YOUNG AFFILIATES:

The Young Affiliates of the Mint Museum is the longest running young professional group and the premier social arts organization for young professionals in Charlotte, North Carolina. For 26 years the YAMs have supported the Mint Museum through a variety of social, cultural, leadership and fundraising activities and events. The YAMs have made substantial donations of tangible and intangible goods to the Mint Museum since 1990.

Featured Artists

Ayako Abe-Miller, Amna Asghar, Amy Bagwell, Andrew Blanchard, William Brown, Amanda Brown, Robert Bubp, Micah Cash, Jong-un Choi, Chris Clamp, Meredith Connelly, Deangalo Dia, Sharon Dowell, RJ Dygert, Johanna Evans-Colley, Anne Fiala, Mark Flowers, Corey Fowler, Brian Gillis, Jamey Gray, Julie Anne Greenberg, Joshua Dudley Greer, Tinashe Gwata, Garrett Hansen, Ian Henderson, Amy Herman, Glenn Holmstrom, Julie Jones, Craig Kaths, Mary Klacza, Kenn Kotara, Anne Lemanski, Betsy Lewis, Alexandra Loesser, Allison Luce, Katrina Majkut, April Marten, Andy McMillan, Nicholas Napoletano, Christopher Owen Nelson, Erik Nohalty, Isaac Payne, Jonathan Pellitteri, Miranda Pfeiffer, Michelle Podgorski, Stacy Rexrode, Ellie Richards, Lynne Riding, Barbara Schreiber, Lila Shull, Sandy Singletary, Clint Sleeper, Sydney Sogol, Matthew Steele, Margaret Strickland, Laura Sussman-Randall, Jaimee Todd, Felicia van Bork, Aric Verrastro, Linda Vista, Jason Watson, Annemarie Weekley, Charles Williams, Holly Wilson, Stephen Wilson, Doohyun Yoon, Liliya Zalevskaya, Xiwen Zhu

The public is invited to Levine Center for the Arts on May 21

Salsa dancing. Puppets. A portrait paint-off. Drums. Aerial dancing. Jazz. Food trucks. An Arts Guy. An outdoor symphony concert. And FREE museum access all day.

All this and more will be part of the inaugural #LongLiveArts Festival , the first event of its kind to be hosted by the four member institutions of Levine Center for the Arts – the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and Mint Museum Uptown. The public is invited to the 500 block of South Tryon Street between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. for the festival – and both before and after those hours to enjoy a free “plazacast” of Charlotte Symphony’s Romeo & Juliet, showing from a big screen in front of the Firebird statue at 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday evenings. The Bechtler and Mint will also offer special hours of free access on Friday May 20 in conjunction with the plazacast (the Bechtler will offer Bechtler by Night from 6-9 p.m., while the Mint will offer free general admission from 6-8 p.m.).

More fun for all ages begins Saturday morning at 10 a.m., with a main stage set up on Levine Avenue and emceed by Moira Quinn, Vice President of Charlotte Center City Partners. And about that Arts Guy? He’s part of a new marketing initiative jointly launched by Levine Center for the Arts institutions, and he will represent the Charlotteans and global visitors who want to learn more about the cultural offerings of the Queen City. Watch for him to give behind-the-scenes insights to Saturday’s audience.

Community artists are also invited to join a #LongLiveArts Festival Portrait Paint-Off, in which participants are invited to meet local oil painter Gordon James. He will first paint a live model from 10:15 to 11 a.m., and then at 11:30 and 1:45, audience members will be invited to grab some art supplies and paint volunteer models. The paint-off contest will give prizes including gifts from the three museum gift shops and free passes to return to the Levine Center for the Arts museums.

Other performers and activities scheduled as part of Saturday’s activities include the Charlotte Symphony’s Musical Petting Zoo; Caroline Calouche’s aerial dancers; Drums4Life; Africano Campbell; Blue Moon Puppets; an art class with Cathay Dawkins; Dancehall Groove; and a salsa dancing demonstration, as well as interactive art-making activities led by the education staffs of the three member museums. Docents from the three museums will lead free 30-minute “ArtBreak” tours inside each museum at noon, 1 p.m., and 2 p.m.

For a complete schedule, click here or see  facebook.com/levinecenterart .

WHAT: #LongLiveArts Community Festival

WHEN: Saturday, May 21

10 a.m.-6 p.m., followed by Charlotte Symphony “plazacast” of Romeo & Juliet

WHERE: Levine Center for the Arts, 500 block of South Tryon Street, including Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and Mint Museum Uptown

For further questions, please contact:

Leigh Dyer

Director of Public Relations, The Mint Museum

704.337.2009

Leigh.Dyer@mintmuseum.org

ABOUT LEVINE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Levine Center for the Arts is one of Charlotte’s major cultural destinations, home to Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, John S. and James L. Knight Theater, and Mint Museum Uptown. The Center was made possible through the support of the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Campaign for Cultural Facilities, and The Leon Levine Foundation, one of the country’s largest and most impactful philanthropic organizations, along with the generosity of Bank of America Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, and Duke Energy Foundation, among many others.

A generous grant from the THRIVE Fund is enabling the four institutions to work more closely together than ever before to increase visibility and access to the unified center. The $250,000 award from the THRIVE Fund over two years is making possible the center’s first-ever joint marketing campaign, as well as free monthly lunchtime tours and a free community festival to be held on May 21, 2016. The THRIVE Fund was established in 2013 to provide financial stability for Charlotte’s cultural sector under the leadership of Hugh McColl, former Bank of America chairman and CEO, and is currently administered by the Foundation For The Carolinas. The Mint Museum spearheaded the grant and is managing the project in collaboration with the other institutions. More information at levinecenterarts.org.

Year of the Collection” continues with stylish new show

NOTE NEW CLOSING DATE: Whether you prefer simple sneakers or sexy stilettos, every visitor will find something to enjoy in the fashionable new exhibition Pumped: The Art & Craft of Shoemaking , which will be on view at Mint Museum Uptown from May 7 through August 28, 2016.

“Shoes are the finishing touch to your outfit, but they are also much more than that,” said Rebecca Elliot, Assistant Curator for Craft, Design, & Fashion at the Mint, who curated the exhibition. “Well-made shoes are a testament to the talents of many people, whether it’s the craftsperson who shaped the leather by hand to create a unique design or the inventor who developed a machine that made shoes more widely affordable.”

Drawn entirely from Mint’s renowned Fashion Collection, Pumped is the first exhibition to view this collection through the lens of craft. The ancient tradition of shoemaking has much in common with other crafts represented at the museum, such as ceramics, glass, and metalwork. Like them, shoemaking at the highest level of quality requires a thorough knowledge of one or more materials with unique characteristics—in this case mainly leather, but also fabric, plastics, and other substances. Such knowledge is obtained through many hours of practice, whether the techniques used are centuries old or twenty-first century.

As with other crafts, industrialization changed shoemaking, enabling mass production and introducing new materials. Yet the desire for bespoke (custom-made) footwear persisted, and so did traditional methods. Today, different shoemakers occupy different points on a continuum of approaches from the most hands-on to the most automated. Since the 1980s there has been a resurgence of interest in the craft from both hobbyists and entrepreneurs who work in a studio setting, using relatively few machines. In the twenty-first century, others have used innovative technologies such as CAD (computer-assisted design) and 3D printing to radically rethink the design process and end product. Pumped features footwear ranging in date from the early 1700s to 2015. In addition to over one hundred pairs of shoes and related materials, the exhibition includes a display of shoemaking tools.

This exhibition is organized by The Mint Museum and generously sponsored by The Founders’ Circle Ltd.

Special exhibition admission is required in order to view Pumped along with its companion exhibition drawn from the Mint’s permanent collection, Here & Now: 80 Years of Photography at the Mint. Admission is $24 for adults with discounts for students, seniors, and children, and Mint members always receive unlimited free admission.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a slate of public programming including a “Taste of the Mint” tour, a Sunday Fun Day, and workshops aimed at teen students ages 14-18 as part of the NexGen Mint program. Details on programming are available at mintmuseum.org/happenings .

Members of the media are invited to preview the exhibition at 10 a.m. May 4 at Mint Museum Uptown. RSVP to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

Above image:

Saks Fifth Avenue (retailer; New York, 1902–). Evening/Cocktail Shoes, circa 1965, silk grosgrain ribbon, kid leather, crystal rhinestones. Charles Mo Collection. 2004.8.16b. Collection of The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Year of the Collection” continues with stylish new show

NOTE NEW CLOSING DATE: Whether you prefer simple sneakers or sexy stilettos, every visitor will find something to enjoy in the fashionable new exhibition Pumped: The Art & Craft of Shoemaking , which will be on view at Mint Museum Uptown from May 7 through August 28, 2016.

“Shoes are the finishing touch to your outfit, but they are also much more than that,” said Rebecca Elliot, Assistant Curator for Craft, Design, & Fashion at the Mint, who curated the exhibition. “Well-made shoes are a testament to the talents of many people, whether it’s the craftsperson who shaped the leather by hand to create a unique design or the inventor who developed a machine that made shoes more widely affordable.”

Drawn entirely from Mint’s renowned Fashion Collection, Pumped is the first exhibition to view this collection through the lens of craft. The ancient tradition of shoemaking has much in common with other crafts represented at the museum, such as ceramics, glass, and metalwork. Like them, shoemaking at the highest level of quality requires a thorough knowledge of one or more materials with unique characteristics—in this case mainly leather, but also fabric, plastics, and other substances. Such knowledge is obtained through many hours of practice, whether the techniques used are centuries old or twenty-first century.

As with other crafts, industrialization changed shoemaking, enabling mass production and introducing new materials. Yet the desire for bespoke (custom-made) footwear persisted, and so did traditional methods. Today, different shoemakers occupy different points on a continuum of approaches from the most hands-on to the most automated. Since the 1980s there has been a resurgence of interest in the craft from both hobbyists and entrepreneurs who work in a studio setting, using relatively few machines. In the twenty-first century, others have used innovative technologies such as CAD (computer-assisted design) and 3D printing to radically rethink the design process and end product. Pumped features footwear ranging in date from the early 1700s to 2015. In addition to over one hundred pairs of shoes and related materials, the exhibition includes a display of shoemaking tools.

This exhibition is organized by The Mint Museum and generously sponsored by The Founders’ Circle Ltd.

Special exhibition admission is required in order to view Pumped along with its companion exhibition drawn from the Mint’s permanent collection, Here & Now: 80 Years of Photography at the Mint. Admission is $24 for adults with discounts for students, seniors, and children, and Mint members always receive unlimited free admission.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a slate of public programming including a “Taste of the Mint” tour, a Sunday Fun Day, and workshops aimed at teen students ages 14-18 as part of the NexGen Mint program. Details on programming are available at mintmuseum.org/happenings .

Members of the media are invited to preview the exhibition at 10 a.m. May 4 at Mint Museum Uptown. RSVP to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

Above image:

Saks Fifth Avenue (retailer; New York, 1902–). Evening/Cocktail Shoes, circa 1965, silk grosgrain ribbon, kid leather, crystal rhinestones. Charles Mo Collection. 2004.8.16b. Collection of The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Bilingual Stories & Music program offers arts education to families at risk of homelessness

The Mint Museum will be taking its “Bilingual Stories and Music on Wheels” program to Camino Community Center on Saturday, April 23rd. This program combining bilingual storytelling, music, and fun games aimed at young children, will be brought to Camino as part of a partnership between both institutions with the goal of making art accessible to low-income families.

The program will take place four times a year. Each program will have a different theme, providing variety and showcasing different Latin American children’s songs and games. Bilingual Stories & Music on Wheels will be presented by talented storytellers from local group Criss Cross Mangosauce.

The Mint Museum launched the Gift of Membership campaign during the holiday season in 2015. For every gift membership purchased between November 27 and December 31, the Mint gave a free family membership to a family being served by Camino Community Center. Thanks to the support of Mint members a total of 72 family memberships will be given to Camino.

This campaign was an extension of a partnership between the Mint and Camino which grew out of the Mint’s Latino Initiative. The Mint provided scholarships to its summer camps to 12 Camino families last summer, and has brought Camino families to a previous Sunday Fun Day event.

“Bringing a well-established program such as Bilingual Stories & Music, which has been taking place at Mint Museum Randolph for several years, to Camino Community Center in its On-Wheels version, will provide an artistic experience to Camino young children, and I hope it will contribute to breaking the barriers that underserved families face when it comes to art”, said Claudia Soria, the Mint’s Latino Community Programs & Relations Manager.

This program is generously supported by Duke Energy and by Mint Museum members who bought a gift membership through the Gift of Membership Campaign.

Camino Community Center is a non-profit serving the needs of low-income families those at risk of homelessness. Their focus is to improve well-being and provide opportunities to contribute to better health, education, and social conditions. Each family who receives a complimentary Mint membership will be offered opportunities to attend special family-friendly arts educational opportunities at the museum during the coming year.

For more information, visit mintmuseum.org/join or call 704.337.2011.

Statement in response to HB2 adopted at April 11 meeting

On Monday April 11, The Mint Museum Board of Trustees adopted the following statement:

As The Mint Museum’s mission statement declares, “We are committed to engaging and inspiring ALL members of our global community.” In light of the recent passage of HB2, the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, we affirm our longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in all aspects of our work. In short, The Mint Museum promotes and embraces diversity, inclusion, and equality for ALL.

For further inquiries, please contact Hillary Cooper, Director of Advancement & Communications, at hillary.cooper@mintmuseum.org, or Leigh Dyer, Director of Public Relations & Publications, at leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

Exhibition continues the Mint’s “year of the collection”

The first survey exhibition of photography drawn solely from the Mint’s permanent collection, Here & Now: 80 Years of Photography at the Mint , will open April 16 at Mint Museum Uptown, offering a fresh perspective on a growing area of strength for the museum.

“As a photohistorian, it has been a delight to comb through the museum’s photographic holdings, discovering treasures and unexpected surprises along the way,” said Dr. Kathleen V.  Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint, who personally curated the exhibition. “Here & Now will provide visitors the same exciting journey not only into the diverse landscape of photography but also with a focused view into the development of the Mint’s collection over the course of its history.”

Most of the works in the Mint’s collection were produced after the founding of the museum in 1936, 80 years ago. While relatively modest in scale, the Mint’s collection boasts exceptional photographs taken around this time by such noted masters as Berenice Abbott and Ansel Adams as well as those taken in the last few years by dynamic contemporary photographers. Global in scope, the Mint’s collection and this exhibition feature works by artists with local and regional roots, including William Eggleston, Sonia Handelman Meyer, and Linda Foard Roberts.

The photography collection ranges from conceptually-based works to those rooted in such genres as landscape, portraiture, and architectural photography. Underlying the infinite differences in style, method, and subject matter is a unity specific to photography—its overarching ability to capture a particular moment in time—to suspend the present in a way that allows us to understand meaning across great distances of time and space.

By its nature, photography has always been a medium rooted in the moment. It began around 1836, nearly the same time period as the founding of the first branch of the United States Mint in Charlotte – later transformed into The Mint Museum when it opened to the public on October 22, 1936.

“From photography’s roots to today, photographic images compel viewers like no other medium,” said Jameson. “As we are increasingly inundated with visual images, many of which are manipulated in some way, there has never been a better time to examine the power of photographic images. Here & Now speaks to concerns that have long been at the core of photographic practice, as well as its most recent developments, shining new light on the issues that are relevant to life in the here and now.”

The exhibition is generously sponsored by The Mint Museum of Art Board of Directors, with additional support provided by K&L Gates.

Following an invitation-only VIP celebration on April 14, the exhibition will be accompanied by a slate of public programming including a “Taste of the Mint” tour, a Sunday Fun Day, and workshops aimed at teen students ages 14-18 as part of the NexGen Mint program. Details on programming are available here .

Media note: Members of the media and special guests are invited to preview the exhibition at 10 a.m. on Thursday April 14. Email leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org to RSVP or for any other inquiries.

Above image:

Oliver Wasow (American, 1960–). Dana and Fortune, 2013, pigment print. Gift of Dana Martin Davis. 2014.71. Collection of The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina. © Oliver Wasow, 2013

Exhibition continues the Mint’s “year of the collection”

The first survey exhibition of photography drawn solely from the Mint’s permanent collection, Here & Now: 80 Years of Photography at the Mint , will open April 16 at Mint Museum Uptown, offering a fresh perspective on a growing area of strength for the museum.

“As a photohistorian, it has been a delight to comb through the museum’s photographic holdings, discovering treasures and unexpected surprises along the way,” said Dr. Kathleen V.  Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint, who personally curated the exhibition. “Here & Now will provide visitors the same exciting journey not only into the diverse landscape of photography but also with a focused view into the development of the Mint’s collection over the course of its history.”

Most of the works in the Mint’s collection were produced after the founding of the museum in 1936, 80 years ago. While relatively modest in scale, the Mint’s collection boasts exceptional photographs taken around this time by such noted masters as Berenice Abbott and Ansel Adams as well as those taken in the last few years by dynamic contemporary photographers. Global in scope, the Mint’s collection and this exhibition feature works by artists with local and regional roots, including William Eggleston, Sonia Handelman Meyer, and Linda Foard Roberts.

The photography collection ranges from conceptually-based works to those rooted in such genres as landscape, portraiture, and architectural photography. Underlying the infinite differences in style, method, and subject matter is a unity specific to photography—its overarching ability to capture a particular moment in time—to suspend the present in a way that allows us to understand meaning across great distances of time and space.

By its nature, photography has always been a medium rooted in the moment. It began around 1836, nearly the same time period as the founding of the first branch of the United States Mint in Charlotte – later transformed into The Mint Museum when it opened to the public on October 22, 1936.

“From photography’s roots to today, photographic images compel viewers like no other medium,” said Jameson. “As we are increasingly inundated with visual images, many of which are manipulated in some way, there has never been a better time to examine the power of photographic images. Here & Now speaks to concerns that have long been at the core of photographic practice, as well as its most recent developments, shining new light on the issues that are relevant to life in the here and now.”

The exhibition is generously sponsored by The Mint Museum of Art Board of Directors, with additional support provided by K&L Gates.

Following an invitation-only VIP celebration on April 14, the exhibition will be accompanied by a slate of public programming including a “Taste of the Mint” tour, a Sunday Fun Day, and workshops aimed at teen students ages 14-18 as part of the NexGen Mint program. Details on programming are available here .

Media note: Members of the media and special guests are invited to preview the exhibition at 10 a.m. on Thursday April 14. Email leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org to RSVP or for any other inquiries.

Above image:

Oliver Wasow (American, 1960–). Dana and Fortune, 2013, pigment print. Gift of Dana Martin Davis. 2014.71. Collection of The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina. © Oliver Wasow, 2013

The Mint Museum’s Third Annual Spring Fundraising Gala Celebrates the Mint’s Fashion Collection

The Mint Museum’s spring fundraising gala is moving in a new, fashion-forward direction. Beginning this year, the Gala’s permanent theme is Coveted Couture, a nod to the museum’s heralded and significant Fashion Collection . Charlotte is a very stylish and sophisticated city. By and large, Mint supporters love fashion and recognize its growing importance as part of the vibrant arts and cultural scene in our region. This annual spring tradition is a black-tie dinner dance for 300 of Charlotte’s most prominent civic leaders, chic elite, and museum patrons.

This special evening is being presented for the third time by Bank of America and Merrill Lynch, loyal and generous corporate supporters of the museum. Marianna and Trey Sheridan are serving as Gala Chairs this year. Marianna is the Archivist for Oscar de la Renta, an Auxiliary Board Member, and fashion liaison between the Auxiliary and The Mint Museum. Trey serves on the Mint’s Board of Trustees as Treasurer. We are thrilled to have them leading this charge and know they will plan a beautiful, chic, and festive experience for all of our guests.

Coveted Couture promises to be an elegant, glamorous, and fun celebration designed to raise critical funds for The Mint Museum. We look forward to seeing you on the runway! Please mark your calendars now and join us for the most coveted event of the year. —Hillary Cooper, Director of Advancement & Communications

WANT TO GO?

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Mint Museum Randolph | 6:30 p.m.

Tent on the Lawn

$500 for individual tickets; $400 for Crown Society members and 2015–2016 Room to Bloom patrons

More information: mintmuseum.org/gala

or call Jessica Schwartz at 704.337.2112.

This article appears in the Winter + Spring 2016 issue of The Mint Museum’s member magazine, Inspired. Want a copy? Join now , visit either museum location, or call 704.337.2009.

Feed your soul with a FREE docent-led tour

If you work, live, or visit uptown, or know someone who does, there will soon be a great new way to experience  Levine Center for the Arts : FREE “ArtBreak” lunchtime museum tours offered by docents of The Mint Museum, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture.

Beginning on March 17—Saint Patrick’s Day—these 30-minute tours , free and open to the public, will be guiding visitors through the galleries every third Thursday of each month at noon.

Whether it’s an introductory experience for a first-time visitor or a deeper cultural experience for those already familiar with Levine Center for the Arts
institutions, the tours will provide a brief but focused encounter with art with people who have a limited amount of time—and will allow time to grab
lunch as well.

This collaborative effort, the first of its kind in Charlotte, originated with the Mint docents and is just one of several new initiatives underway to improve
public tours. Support is provided by the THRIVE Fund, established to provide financial stability to Charlotte’s cultural sector and currently administered by
Foundation For The Carolinas.

Visitors can choose one of the three museums for each date, and experience a tour structured around a common theme reflecting the nature
of permanent collections or special exhibitions on view. (Each theme lasts for three months—enough to experience all three institutions!)

Themes include:

“Trending Now,” March–May, will examine how contemporary issues may become an aspect of an artist’s work, the use of new materials
and processes in creating art, or simply what is new on view. At the Mint, works discussed will include Hoss Haley’s White Ripple, Susan
Point’s Salmon Spawning Run and Tom Joyce’s Thicket.

“Zoom In, Zoom Out,” June–August, will challenge tour participants to look at selected works of art in an unconventional manner.

“Labels: Do We Need Them?” in September–November will ask visitors to consider text and reference materials provided by curators as
well as issues of identity and labels in society today.

“Out of Place,” December–February 2017, rounds out the tour themes for the year and will focus on the quirky and unexpected in the
galleries.

Article by Renee Reese, a Docent of The Mint Museum since 1988, who was recently named Director at Large for the National Docent Symposium Council. This article originally appeared in “INSPIRED,” the member magazine of The Mint Museum. To receive a copy, call 704.337.2009. Click here to become a member today !

Media, business, and cultural leaders will preview the tours at a special March 10 event

Members of the media are invited to Levine Center for the Arts to have lunch, view a preview of spring cultural events and exhibitions, and experience a new kind of museum tour set to launch FREE to the public on March 17 .

Beginning at noon on Thursday, March 10, members of the media are invited to Wells Fargo Auditorium, accessible via Knight Theater, to join leaders from the business and cultural communities to preview the spring season at the four member institutions of Levine Center for the Arts: the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; Blumenthal Performing Arts which operates Knight Theater; the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture; and The Mint Museum.

Afterward, attendees will enjoy a “sneak preview” of new “Art Breaks” museum tours which will launch to the public at noon March 17 at the three museums. Each third Thursday of the month, docents at all three museums will offer the public free 30-minute tours designed to be completed during lunchtime. The tours are tailored around a specific theme which will repeat for three months, allowing the public to experience each of the three museums in succession. The tours are the latest example of collaboration among Levine Center for the Arts institutions, which have also launched a common admission pass available at CarolinaTix.org and an upcoming community festival scheduled for May 21.

Other spring highlights at Levine Center for the Arts include:

At Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

The House that Modernism Built (Through September 11, 2016)

This exhibition pairs works from the Bechtler collection with design objects on loan from various institutions and individuals around the country. While the scope of the exhibition is international, it spotlights design innovations in the United States with a regional focus on production in North Carolina. The works date from 1920 through 1980, but the groundbreaking choices of material and manufacturing processes by makers such as Victor Vasarely, Zoltan Kemeny, Kenneth Noland, Roy Lichtenstein, Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard, and Buckminster Fuller remain vital, revealing how these larger principles of modernism continue to resonate in our lives today.

All that Sparkles: 20th Century Artists’ Jewelry (July 1, 2016 – January 8, 2017)

Presenting an array of selected jewelry alongside examples of more conventional artwork, this exhibition celebrates the craftsmanship and creativity of artists who used this medium to explore texture and color while using various materials and techniques specific to jewelry-making to expand their reach into a broader, if still refined and urbane public. Artists from the Bechtler collection include Alberto Giacometti, Alicia Penalba, Rafael Benazzi, and Niki de Saint Phalle. More information on these and other exhibitions is available at .

At Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater

Broadway Junior Theater Celebration, April 19-21, 2016

This program returning to Knight Theater offers an enthusiastic, educational environment for students and teachers to interact with hundreds of others who share their passion for musical theatre. It has been created and directed by iTheatrics, a premier creative consultant in educational musical theatre based in New York City, in association with the leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International and the Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Education Department. During the celebration, each school group performs a selection of a musical before a distinguished panel of theatre professionals who provide them with valuable feedback about their creativity, engagement in the performance, understanding of the material, and connection to the lyrics and movement.

Charlotte Jazz Festival, April 21-23, 2016

Blumenthal Performing Arts and The Leon Levine Foundation are proud to present the second annual Charlotte Jazz Festival. A three-day event at Levine Center for the Arts, the festival features two main stage performances by the critically-acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center under the leadership of musical director Wynton Marsalis. Festival goers can catch intimate club performances featuring local and national talent throughout the weekend, as well as a jazz dinner and happy hours. Other events include a second line parade, youth jazz competition, and much more. Visit for a complete schedule.

At Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts (Through  June 26, 2016)

With its majestic exhibition of dazzling costumes, set pieces, and video excerpts, this exhibition has offered the Gantt Center an opportunity to highlight the art discipline of dance. In addition to weekly, dancing-room-only workshops featuring different genres – ballet, modern, West African, liturgical – the Center will present an exclusive guided tour of the exhibition on Saturday, March 19 with a former member of the company, Dr. Mel A. Tomlinson. On Thursday evening, April 28, the Gantt Center will host a panel of dance world luminaries: Philadanco founder Joyce Myers Brown, former Charlotte Ballet staff & Alvin Ailey dancer April Berry, and Dr. Tomlinson. The panel discussion, Catch the Dance: An Inspired Movement, will end with 1 Pound/4 Ounces: Humble Beginnings, a performance by tap artist Khalil Munir. This plus the other two current exhibitions at the Gantt Center – Art of a New Deal: African-American Artists in the WPA and 1960Now — will close out the center’s year-long theme, Art as Activism.

Shaping the Vessel: Cummings + Mascoll + Samuel (July 16, 2016 – January 16, 2017)

Local wood artist Charles Farrar serves as guest curator for this exhibition, which will open at the Center on Saturday, July 16. This exhibition of twenty-six exquisite works in wood celebrates three artists, Frank E. Cummings III, John Mascoll and Avelino Samuel. At the pinnacle of their craft, each uses the wood lathe, an ancient Egyptian tool, as a springboard to imagination, flights of fancy, and ingenuity. An African-American quilt exhibition and thirty new works by beloved folk artist Nellie Ashford will fill the remaining galleries. More information available at .

At Mint Museum Uptown

(April 16, 2016 – Sept. 18, 2016)

Here & Now marks the first survey exhibition of photography drawn from the Mint’s permanent collection and comprises approximately 100 photographs. Including recent acquisitions and many never-before-seen photographs alongside signature works, Here & Now offers a fresh perspective on a burgeoning area of strength within the Mint’s collection. It will feature exceptional photographs taken at the turn of the 20th century by such noted masters as Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and W. Eugene Smith, as well as those taken in the last few years by dynamic contemporary photographers including Vik Muniz. This will be the first exhibition at the Mint curated by the museum’s President & CEO, photohistorian Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson.

(May 7, 2016 – October 16, 2016)

This show explores both the cultural history and the meticulous craft of shoemaking, featuring distinctive shoe forms that are notable for their design and construction. Pumped traces the history of shoemaking from the handmade shoes of the eighteenth century, through the technical innovations of the Industrial Revolution, to contemporary shoes made with techniques both ancient and new ­– all from the Mint’s permanent collection. Venerable traditions such as leather-working are joined by the latest materials and technologies, including 3-D printing.

At Levine Center for the Arts

Levine Center for the Arts, named for local philanthropists Sandra and Leon Levine, was completed in 2010 through the support of the Campaign for Cultural Facilities (led by Bank of America Charitable Foundation; Sandra and Leon Levine/The Leon Levine Foundation; and the Wells Fargo Foundation); the City of Charlotte; and Mecklenburg County. A generous grant from the THRIVE Fund is enabling the four institutions to work more closely together than ever before to increase visibility and access to the unified center. The $250,000 award from the THRIVE Fund over two years is making possible the center’s first-ever joint marketing campaign, as well as the free lunch-hour tours and a free community festival to be held on May 21, 2016. The THRIVE Fund was established in 2013 to provide financial stability for Charlotte’s cultural sector under the leadership of Hugh McColl, former Bank of America chairman and CEO, and is currently administered by the Foundation For The Carolinas. The Mint Museum spearheaded the grant and is managing the project in collaboration with the other institutions. More information at .

Members of the media may RSVP to the March 10 event, which reserves a boxed lunch and a free museum tour, by contacting:

Leigh Dyer

Director of Public Relations, The Mint Museum

704.337.2009

Leigh.Dyer@mintmuseum.org

WHAT: Lunch, spring preview, and museum tours

WHO: Media; invited business and cultural leaders; and representatives of the four Levine Center for the Arts member institutions

WHEN: Thursday, March 10

Noon-12:30 p.m. Box lunches provided

12:30-1 p.m. Presentation inside Wells Fargo Auditorium

1-1:30 p.m. “Art Breaks” docent-led museum tours; media photography welcomed

WHERE: Wells Fargo Auditorium, 430 South Tryon Street. Enter through main Knight Theater entrance and proceed downstairs.

PLEASE NOTE: This is an invitation to members of the media. All others, please join the new public tours on March 17 or every third Thursday after that!

ABOUT LEVINE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Levine Center for the Arts is one of Charlotte’s key cultural destinations, comprising Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, John S. and James L. Knight Theater, and Mint Museum Uptown. The Center was made possible through the Campaign for Cultural Facilities, the support of the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and the generosity of The Leon Levine Foundation, one of the country’s largest and most impactful philanthropic organizations, along with the leadership of Bank of America Foundation and The Wells Fargo Foundation.

ABOUT BECHTLER MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is dedicated to the exhibition of mid-20th-century modern art. It is named after the family of Andreas Bechtler, who assembled and inherited a collection created by seminal figures in modernism. The collection comprises more than 1,400 works. Some works are accompanied by books, photographs, and letters illustrating personal connections to the Bechtler family. For museum details visit bechtler.org.

ABOUT BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS + KNIGHT THEATER
Blumenthal Performing Arts serves the Carolinas as a leading cultural, entertainment and education provider. Blumenthal Performing Arts receives operating support from the Arts & Science Council and North Carolina Arts Council. Blumenthal Performing Arts is also supported by PNC Bank, sponsor of the PNC Broadway Lights. More information: blumenthalarts.org.

ABOUT HARVEY B. GANTT CENTER

Founded in 1974, Charlotte’s Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture (formerly the Afro-American Center) exists to present, preserve and celebrate the art, history and culture of African-Americans and people of the African Diaspora through dance, music, visual and literary arts, film, educational programs, theatre productions and community outreach. Named for Harvey Bernard Gantt, the prominent architect, community leader and former mayor of Charlotte, the Center is housed in an inspired and distinguished award-winning structure and is home to the nationally celebrated John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art, which was generously donated by Bank of America. More information: ganttcenter.org.

ABOUT THE MINT MUSEUM

The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative museum of international art and design committed to engaging and inspiring all members of our global community. Established as the first art museum in North Carolina in 1936, The Mint Museum has grown to include two dynamic facilities, Mint Museum Uptown and Mint Museum Randolph, and currently boasts one of largest collections in the Southeast. Mint Museum Uptown houses an internationally renowned Craft + Design Collection, as well as collections of American and Modern & Contemporary Art. The five-story, 175,000 square-foot facility was designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates of Boston. Historic Mint Museum Randolph is located three miles to the south. More information: mintmuseum.org.

Enjoy a celebration of “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” at Mint Museum Randolph

The Young Affiliates of the Mint (YAM), a group of diverse young professionals who promote and support The Mint Museum through social, educational, leadership, and fundraising activities, will host the 26th annual Derby Days event on Saturday, May 7 from 3 – 7 p.m. on the lawn of Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road in Charlotte.

Named the “Best Party for Young Professionals” by the Charlotte Observer and “Best Young Professional Party” by Society Charlotte magazine, Derby Days brings together more than 400 of Charlotte’s young professionals to enjoy a day of live music from the Time Sawyer band; lawn games; free wine and beer; food trucks; 50/50 raffle; and a large-screen viewing of the Kentucky Derby, dubbed “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.”

Additional information about this year’s event will be made available on the YAM website, https://derbydays.splashthat.com. Tickets will be sold online, with Early Bird prices starting at $30 for YAM members and $45 for nonmembers. Those who wish to attend must purchase their tickets in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door. This event is for patrons 21 years of age or older.

Money raised from the event will go towards providing museum field trips to Charlotte-Mecklenburg students.

For more information about the 2016 Derby Days, visit https://derbydays.splashthat.com

ABOUT THE YOUNG AFFILIATES OF THE MINT

The Young Affiliates of the Mint is a group of diverse young professionals who promote and support The Mint Museum through social, educational, leadership and fundraising activities. Founded in 1990, the Young Affiliates is the premier social arts organization for young professionals in the Charlotte area. For more information about the Young Affiliates of the Mint, visit youngaffiliates.org. The Mint Museum is funded, in part, with operating support from the Arts & Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc.; the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources; the City of Charlotte; and its members.

To be held March 9 at Mint Museum Uptown

The Young Affiliates of the Mint (“YAMs”) are excited to announce their second annual event entitled, Envision & Empower, hosted at Mint Uptown’s Level 5 Grand Room on March 9, 2016 from 6-9 p.m. Envision & Empower provides an opportunity for the Charlotte community to come together and celebrate the transformative power of arts education on children in our community.

For Envision & Empower, the YAMs partnered with Behailu Academy, an arts-based youth development program that empowers youth to find and use their voices through the arts, academics, and community service. Located in the North Davidson area, Behailu Academy offers a variety of classes including performing arts, music, and visual arts.   This coming spring, seven seniors will graduate from Behailu Academy; forever transformed by the incredible opportunity Behailu has given them to learn about themselves in a supportive environment, through the creation of art and music.

In preparation for this event, photographer and YAM board member Margaret Strickland had the unique pleasure of meeting and photographing the seven exiting seniors for Envision & Empower. Margaret quickly picked up on a symbiotic relationship between the students of Behailu Academy and the arts. Margaret captured the essence of this artistic engagement in photographs that will be on display at the event. In reflection of her meeting the seniors of Behailu, Margaret stated, “I was profoundly impacted by the stories of the students at Behailu. I met a musician, a marine, an illustrator, photographers, and designers. It is obvious that the drive, confidence and talent of these students are due in large part to the friendships and experiences made possible by Behailu Academy. These seniors have used their time at Behailu to support each other, define themselves, and dream big about their futures.”

Behailu Academy students that participated in this collaboration will be in attendance and will share their powerful stories with attendees.  Additionally, keynote speaker Senator Jeff Jackson will join the YAMs for this evening event. Guests will enjoy jazz musician, Buff Dillard, and a cash bar will be available with wine, beer and liquor for purchase. The art galleries will also be open for all guests to enjoy.

The YAMS cordially invite you to join us and help us raise awareness about the impact of art on youth in our community and to raise a glass to the big futures of Charlotte’s students impacted by the arts. Tickets are $25 for YAM members and $35 for non-members.

To purchase tickets for Envision & Empower, please visit: https://2016envisionempower.splashthat.com/

For questions regarding Envision & Empower, please email: Whitney.feld@gmail.com

ABOUT THE YOUNG AFFILIATES OF THE MINT

The Young Affiliates of the Mint Museum is the longest running young professional group and the premier social arts organization for young professionals in Charlotte, North Carolina.  For 26 years, the YAMs have supported the Mint Museum through a variety of social, cultural, leadership and fundraising activities and events. The YAMs have made substantial donations of tangible and intangible goods to the Mint Museum since 1990.

To be held March 9 at Mint Museum Uptown

The Young Affiliates of the Mint (“YAMs”) are excited to announce their second annual event entitled, Envision & Empower, hosted at Mint Uptown’s Level 5 Grand Room on March 9, 2016 from 6-9 p.m. Envision & Empower provides an opportunity for the Charlotte community to come together and celebrate the transformative power of arts education on children in our community.

For Envision & Empower, the YAMs partnered with Behailu Academy, an arts-based youth development program that empowers youth to find and use their voices through the arts, academics, and community service. Located in the North Davidson area, Behailu Academy offers a variety of classes including performing arts, music, and visual arts.   This coming spring, seven seniors will graduate from Behailu Academy; forever transformed by the incredible opportunity Behailu has given them to learn about themselves in a supportive environment, through the creation of art and music.

In preparation for this event, photographer and YAM board member Margaret Strickland had the unique pleasure of meeting and photographing the seven exiting seniors for Envision & Empower. Margaret quickly picked up on a symbiotic relationship between the students of Behailu Academy and the arts. Margaret captured the essence of this artistic engagement in photographs that will be on display at the event. In reflection of her meeting the seniors of Behailu, Margaret stated, “I was profoundly impacted by the stories of the students at Behailu. I met a musician, a marine, an illustrator, photographers, and designers. It is obvious that the drive, confidence and talent of these students are due in large part to the friendships and experiences made possible by Behailu Academy. These seniors have used their time at Behailu to support each other, define themselves, and dream big about their futures.”

Behailu Academy students that participated in this collaboration will be in attendance and will share their powerful stories with attendees.  Additionally, keynote speaker Senator Jeff Jackson will join the YAMs for this evening event. Guests will enjoy jazz musician, Buff Dillard, and a cash bar will be available with wine, beer and liquor for purchase. The art galleries will also be open for all guests to enjoy.

The YAMS cordially invite you to join us and help us raise awareness about the impact of art on youth in our community and to raise a glass to the big futures of Charlotte’s students impacted by the arts. Tickets are $25 for YAM members and $35 for non-members.

To purchase tickets for Envision & Empower, please visit: https://2016envisionempower.splashthat.com/

For questions regarding Envision & Empower, please email: Whitney.feld@gmail.com

ABOUT THE YOUNG AFFILIATES OF THE MINT

The Young Affiliates of the Mint Museum is the longest running young professional group and the premier social arts organization for young professionals in Charlotte, North Carolina.  For 26 years, the YAMs have supported the Mint Museum through a variety of social, cultural, leadership and fundraising activities and events. The YAMs have made substantial donations of tangible and intangible goods to the Mint Museum since 1990.

Registration open now!

Most art museum enthusiasts know that visual art experiences are valuable to a child’s growth and achievement, but do we really know why? Over the years, many studies have quantified the benefits of fine art experiences on a child’s development.

While we appreciate the scholarly research, we also like to go straight to the source for our information. For our Top Ten Reasons to Attend a Mint Summer Art Camp list below, we culled fascinating facts from recent studies, but also asked for input from the TRUE experts—kids and parents! –Leslie Strauss, Head of Family & Studio Programs

10. Art is motivating! Kids in art classes can actively engage in their experience, taking risks, and developing sustained attention and perseverance.

9. Art makes you smart! Studies have shown that kids who participate in art experiences tend to score higher in language arts and mathematics exams.

8. Think about it! Kids who learn to look closely at art, using reasoning skills to infer what they see, are able to transfer those essential reasoning skills to other fields including science.

7. Art makes good people. Making art leads to self-confidence and self-control, collaboration, empathy for others, and social tolerance.

6. I can do it! Learning new things can be challenging, and kids who are challenged to try new things develop a strong sense of accomplishment.

5. Art is messy! At the Mint, we welcome the creative disaster areas that arise when paint, clay, tape, glue, and glitter are truly activated. Why have the mess at home?

4. Drawing is awesome. As one of our kid-experts says, “If you draw something really awesome like a dragon, you can imagine it’s real!”

3. Freedom! Another kid-expert tells us “the best thing about art camp is that there’s not an exact certain way you have to do the project. You can adjust it to how you want it.” Individuality is encouraged in the arts, and kids love finding their own approaches and solutions.

2. Art is for everyone. There’s no right or wrong in art, art is noncompetitive, and we can all find a connection between ourselves and the art we see or make.

1. You’re hanging with the masters at the Mint. From the master potters of the Ancient Americas to African wood carvers to English landscape painters to contemporary craft artists, our young camp artists are among good company when they visit and sketch in the museum galleries. Engaging with authentic art from around the world is our parent-experts’ top reason for choosing the Mint, and makes the Mint summer camps truly stand out from the rest!

What did we miss? Let us know what you appreciate the most about art classes and camps. Join us this summer and help add to the list!

SUMMER ART CAMPS

June 14 – July 28

The Mint offers an exciting menu of creative camps for ages 3–18. Kids explore museum galleries, develop new skills, learn about fascinating cultures, and express themselves!

Visit mintmuseum.org/summercamps to reserve your space.

Members receive a 25 percent discount!

This article appears in the Winter + Spring 2016 issue of The Mint Museum’s member magazine, Inspired. Want a copy? Join now , visit either museum location, or call 704.337.2009.

Mint to host Johnson C. Smith University intern this spring

The Mint Museum is among 14 leading art museums chosen to participate in a national program launched by the United Negro College Fund and the Association of Art Museum Directors to foster diversity in the art museum field.

The initiative has placed 14 college juniors from private and public historically black colleges and universities in major American art museums for semester-long, paid internships to introduce them to the art museum field and help prepare them for leadership roles in the future. The pilot program also provides these students with career and job readiness coaching and professional development training. Support for this initiative has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts; Christie’s; Susan and David Rockefeller, Jr.; David Rockefeller; and the members of AAMD.

In partnership with Johnson C. Smith University, Gabrielle Marshall has joined the Mint as an intern in its accounting department for the spring semester. Marshall, a junior at the university, is working at the museum four days per week through May.

“We are building on the success of the first phase of our pilot program and providing more students access to the professional networks, work experience, and mentorship that are critical for removing the barriers of entry for people of color or underrepresented individuals, or African Americans who are seeking careers in the art museum field,” said Larry Griffith, Senior Vice President of Programs and Student Services at UNCF. “We are thrilled to continue our work with AAMD and to sustain this program, which we believe will effect important changes in the composition of museum leadership over time and across the country.”

“The first phase of our partnership with UNCF has been tremendously successful as a foundation for building diversity in the field, and helping to ensure that our museums represent communities around the nation,” said Christine Anagnos, Executive Director of AAMD. “AAMD is committed to addressing the lack of diversity in senior management positions in the art museum field, and this second phase of this partnership continues our work in this area. We are excited to continue our collaboration with UNCF on this program and are grateful to all our new partners and funders who are supporting this effort.”

As a part of the program, selected AAMD member museums are providing stipends for 12 weeks of the spring 2016 semester, with Fellows working a minimum of 15 hours each week in a variety of museum departments and with the museum directors. The directors will also serve as mentors to these interns and offer support and advice as the Fellows progress through their education and careers.

Along with the Mint, participating museums are: Birmingham Museum of Art, Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries (Atlanta, GA), Columbia Museum of Art (Columbia, SC), Frist Center for the Visual Arts (Nashville), Hampton University Art Museum (Hampton, VA), High Museum of Art (Atlanta), Mississippi Museum of Art  (Jackson), National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), New Orleans Museum of Art, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art (Atlanta), The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.), Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Walters Art Museum (Baltimore).

UNCF, which has more than 20 years of experience in creating pipeline programs for students of color, is providing crucial leadership in management and implementation of this initiative. This includes recruitment of university and college partners, student outreach and recruitment, application management, and implementation of a career and job readiness component. Additionally, UNCF acts as the fiscal agent, administering the program funds and coordinating payments of stipends to the Fellows.

In addition to Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, other college and university partners include: Allen University (Columbia, SC), Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta), Dillard University  (New Orleans), Fisk University  (Nashville), Hampton University (Hampton, VA), Howard University (Washington, D.C.), Miles College  (Fairfield, AL), Morehouse College  (Atlanta), Morgan State University (Baltimore), Spelman College (Atlanta), Tougaloo College (Tougaloo, MS), University of the District of Columbia, and Virginia Union University (Richmond).

ABOUT UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community, and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 20 percent of African  American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org .

ABOUT AAMD

The Association of Art Museum Directors, representing 238 art museum directors in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, promotes the vital role of art museums throughout North America and advances the profession by cultivating leadership and communicating standards of excellence in museum practice. Further information about AAMD’s professional practice guidelines and position papers is available at aamd.org .

Portals to the Past: British Ceramics 1675-1825 to open January 16, 2016 at Mint Museum Randolph

The Mint Museum, long regarded as holding one of the country’s most comprehensive collections of eighteenth-century British ceramics, is about to celebrate the first major reinstallation of that collection in nearly four decades with the opening of Portals to the Past: British Ceramics 1675-1825 at Mint Museum Randolph on January 16, 2016. The ongoing exhibition will stay on view for approximately two years, with additional objects rotating in over time. Members of the media are invited to preview the exhibition with a special tour at 10 a.m. on Thursday, January 14 at Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road.

“The Mint Museum’s collection of eighteenth-century British ceramics is one of its greatest strengths,” said Brian Gallagher, the Mint’s curator of decorative arts. “This exhibition presents the collection in a way that really highlights its breadth and, we hope, helps to make our visitors more aware of these great objects. Not only is the Mint’s collection noteworthy for its encyclopedic representation of British ceramics, but also because it contains a lot of very rare and even singular works of art.”

Portals to the Past is accompanied by a 270-page new scholarly publication, British Ceramics 1675-1825: The Mint Museum, published by the museum in collaboration with D. Giles Limited, London. It is available in the Mint Museum Shops for $79.95 hardcover and $54.95 softcover.

Both the exhibition and catalogue are made possibly by the Delhom Service League, ceramics affiliate of The Mint Museum. Additional exhibition support was generously provided by Moore & Van Allen.

As the Portals exhibition demonstrates, historical objects can reveal much about the people who once owned them and the culture in which they were produced: the popular foods and beverages of the day and how they were served; the prevailing styles of the period; even which public figures were especially admired. These and other aspects of life in eighteenth-century England are explored in this reinterpretation of the Mint’s collection of British pottery and porcelain, which presents more than 225 highlights, including many objects that have never before been on view, as well as contemporaneous works of art from the Mint’s holdings in British paintings, fashion, silver, and works on paper.

Both the catalogue and the installation honor the 50th anniversary of the museum’s purchase of the Delhom Collection of British and European ceramics, and the 40th anniversary of the incorporation of the Delhom Service League. “Ms. M. Mellanay Delhom, who assembled the majority of this collection and was fierce about her collection being kept intact, would be so proud of seeing it in its new location along with the many other historic pieces that have been in storage because of the lack of exhibition space,” said Bernie Bowen, president of the Delhom Service League.

Coinciding with Portals, the museum will also unveil Contemporary British Ceramics: The Grainer Collection at Mint Museum Randolph. This survey of contemporary British studio ceramics also goes on view January 16 and will remain as an ongoing installation. Focused on the collection of Diane and Marc Grainer, active members of the Mint affiliate the Founders’ Circle Ltd., it contains functional and sculptural objects made between the 1980s and today, by artists either born or residing in Great Britain. Represented are such “contemporary classics” as Gordon Baldwin and Rupert Spira along with cutting-edge ceramicists such as Julian Stair and Kate Malone.

The scholarly catalogue’s publication will be celebrated with an author signing at the Mint Museum UPTOWN Shop (500 South Tryon Street, Levine Center for the Arts) at 5 p.m. on December 16. Portals to the Past will also be accompanied by public tours and other programming; see mintmuseum.org/happenings for details on upcoming events.

Members of the media may RSVP to the January media preview by contacting leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org. High resolution images are available upon request.

Above image: William Littler (British, 1724–1784). Sweetmeat Stand, circa 1765–1770, earthenware, lead glaze. West Pans, East Lothian, Scotland. Gift of the Mint Museum Auxiliary. 1971.3.16. Collection of The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina.

FREE teen Mint membership creates thriving peer-to-peer interaction

The auld lang syne of 2015’s many magnificent moments made possible by our visitors, members, and supporters.

The Mint Museum partners with Camino Community Center to offer arts education opportunities to families at risk of homelessness

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• Latino Initiative

Kay Sage’s Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool is a key acquisition of the Mint’s ongoing Collections Initiative

The Mint Museum was the high bidder at Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art evening sale Thursday for American Surrealist Kay Sage’s 1947 oil on canvas Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool.

The purchase was the third made possible by a Charlotte philanthropist who made a significant cash gift in 2013 as part of the museum’s ongoing Collections Initiative ; the funds were devoted specifically to the acquisition of 20^th century painting. Earlier that year, the same philanthropist’s foundation provided funds for the Mint to acquire the painting Trumpet Flowers by the American artist Stanton Macdonald-Wright (1890-1973). The painting is on view at Mint Museum Uptown. This year the museum purchased Alson Skinner Clark’s important canvas, In the Lock, Miraflores, one of the stars of its recent exhibition focusing on the centennial of the Panama Canal . In the Lock, Miraflores is currently on loan to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco for an exhibition celebrating the centennial of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and will be back on view at the Mint in spring 2016.

Sage’s powerful work was last on view at the Mint for its groundbreaking 2012 exhibition Double Solitaire: The Surreal Worlds of Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy , co-curated by the Mint’s Senior Curator of American, Modern, and Contemporary Art Dr. Jonathan Stuhlman, who is one of the leading experts in the world on Sage’s art. That exhibition was the first major museum exhibition devoted to Sage since the 1970s.

The vast majority of Sage’s work was donated to museums upon her death; therefore, only the handful that sold during her lifetime now appear on the market. No others in private hands from this critical period of Sage’s career feature the same combination of scale, quality, and personal resonance found in Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool. “This is very likely the best painting by Sage that will ever appear on the market, particularly at this scale,” said Stuhlman.

Along with Dorothea Tanning, Joseph Cornell, and photographer Man Ray, Sage (1898-1963) was one of the leading American Surrealists, and perhaps the American painter most closely allied with the original group of French Surrealists given her marriage to Frenchman Yves Tanguy. Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool is a prime example of Sage’s signature style, which incorporates her interest in haunting, desolate landscapes, beautifully-rendered yet enigmatic forms, and sophisticated variations in tone and hue. It is also an early work in which she is has begun to explore ways to incorporate her unique “scaffolding” – a compositional element that scholars have argued set her work apart from that of her peers. The Mint’s Stuhlman was the first scholar to decode the work’s title, which he believes refers to the traditional anniversary gifts for a couple’s sixth and seventh anniversaries – 1947 was the seventh anniversary of the couple’s wedding and the sixth of their move from New York to Woodbury, Connecticut.

Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool is the second major American Surrealist painting to enter the museum’s collection, following the gift of Gordon Onslow Ford’s The Love Knot in 2013, which represents a very different take on Surrealism and has a very different aesthetic. “It is well in line with the museum’s desire to add significant works of art from the modern era to its collection, as well as its efforts to bolster its holdings of work by women artists,” said Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint.

Staff reporter Kelly Crow of The Wall Street Journal noted the significance of the Mint’s purchase minutes after it occurred, tweeting out : “Kay Sage, the long-overlooked surrealist because she’s a she, gets a nice boost when her ‘Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool’ sells for $1 million, 10 times high estimate.”

Significant acquisitions to continue

“Not only will this gift enhance the experience of visiting the Mint for both Charlotte residents and our global visitors, but it will elevate the Mint’s role in cultural and economic development for the region,” said Jameson.

The prior acquisition, Trumpet Flowers, an oil on canvas created in 1919, is a rare example of Synchromism, a movement developed by Macdonald-Wright and his colleague Morgan Russell in Paris in 1913 that attempted to synthesize art and music through the use of color. It was acquired by the museum at Sotheby’s 2013 spring auction of American Art. The canvas by Clark had been on long-term loan to the museum from a private collector since the opening of Mint Museum Uptown in 2010. It is the first example of Clark’s paintings of the Canal to enter a museum collection.

In 2013, the museum announced the launch of its three-year Collections Initiative with the help of Bank of America, which donated Untitled (Seafirst) 1979 (38 x 19 feet) by California artist Sam Francis to the museum.

Other major gifts of works of art credited to the Initiative include the large abstract canvas Scotland (1960) by American artist Grace Hartigan, currently on view in the same gallery as Trumpet Flowers; and the video installation Orbit 12 by Jennifer Steinkamp, on view in the Level 4 Media Gallery, both given by the Mint Museum Auxiliary. Other announced gifts include Hoss Haley’s White Ripple, funded by the  Windgate Foundation, and Jens Praet’s Shredded Side Table, donated by the artist.

Above image:

Kay Sage (1898-1963)
Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool
signed and dated ‘Kay Sage ’47’ (lower right); signed and dated again, titled and inscribed ‘SAGE 1947 RING OF IRON RING OF WOOL WOODBURY CONN.’ (on the stretcher)
oil on canvas
54 x 37 7/8 in. (137 x 96.2 cm.)
Painted in 1947

CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

“From New York to Nebo: The Artistic Journey of Eugene Thomason” to open November 21 at Mint Museum Uptown

When The Mint Museum opened its doors in 1936, North Carolina native Eugene Thomason was perhaps the most significant artist working in Charlotte, and one of the region’s strongest advocates for contemporary art. As a young man, Thomason’s art caught the eye of industrialist James B. Duke, who sponsored his studies at the Art Students League in New York.

For the next four decades, first in Charlotte and later in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Nebo (about 90 miles northwest of Charlotte), Thomason worked in the vigorous, rough-hewn style he had adopted in New York to depict subjects ranging from the local landscape to his friends and acquaintances. From New York to Nebo: The Artistic Journey of Eugene Thomason is organized by The Johnson Collection, one of the most comprehensive collections of Southern art in the world. Noted expert on Southern art Martha Severens selected approximately three dozen paintings spanning Thomason’s career for the show at Mint Museum Uptown, and will visit for a public event on January 27 at Mint Museum Uptown. The exhibition, which has toured three other Southern museums before concluding its run at the Mint, remains on view from November 21, 2015 through March 27, 2016. Members of the media are invited to preview the exhibition during a special tour at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday November 19 at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street.

“I was thrilled to learn that The Johnson Collection was organizing this exhibition and that we are able to host it at The Mint Museum,” said Dr. Jonathan Stuhlman, the Mint’s senior curator of American, modern, and contemporary art, who contributed a foreword to the exhibition publication. “The timing was felicitous, given that we will soon be celebrating our 80th anniversary and Thomason was one of the most active artists in Charlotte when the Mint opened its doors and one of the first to show his work here.  Our visitors are sure to be inspired and delighted by his vibrant, energetically painted canvases that document the one-of-a-kind people and places of our state.”

The exhibition is presented in Charlotte by the Duke Energy Foundation. It is accompanied by a fully illustrated publication authored by Severens and co-published by the University of South Carolina Press and The Johnson Collection. It is available in the Mint Museum Shops for $34.95.

Also on November 21 at Mint Museum Uptown, the Mint will celebrate its permanent collection of European art with Modern Musings: European Works on Paper , on view alongside From New York to Nebo through March 27, 2016.

The Mint Museum owns more than 1,000 works on paper created by European artists. Approximately 30 highlights from this collection, all created between roughly 1850 and 1950, will be featured. During this period, European art underwent a series of dramatic changes as artists shifted their focus from an emphasis on naturalism and academic techniques to works characterized by a more subjective response to the natural world. Artists represented include Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, Käthe Kollwitz, Giorgio de Chirico, and Edvard Munch.

The new exhibition and installation will be accompanied by a full slate of special activities for museum members; tours by curators and docents; Sunday Fun Days; Taste of the Mint culinary experiences; visiting guest speakers; NexGen events for ages 14-18; and more. See mintmuseum.org/happenings for details on public events. Admission to From New York to Nebo is subject to additional special exhibition fees, which also grant admission to the special exhibition VIVA MOSCHINO! at Mint Museum Uptown.

New opening date for Portals to the Past: British Ceramics 1675-1825

The Mint Museum, long regarded as holding one of the country’s most comprehensive collections of eighteenth-century British ceramics, is about to celebrate the first major reinstallation of that collection in nearly four decades with the opening of Portals to the Past: British Ceramics 1675-1825 at Mint Museum Randolph on January 16, 2016. The ongoing exhibition will stay on view for approximately two years, with additional objects rotating in over time. Members of the media are invited to preview the exhibition with a special tour at 10 a.m. on Thursday, January 14.

“The Mint Museum’s collection of eighteenth-century British ceramics is one of its greatest strengths,” said Brian Gallagher, the Mint’s curator of decorative arts. “This exhibition presents the collection in a way that really highlights its breadth and, we hope, helps to make our visitors more aware of these great objects. Not only is the Mint’s collection noteworthy for its encyclopedic representation of British ceramics, but also because it contains a lot of very rare and even singular works of art.”

Portals to the Past is accompanied by a 270-page new scholarly publication, British Ceramics 1675-1825: The Mint Museum, published by the museum in collaboration with D. Giles Limited, London. It will be available mid-December in the Mint Museum Shops for $79.95 hardcover and $54.95 softcover.

Both the exhibition and catalogue are made possibly by the Delhom Service League, ceramics affiliate of The Mint Museum. Additional exhibition support was generously provided by Moore & Van Allen.

As the Portals exhibition demonstrates, historical objects can reveal much about the people who once owned them and the culture in which they were produced: the popular foods and beverages of the day and how they were served; the prevailing styles of the period; even which public figures were especially admired. These and other aspects of life in eighteenth-century England are explored in this reinterpretation of the Mint’s collection of British pottery and porcelain, which presents more than 225 highlights, including many objects that have never before been on view, as well as contemporaneous works of art from the Mint’s holdings in British paintings, fashion, silver, and works on paper.

Both the catalogue and the installation honor the 50th anniversary of the museum’s purchase of the Delhom Collection of British and European ceramics, and the 40th anniversary of the incorporation of the Delhom Service League. “Ms. M. Mellanay Delhom, who assembled the majority of this collection and was fierce about her collection being kept intact, would be so proud of seeing it in its new location along with the many other historic pieces that have been in storage because of the lack of exhibition space,” said Bernie Bowen, president of the Delhom Service League.

Coinciding with Portals, the museum will also unveil Contemporary British Ceramics: The Grainer Collection at Mint Museum Randolph. This survey of contemporary British studio ceramics also goes on view January 16 and will remain as an ongoing installation. Focused on the collection of Diane and Marc Grainer, active members of the Mint affiliate the Founders’ Circle Ltd., it contains functional and sculptural objects made between the 1980s and today, by artists either born or residing in Great Britain. Represented are such “contemporary classics” as Gordon Baldwin and Rupert Spira along with cutting-edge ceramicists such as Julian Stair and Kate Malone.

Members of the media may RSVP to either the November or January media previews by contacting leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org. Nebo curator Martha Severens will be onsite and available for in-person interviews on Monday, November 23, if desired. High resolution images available upon request.

Above image: Eugene Healan Thomason (American, 1895-1972). Three Red Roses, 1968, oil on masonite. The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Bre’Anna Washington credits the Mint’s program with leading her to serve others

The Mint is embarking on a year dedicated to celebrating our own treasures in the collection of the state’s first art museum.

Founder of iconic brand to be subject of exhibition VIVA MOSCHINO!

Known for relentlessly mocking the fashion system while at the same time profiting from it, Franco Moschino (1950-1994) used fashion as a platform for theatrical presentations filled with humor, irony, and surrealism. Many of the iconic garments that made him a fashion legend will now be on view in the first American retrospective of his work, VIVA MOSCHINO! The exhibition will open October 31, 2015 at Mint Museum Uptown and remain on view through April 3, 2016. A media preview is scheduled for 10 a.m. on October 29, with a VIP invitation-only opening reception that evening.

Drawn largely from two Chicago-area private collections as well as institutional loans and the Mint’s own Fashion Collection , the exhibition will focus on the Italian designer’s work between 1983 and 1994, when his designs were worn by rock stars, actors, and other celebrities including Tina Turner . Today, Franco Moschino’s fashions continue to be admired by musicians and performers ranging from Sting to Rihanna , and continues to inspire the designs of the fashion house that bears his name. The exhibition will feature many of the designer’s best known creations, such as the Be Simple! Little Black Dress, Smiley and Domani è un altro giorno jackets, a variety of works from his Cartoon Couture Collection, and a leopard and velvet couture coat from Fall/Winter 1993/1994 of the same design worn recently by Rihanna, along with approximately 40 other full Moschino ensembles and fashion accessories.

“Franco Moschino’s fashion designs represent his knowledge and fondness for historic couture, especially the classic designs of Coco Chanel, as well as his deep interest in surrealism,” said exhibition curator Annie Carlano, the Mint’s senior curator of craft, design, & fashion. “The Mint’s exhibition will show the range of sartorial achievement and social commentary in Moschino’s oeuvre, a tremendous variety in such a short time span.”

Born in Abbiategrasso, Italy in 1950, Franco Moschino studied painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan, where he supplemented his income with work as a fashion illustrator. In 1971, he began work as an illustrator for Italian designer Gianni Versace. Following his time at Versace, Moschino went on to work for the fashion house Cadette in 1977 alongside Karl Lagerfeld. In 1983, Moschino launched Moschino Couture!, and created a sensation by dressing model Pat Cleveland in a silk evening dress, sneakers, and a grocery bag. The first Moschino men’s show debuted in 1986, followed by the Fall 1987 men’s collection, which was modeled by women. In 1990 Princess Diana wore a houndstooth Moschino suit to the christening of her niece, Princess Eugenie.

Moschino once declared, “I’m not a fashion designer. I’m a painter, a decorator.” He was in fact a voracious fashion designer, creating his Moschino Couture! line, as well as Cheap n Chic, Moschino Jeans, and  accessories. Although he was well-known for the use of ironic and thought-provoking phrases in his designs, such as embroidering “Waist of Money” on a jacket in place of a belt, he was also a master tailor, using fine fabrics in meticulous constructions. He was sometimes accused of being a rebel without a cause, but Moschino often used his ads to campaign for social issues including activism against drugs, violence, and cruelty to animals, and advocacy for environmentalism in fashion production.

In 1991, Moschino deemed fashion shows passé and abandoned them in favor of private presentations. Prior to this decision, Moschino produced outrageous shows, memorably leaving tomatoes and flowers on editors’ chairs so they could express their displeasure or happiness with his collection. In Moschino’s final collection, labeled “Nature Friendly Garment,” the designer introduced an Ecocouture line made with environmentally responsible materials.

Franco Moschino died in September 1994 due to complications from AIDS. In remembrance of the designer’s social consciousness, a portion of Moschino profits now fund the Moschino Foundation, a charity founded to assist HIV-positive children.

In the twenty-first century, the MOSCHINO brand has been reinvigorated and the genius of Franco Moschino has resurfaced in the current designs. Pop stars including Kylie Minogue and Madonna donned Moschino designs throughout world tours and burlesque star Dita Von Teese modeled for the fashion house. During the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, placard holders at the opening and closing ceremonies wore Moschino designs. In 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama selected a Moschino ensemble for her visit to the Vatican.

Today, Jeremy Scott is Creative Director of the Moschino brand, which encompasses labels including Moschino Couture, Boutique Moschino, and Love Moschino, as well as a wide range of accessories, jewelry, perfume, and cosmetics. Recording artist Katy Perry is the current face of the brand. Christina Binkley of The Wall Street Journal recently described Scott’s approach: “He is bent on restoring the flippant energy of the label’s founder, Franco Moschino, who loved to parody fashion icons.”

The legacy of Franco Moschino lives on.

SPECIAL PROGRAMMING

Following the invitation-only VIP celebration on October 29, the public is invited to take part in a variety of educational programming during the exhibition (more details on each event available at mintmuseum.org/happenings ):

• NexGen Mint: Hangout for members ages 14-18 on November 4, free with pre-registration required at nexgenmint.org .
• Member Night at the Museum: VIVA MOSCHINO! On November 5; free for Mint members only .
• Spotlight gallery tours on November 11, November 19, December 10, and January 14, free after museum admission.
• Couture Collector Talk: Desperately Seeking Fashion with Sandy Schreier, followed by a champagne reception, November 11, $30 or $25 for Mint members .
• Sunday Fun Day : Funny Fashion & Art on November 15, $6 for non-member adults and free for all kids under 18.
• Taste of the Mint , offering special food and beverage pairings from culinary partners Halcyon, Flavors from the Earth and Mimosa Grill followed by a special gallery tour, on November 18, tickets $50 or $35 for Mint members .

SPONSORS

VIVA MOSCHINO! is organized by The Mint Museum and presented by Novant Health , with additional sponsorship support from the Mint Museum Auxiliary and Neiman Marcus.

MEDIA PARTNER

Charlotte Magazine

IMAGE

Above image of Rihanna in Moschino Couture, Fall/Winter 93/94, in early 2014: Devone Byrd, Pacific Coast News

MEDIA CONTACT 

For more information, to RSVP to the October 29 media preview, or for high-res images, contact:

Leigh Dyer, Director of Public Relations, The Mint Museum

704.337.2009 or Leigh.Dyer@mintmuseum.org

RELATED HAPPENINGS

Media Contact 

For more information, to RSVP to the October 29 media preview, or for high-res images, contact:

Leigh Dyer, Director of Public Relations, The Mint Museum

704.337.2009 or Leigh.Dyer@mintmuseum.org

Style trendsetter headlines Fall EnrichMINT Forum October 14

Style trendsetter Jonathan Adler will headline The Mint Museum Auxiliary’s Annual Fall EnrichMINT Forum on Wednesday, 0ctober 14, from 6 – 8:30 p.m. at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte.

Adler is a renowned potter, interior designer, author, and entrepreneur. His mission is to bring style, craft, and joy to the consumer. Iconic and irreverent, his collection takes inspiration from mid-century style, art, global pop culture, and luxe lifestyles, offering consumers a refreshing approach to modern American glamour.

From his obsession with ceramics as a child growing up in New Jersey, Adler attended Brown University to study semiotics and art history but spent most of his time at the Rhode Island School of Design making pots.

He then taught pottery in New York City, eventually selling his concept for unique ceramic décor pieces to Barneys New York. His entrepreneurial career and design brand development had just begun. In 1998 he opened his first retail store and now has 26 Jonathan Adler stores worldwide. He also has numerous wholesale relationships with major high end retailers, and a website, all featuring his signature pottery, furniture, lighting, décor, bed, bath, tabletop, area rugs, and handbag product lines.

Adler has authored My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living, 100 Ways to Happy Chic Your Life, On Happy Chic – Colors, and On Happy Chic – Accessorizing. He was also head judge on Top Designer, a reality series on the Bravo network.

An entertaining, humorous, and inspiring speaker, Adler’s presentation will be followed by a book signing. Proceeds benefit The Mint Museum.

“The Mint Museum Auxiliary is thrilled to welcome Jonathan Adler to Charlotte as the keynote speaker for the Fall EnrichMINT Forum, our premier kick-off event of the 2015-16 Room To Bloom Celebration. We’re sure our guests will be delighted by Jonathan’s outrageous humor and wit as he speaks about his humble beginnings, believing and achieving the American dream, the creative process, his design philosophy and personal mission to bring style, craft, and joy to your life – one accessory at a time! We expect this event to sell out,” said Mint Museum Auxiliary President Rocky Trenkelbach.

“In gratitude, we extend a special thank you to our Fall Celebration Partner, Wells Fargo, and to all of our sponsors, benefactors, and patrons for their significant contributions to make this event possible. We also want to thank Event Co-Chairs Kathryn Dixon and Carrie Miller for their ingenuity and hard work.”

Tickets for the event are $150. Seating is limited. Funds raised will be used to support inspiring educational offerings for the community and significant acquisitions for the permanent collection of The Mint Museum.

In addition to the Fall Celebration Partner Wells Fargo, the Auxiliary salutes its other generous sponsors: Presenting – InterCon and Veranda; Signature – ADAC; Select – Beacon Partners and Triad Foundation. Corporate – Belk, Carolina CAT, Doyle New York, Moore & Van Allen, Rinehart Wealth Management, SteelFab and Whitlock Builders; Mint Medley – Paper Twist, The Sporting Gent and Woo; Business – Autrey Kemp Nurseries, Barrie Benson Interior Design, Couture Knots, Dickens Mitchener, E. Frank Smith Residential Design, The English Room, Gerrard Builders, Gray Walker Interiors, Hidell Brooks Gallery, Hilliard Studio Method, Joyner Benfield Distinctive Land & Waterscapes, Mark Phelps Interiors, Meyer Greeson Paullin Benson, Morgan Landscape Group, Pursley Dixon Architecture, Ruard Veltman Architecture, Tiny and Vargi & Vargi; In Kind – Classic Party Rentals, Peachy the Magazine and The Scout Guide.

For more about the Mint Museum Auxiliary, how to join The Mint Museum, and ticket sales, visit mintmuseumauxiliary.org . For questions, email Nancy Smith at smith.nancyt@gmail.com or call 917.855.4443.

Above image: Photo by Todd Tankersley.

Amid Charlotte’s vibrant diversity, the growing population of newcomers from all corners of Latin America has led the Mint in recent years to undertake some of its most exciting multicultural projects.

Agency will lead first-ever LCA marketing campaign

Following a competitive selection process, the four member cultural institutions of Levine Center for the Arts have selected Orbital Socket as their creative agency of record. Orbital Socket is tasked with proposing and implementing a plan, including advertising, marketing, and PR initiatives, to build public awareness around exhibitions, programming, performances, events, and resources available at Levine Center for the Arts. A coordinated and strategic marketing plan for Levine Center for the Arts will benefit the institutions and the larger community by bolstering this critical cultural sector.

“The team at Orbital Socket is committed to bold, brave ideas. Their capabilities in advertising and digital media make them uniquely equipped to bring innovative, integrated solutions,” said Hillary Cooper, Director of Advancement & Communications at The Mint Museum, the lead institution for the effort. “Their passion for the arts, highly skilled team of creative strategists, and ability to bring the true personality of this incredible cultural campus to life sold our team immediately. They have mastered the art of innovative storytelling in the most compelling way and we have quite a story to tell.”

“We are very excited to be partnering with the Levine Center for the Arts and telling the exciting story of all the great things going on through this impressive cultural destination,” says Greg Johnson, Orbital Socket founder and managing director.  “We started Orbital Socket to bring fresh new marketing ideas to the marketplace and feel that this partnership with LCA will be a dynamic opportunity to showcase this gem within our city through some innovative marketing communications.”

Orbital Socket is a marketing innovations and brand engagement company that leverages the science behind customer development and the art of storytelling to build distinctive communication ecosystems for companies and organizations.  The company is located in the PORTAL building on the campus of UNC Charlotte and is part of the support ecosystem of Ventureprise, an innovations-driven entrepreneurial hub.

October 1, 2015, marks the fifth anniversary of the opening of Mint Museum Uptown and the completion of Levine Center for the Arts. In an effort to significantly increase visitation and revenue to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, John S. and James L. Knight Theater, and Mint Museum Uptown, the organizations will collectively embark on this marketing campaign. “Our goal is to make more members of the Charlotte and surrounding communities aware of how Levine Center for the Arts can strengthen the human connection and offer them an opportunity to take a break and simply enjoy the culture and arts,” said Cooper.

Levine Center for the Arts was made possible through the Campaign for Cultural Facilities, the support of the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and the generosity of The Leon Levine Foundation, one of the country’s largest and most impactful philanthropic organizations.

The marketing campaign is made possible by a grant from the THRIVE Fund, which was established in 2013 to provide financial stability for Charlotte’s cultural sector under the leadership of Hugh McColl, former Bank of America chairman and CEO, and is currently administered by the Foundation For The Carolinas. Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of The Mint Museum, announced the selection of Orbital Socket at a media event Monday morning held in Wells Fargo Auditorium at Levine Center for the Arts.

Media Contacts:

Leigh Dyer

The Mint Museum

704.337.2009

Leigh.Dyer@mintmuseum.org

Greg Johnson

Orbital Socket

503.703.7749

Greg@orbitalsocket.com

ABOUT ORBITAL SOCKET

Orbital Socket is a marketing innovations and brand engagement company. Our goal is to communicate ideas in innovative ways that deeply resonate in the marketplace. Within this, we have various approaches to ensure precision in how we help companies and organizations enter, grow, engage, define and activate their marketplace. The company comprises industry leading expertise in all of the following disciplines: advertising; public relations; branding and identity, direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing; consulting, research and analytics capabilities; branded content and entertainment; and specialist communications. Orbital Socket is committed to providing great marketing services to companies in the Charlotte and surrounding markets. For more information, visit orbitalsocket.com, or follow us on Twitter at @Orbitalsocket.

ABOUT LEVINE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Levine Center for the Arts is one of Charlotte’s key cultural destinations, comprising Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, John S. and James L. Knight Theater, and Mint Museum Uptown. The Center was made possible through the Campaign for Cultural Facilities, the support of the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and the generosity of The Leon Levine Foundation, one of the country’s largest and most impactful philanthropic organizations. Learn more at levinecenterarts.org or follow us at @LevineCenterArt .

Institutions are broadening access to Charlotte’s cultural treasures

For the first time since the completion of Levine Center for the Arts in uptown Charlotte five years ago, the presidents of the four member cultural institutions will appear in a joint public discussion to introduce their institutions’ future plans and collaborative strategies to the larger community.

On Monday, September 28 at 10 a.m., members of the media are invited to hear from Charlotte’s cultural leaders, each of them president and CEO of their respective institutions: John Boyer of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art ; Tom Gabbard of Blumenthal Performing Arts which oversees the center’s Knight Theater ; David Taylor of the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture ; and Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson of The Mint Museum. The discussion, to be held at Wells Fargo Auditorium at Levine Center for the Arts, is the first time the four leaders have spoken together to the media. It marks a new phase of collaboration among the partners, following in the footsteps of such established arts centers as the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts in New York City and the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta.

Levine Center for the Arts, named for local philanthropists Sandra and Leon Levine, was completed in 2010 through the support of the Campaign for Cultural Facilities, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and the generosity of The Leon Levine Foundation, one of the country’s largest and most impactful philanthropic organizations. Each of its member institutions has elevated its own visibility on the local and national stage, but now a generous grant from the THRIVE Fund is enabling the four institutions to work more closely together than ever before to increase visibility and access to the unified center. The $250,000 award from the THRIVE Fund over two years will make possible the center’s first-ever joint marketing campaign, as well as a free community festival to be held in May 2016 and free docent-led museum tours to be offered during lunch hours monthly beginning in early 2016. The THRIVE Fund was established in 2013 to provide financial stability for Charlotte’s cultural sector under the leadership of Hugh McColl, former Bank of America chairman and CEO, and is currently administered by the Foundation For The Carolinas.

The Mint Museum spearheaded the grant and is managing the project in collaboration with the other institutions. It is one of two collaborative grants awarded this year – the second, led by the Bechtler, is enabling the three museums’ staffs to train together for enhanced membership development efforts and database management. “This grant is providing, for the first time, the funds needed to effectively launch a creative and strategic marketing campaign for this incredible community asset. Increased collaboration and communication across the campus will build visitation, membership, and support while also realizing valuable efficiencies for each organization,” said Hillary Cooper, the Mint’s Director of Advancement & Communications.

Representatives of the four institutions conducted a competitive process over the summer to select a marketing firm to create and administer the joint campaign. The selected firm will be announced at the September 28 media event. Representatives of each museum’s volunteer docent program will also be available to give interviews about the upcoming plans for free public tours. “This is the first time the docents of the three museums have collaborated on a public tour program,” said Laura Hamelau, a Mint Museum docent who is helping to lead the effort. “All three museums want to find new ways to engage the tens of thousands of uptown workers and residents who gather in and near Levine Center for the Arts, so we are thrilled this grant is enabling us to offer free lunch-hour tours to serve as the perfect introduction to the museums’ offerings for a wide audience.”

Following the discussion, members of the media are invited to schedule one-on-one interviews or gallery tours at each institution.

In addition to discussing their collaborative efforts, the four cultural institution presidents plan to offer media and the public a preview of their upcoming offerings this fall and winter. Among the highlights:

At Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Sam Francis was a peripatetic artist, moving swiftly through geographies, cultures, and artistic circles. His monumental canvases coupled with his ebullient enthusiasm inspired artists and audiences around the world. The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art exhibition Sam Francis: Rapid Fluid Indivisible Vision, on view September 18, 2015, through March 7, 2016, will not only present the distinctive art Francis created, but will position him among the various artists whom he celebrated and influenced. The anchor of the show is the 1¢ Life portfolio that Francis edited with the poet/painter Walasse Ting in 1964. Collapsing geographical borders and stylistic differences, Francis and Ting assembled artists as varied as Joan Mitchell, Roy Lichtenstein, Asger Jorn, Robert Indiana, Karel Appel, Andy Warhol, Jean-Paul Riopelle, and Jim Dine to illustrate Ting’s poetry in this portfolio.

On view will be selections from Francis’s diverse output: mid-1950s abstraction, experiments in printmaking, and his various series including Edge paintings and Mandalas. Whether working in oil, acrylic, watercolor or lithograph, Francis exploited his media to service his unique treatment of composition and color.

Meanwhile, on view through January 18, 2016 is Portraying the Patron: Andy Warhol and the Bechtlers. On June 3, 1968, the militant feminist writer Valerie Solanas shot Andy Warhol at The Factory, his famous studio/club house in New York City. Although two bullets missed Warhol, the third went through his spleen, liver, stomach, and esophagus. He almost died during the five-hour surgery that followed, and remained bedridden for three months afterward. While at home, he painted small portraits of Mrs. Nelson Rockefeller, marking his return to portraiture, a theme that had preoccupied him since the 1950s and dominated his output for the remainder of his life. Through commissioned portraits, Warhol could control his public interactions and reliably earn a living.

The Bechtler family were serious collectors who filled their homes and offices with art, making personal connections with artists whenever possible. Although the Bechtlers and Warhol did not have a friendship, they intersected at a pivotal moment in Warhol’s life: a time of great vulnerability and uncertainty as Warhol sought to recover perspective and equilibrium. This exhibition celebrates that personal interaction between Warhol and the Bechtlers. Andy Warhol’s silkscreen portraits of the family hang alongside corresponding Polaroid photos, along with ephemera contextualizing that time in Warhol’s career.

At Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts

This fall, Blumenthal Performing Arts brings one of the most anticipated events yet to Knight Theater. Breakin’ Convention – An International Festival of Hip Hop Dance Theatre, created by London’s Sadler’s Wells, comes to Charlotte October 9-10. This two-day event is sponsored by Sprite and will feature the best hip hop artists from around the world, as well as artists from Charlotte and the surrounding region.

Dance Theatre of Harlem takes the Knight Theater stage for incredible performances January 22-24, 2016, as part of a multi-event collaboration between Blumenthal Performing Arts, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts+Culture, and Wells Fargo. All performance tickets will also include admission to the five month long exhibition on the history of the world-renowned dance company opening January 2016 at the Gantt Center.

Blumenthal Performing Arts also brings PNC Broadway Lights and Broadway Extras shows to Knight Theater. This season, Broadway productions at Knight Theater will include the Tony Award® winner for best book and best musical score, Ragtime; the explosive and inventive percussion sensation, Stomp; and the stunning new Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Bridges of Madison County.

Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater is also home to the Charlotte Symphony, which brings KnightSounds, the Symphony’s most innovative series, offering unexpected collaborations and post-concert parties to Levine Center for the Arts.  And many of Charlotte Ballet’s masterworks led by internationally acclaimed President and Artistic Director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux come alive at Knight Theater each year. Charlotte Ballet is known for its strong dancers and versatile repertoire, ranging from classical ballet to bold, contemporary works.

At Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

Activism — exercised through art and culture — is the yearlong programming theme of the Harvey B. Gantt Center. Four exhibitions illustrate the long lasting legacies that use the visual arts as a tool for activism and social change. The first, AfriCOBRA Now: An Aesthetic Reflection, on view through December 31, consists of two parts. The first section, AfriCOBRA: Art for the People, contains work from various AfriCOBRA members who joined in 1968 — when the group was founded in Chicago — to year 2000. AfriCOBRA Now  looks at work by the current membership, revealing the shifting aesthetic of the influential group over their 40-plus year existence.

Charlotte Collects Elizabeth Catlett: A Centennial Celebration, on view through December 31, commemorates renowned visual artist Elizabeth Catlett’s life and work. The exhibition includes examples of her two-dimensional and three-dimensional works (including some loans from the Mint’s collection), as well as photographs of Catlett. The narrative also highlights the show coming from, and reflecting, Charlotteans’ appreciation and collection of her work.

I’m Walkin’ For My Freedom: The Selma March and Voting Rights opens October 9 and remains on view through December 31. The exhibition of images captured by photojournalist Matt Herron depicts moments of the march as the protesters traveled across Alabama. Based in Mississippi in the early 1960s, Herron covered the Civil Rights struggle for Life Magazine, Look Magazine, Time Magazine, Newsweek Magazine, and the Saturday Evening Post. He also provided photographs and support for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. This exhibition is presented by Bank of America.

And the collaborative effort with the Blumenthal, Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts opens January 22, 2016 and runs through June 26. This majestic exhibition of dazzling costumes, set pieces, and video excerpts celebrates the iconic company and its corps who defied prejudice, and gravity itself, in pursuit of their talent. In the process, the company made history and shattered barriers for future generations of aspiring performers. Dance Theatre of Harlem is a celebration of courage, and of the magic and uplifting power of the performing arts. The cultural collaboration is presented to the community by Wells Fargo.

At Mint Museum Uptown

Thursday, October 1 marks the fifth anniversary of the opening of Mint Museum Uptown – and the completion of Levine Center for the Arts. Mint supporters will gather for an invitation-only VIP celebration on the evening of October 1, and then the community is invited to commemorate the anniversary at a FREE weekend celebration October 3 and 4 during regular museum hours. Visitors will receive both free general admission and free special exhibition admission to America the Beautiful: Works on Paper from The Mint Museum, as well as enjoying free hands-on art activities, music, and other special offerings.

The centerpiece of the celebration will be the unveiling of a new public sculpture by internationally renowned artist Tom Joyce, titled Thicket. It is being installed during the week of September 28 on the Sally and Bill Van Allen Terrace, where it will be visible to the public from the plaza in front of the museum as well as from South Tryon Street and Levine Avenue of the Arts. The sculpture, generously funded by the Mint Museum Auxiliary, represents the completion of the Mint’s Project Ten Ten Ten – a series of commissions of ten major works by leading international artists and designers in honor of the museum’s opening in the tenth month of 2010.

Thicket is a seven-and-a-half-foot square block composed of stainless steel rods passing through cast iron hammer heads, based on the hammer that Joyce, a trained blacksmith based in Santa Fe and Brussels, Belgium, uses most frequently. Its cast iron is from a unique alloy that includes filings from most of Joyce’s previous projects, including his commission for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to forge steel from the World Trade Center into letters spelling out a phrase from Virgil’s Aeneid: “No day shall erase you from the memory of time.” Joyce will be available for one-on-one interviews following the media event.

On October 31, the Mint will open VIVA MOSCHINO! which is the first U.S. retrospective of celebrated Italian designer Franco Moschino’s work between 1983-1994. The brand is currently well-known thanks to its current Creative Director Jeremy Scott, whose designs have appeared at Katy Perry’s Super Bowl performance, Madonna’s latest videos, and the MTV Video Music Awards, but this exhibition, on view through April 3, 2016, will be the first to comprehensively explore the work of the man who launched the brand and first made it an international sensation. The exhibition is organized by the Mint and  presented by Novant Health and has received additional sponsorship support from the Mint Museum Auxiliary and Neiman Marcus.

And on November 21, the museum will complete its fall lineup with the opening of From New York to Nebo: The Artistic Journey of Eugene Thomason, a retrospective of the North Carolina native’s work organized by The Johnson Collection, one of the most comprehensive collections in the South. It remains on view through March 27, 2016.

For additional exhibitions and events taking place this fall at Mint Museum Randolph, check mintmuseum.org.

Special partnership: Local news website Charlotte Five is joining in the Mint’s anniversary celebration with an exclusive C5 Underground event on Friday, October 2. Participants will be among the first in Charlotte to mingle on the terrace with Thicket during a reception with beer and bites from 5:30-7 p.m. A $5 admission fee will support the Mint’s Annual Fund. Participants can register to attend at Eventbrite. (or use bit.ly/C5UndergroundMint).

MEDIA: To RSVP to the September 28 media event, request interviews or tours, or for more information, contact:

Leigh Dyer

Director of Public Relations, The Mint Museum

704.337.2009

Leigh.Dyer@mintmuseum.org

ABOUT LEVINE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Levine Center for the Arts is one of Charlotte’s key cultural destinations, comprising Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, John S. and James L. Knight Theater, and Mint Museum Uptown. The Center was made possible through the Campaign for Cultural Facilities, the support of the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and the generosity of The Leon Levine Foundation, one of the country’s largest and most impactful philanthropic organizations.

ABOUT BECHTLER MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is dedicated to the exhibition of mid-20th-century modern art. It is named after the family of Andreas Bechtler who assembled and inherited a collection created by seminal figures in modernism. More information: www.bechtler.org.

ABOUT BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS

Blumenthal Performing Arts serves the Carolinas as a leading cultural, entertainment and education provider. Blumenthal Performing Arts receives operating support from the Arts & Science Council and North Carolina Arts Council. Blumenthal Performing Arts is also supported by PNC Bank, sponsor of the PNC Broadway Lights. More information: blumenthalarts.org.

ABOUT HARVEY B. GANTT CENTER

Founded in 1974, Charlotte’s Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture (formerly the Afro-American Center) exists to present, preserve and celebrate the art, history and culture of African-Americans and people of the African Diaspora through dance, music, visual and literary arts, film, educational programs, theatre productions and community outreach. Named for Harvey Bernard Gantt, the prominent architect, community leader and former mayor of Charlotte, the Center is housed in an inspired and distinguished award-winning structure and is home to the nationally celebrated John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art, which was generously donated by Bank of America. More information: ganttcenter.org.

ABOUT THE MINT MUSEUM

The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative museum of international art and design committed to engaging and inspiring all members of our global community. Established as the first art museum in North Carolina in 1936, The Mint Museum has grown to include two dynamic facilities, Mint Museum Uptown and Mint Museum Randolph, and currently boasts one of largest collections in the Southeast. Mint Museum Uptown houses an internationally renowned Craft + Design Collection, as well as collections of American and Modern & Contemporary Art. The five-story, 175,000 square-foot facility was designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates of Boston. Historic Mint Museum Randolph is located three miles to the south. More information: mintmuseum.org.

Progress reports on Mint Museum Uptown’s new neighbor: A 43-story luxury apartment tower

With an anticipated completion date of Fall 2016, we at The Mint Museum are growing excited to welcome as many as 700 new residents to a new 43-story luxury apartment tower taking shape on our roof.

As construction proceeds, we may be subject to temporary disruptions such as noise or changes in traffic flow. We are doing our best to keep updated information posted here and on our Facebook and Twitter feeds as it becomes available. We thank our visitors for their patience as we occasionally experience factors outside our control. If any visitors have questions, please contact the Mint at 704.337.2000 or info@mintmuseum.org ; media inquiries may be directed to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org

The apartment tower is being built by Childress Klein , and the tower (originally condos) was part of the original vision for Levine Center for the Arts since its inception.  Childress Klein owns the air rights above the Mint, and Batsoon Cook Contractors is the General Contractor for this project. The infrastructure for the tower was put in place inside Mint Museum Uptown as it was constructed in 2009-2010.

LATEST UPDATES

Updated July 30

Pump up the jam! That’s right – concrete pumping is underway. The entire first floor has already been completed and the second is on its way. The hours started out primarily in the evenings from 4:30-9:30 p.m. but the General Contractor has discussed moving them to different times of day and will seek to avoid disrupting Mint special events.

Remember how we told you a few weeks ago to expect some screening to cloak the side of our building and be visible from our windows? Batson-Cook has figured out another solution to keep concrete from spilling on the building from the roof level, so no views from galleries or classrooms will be obscured by screening.

Headsup: Traffic on Church Street near Mint Museum Uptown will be disrupted by construction from 9 a.m. tomorrow (Friday) thorugh Sunday at 7 p.m., but this one’s not our project – they are closing the street to assemble a construction crane for the nearby 300 South Tryon Street development. Please plan to avoid Church on your way to visit us!

Check out new views from the roof below and on Facebook !

UPDATED July 16

View from the top.

Visibility alert:

Another highly visible aspect of the tower construction is about to start. General Contractor Batson Cook will install a protective screen on the side of the Mint Museum Uptown building facing Levine Avenue of the Arts, from the roof down to the newly constructed platform. It will not be visible through the Mint’s atrium windows, but visitors will be able to see it from the classrooms and the gallery windows on that side of the building. As concrete pumping begins, the purpose of the screening is to protect the side of the building from any spillage.

Next milestone:

Concrete pumping is still anticipated to begin July 22. Vibration monitors will be ready!

Safety tip:

Your favorite route to cross Church Street behind the Mint’s building may now be obstructed by the construction. BUT PLEASE DON’T JAYWALK! Please continue to use sidewalks and crosswalks for your own safety, because Church Street drivers have lots of potential distractions in the area!

Did you know? The new platform across Levine Avenue for the Arts is equipped with its own dry sprinkler system and lighting under the platform. Lights will remain on at night to help keep pedestrians safe.

New images:

Please visit the Mint’s Facebook page  for a new set of “views from the top.”

UPDATED July 10

Crane Installation:

We are pleased to announce that the initial crane erection is complete! The crane will be jumped twice during the remaining construction of the project as the height of the building continues to increase.

Platform Installation:

The Platform on Levine Avenue of the Arts is near completion. This platform will provide protection for the sidewalks around the project including direct access to the entry of Levant and Starbucks.

Concrete Pours:

The first concrete pour for the columns on level twelve and shear walls is complete. The first slab pour will begin on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company plans to pour approximately one floor of concrete per week.

NOISE:

What’s that noise you’re hearing? At this time, the drilling and other noise is mostly coming from the removal of blocks for access, installing temporary supports for the power lines, and setting plates for the staircase installation. As time goes on, this noise will minimize but then be replaced by the sound of concrete pumping. Pumping is anticipated to concentrate from approximately 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for four days each week.

As time goes on, the “activity noise” will get further away as the tower rises – but the concrete pumping itself will be occurring on the Levine Avenue platform.

ANY VIBRATIONS?

Vibration monitoring is ongoing throughout the museum to ensure the safety of visitors and works of art, and not once has the vibration reached the minimal monitoring threshold.

New images:

Please visit the Mint’s  Facebook page  for a new set of “views from the top.”

Improvements continue to revitalize the state’s first art museum

Mint Museum Randolph’s revitalization continues!

As the museum builds up to its 80th anniversary in 2016 (did you know the Mint was  North Carolina’s first art museum , and it still holds one of the the largest permanent collections in the Southeast?), improvements are continuing to bring a “refreshed” experience to our visitors! Among the recent changes:

• Installation of new energy-efficient LED lighting was completed in the spring with the support of the City of Charlotte.
• Planters on the terrace were refurbished with the help of the Charlotte Garden Club,  a Mint Museum affiliate .
• There’s a new floor in the Ivey Forum, home of the STAR (Student Art) Gallery and one of the spaces available for public special events rentals ;
• The Ivey also has improved hard-wired data ports and conference phone lines.
• Landscaping improvements are helping drivers have a better line of sight at the Randolph Road entrance.

This is just the beginning – check back here for more updates on improvements to YOUR community art museum!

From February 16, 2015:

From now through mid-April, visitors to Mint Museum Randolph will experience changes aimed at giving the museum a brighter future.

The Mint Museum is working with the City of Charlotte, which owns the property at Randolph, along with Duke Energy to replace aging light fixtures with new LED fixtures. The new fixtures are more energy-efficient, yet have a more historically appropriate design than the previous 30-year-old lighting in the parking lot and on the terrace in front of the museum. They will reduce the light usage from 360 watts to 165 watts per pole – saving approximately 18,000 kilowatt hours per year, or roughly the same amount of energy consumed by 45 full-sized refrigerators.

The lighting project will be visible to visitors due to the removal of approximately 16-18 trees, in consultation with the City Arborist. The tree removal will benefit the health of the remaining trees, as well as maximizing the efficiency of the new lighting. Temporary lighting will be used in front of the museum while new poles are installed.

The target completion date for the project is April 19 – in time for the museum to celebrate its “Rock & Royal Spring Gala” on April 25. For more information, see mintmuseum.org/gala.

11th annual Mint Museum Potters Market Invitational set for Saturday, September 12

Once again, collectors and pottery lovers will have access to the latest works by leaders in the rich tradition of North Carolina pottery when potters from across North Carolina and surrounding areas return to Mint Museum Randolph for the 11th annual Mint Museum Potters Market Invitational on Saturday, September 12, 2015.

Fifty outstanding North Carolina potters and one South Carolina potter have been invited to participate in this year’s event presented by the Delhom Service League, the ceramics affiliate of The Mint Museum, promoting ceramic arts and education. The addition of Jim Connell, professor of ceramics at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., to the lineup of potters broadens the regional focus while keeping the spotlight squarely on North Carolina pottery traditions. Other well-known participating potters include Donna Craven, Alex Matisse, Ben Owen III, and Eric Serritella. Every year, hundreds of pottery enthusiasts line up hours in advance of the opening to gain access to the day’s best treasures.

The potters will showcase and sell their creations including functional, decorative, and sculptural works – a veritable tour of the wide range of clay creations produced in North Carolina. Attendees have the opportunity to get to know the potters as well as their works. Additionally, there will be live pottery making demonstrations, talks about collecting ceramics and gardening in a pot, live music, and food to make for a fun-filled day.

“There is no other experience like the Potters Market Invitational!” said Janet Nelson, chair of this year’s event. “The 2015 PMI provides a feast for all the senses: wondrous objects to see and buy, music playing, stimulating lectures and demonstrations, cool conversations with the potters, and great food and drink.  Come join us this year and enjoy a magical day in Charlotte under the big tent at Mint Museum Randolph!”

The Delhom Service League is proud to honor collectors this year by naming Caroline Gray and Betty Holland as Honorary Chairs of the Potters Market Invitational. Longtime members of the Delhom Service League and avid collectors of North Carolina pottery, both Gray and Holland traveled extensively to see and learn the tradition of North Carolina pottery, making many potter friends along the way. As a way to share the excitement and tradition, they originated the idea for the first Potters Market for the Mint in 2005. Since that time, this important annual happening has grown, generating awareness and appreciation of pottery in our state.

The $10 admission fee includes access to the event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well as free admission to the Mint’s galleries. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Individual sponsorships of $100 include special parking, continental breakfast, and admission to the pre-sale at 9:15 a.m. For $150, sponsors can also attend the Meet the Potters Party on Friday, September 11 from 6:30-9 p.m. Sponsors will enjoy dinner, music, and an opportunity to mingle with the potters and other pottery enthusiasts. Funds raised by Potters Market help support ceramic acquisitions and ceramic education at the Mint.

As a special benefit for all attendees of Potters Market Invitational, attendees will also receive coupons valid for free special exhibition admission to   America the Beautiful: Works on Paper from The Mint Museum at Mint Museum Uptown on September 12 and 13.

Potters Market Invitational online admission begins August 1 at mintmuseum.org/happenings . Admission is also available at the door. For questions, please email delhomserviceleague@gmail.com, or for sponsor information, call 704.366.2504. Find Potters Market Invitational on Facebook.

On view for pottery enthusiasts at Mint Museum Randolph is North Carolina Pottery: Then and Now , an ongoing exhibition drawn from the best examples of N.C. pottery in the museum’s extensive collection. And, during PMI, installation will be underway for the Mint’s first new exhibition of historic British ceramics in nearly four decades. Portals to the Past: British Ceramics 1675-1825 will open at Mint Museum Randolph on November 21 and will be accompanied by a major scholarly publication which was generously funded by the Delhom Service League. Additionally, the Mint is at work installing a new comprehensive survey of contemporary British ceramics drawn from the collection of Diane and Marc Grainer, members of the Mint’s Founders’ Circle affiliate. See more information at mintmuseum.org/art .

Gary Blankemeyer is new Chief Financial Officer; Cynthia Moreno promoted to Director of Learning & Engagement

The Mint Museum has hired its first-ever Chief Financial Officer, and has promoted another staffer to become its new Director of Learning & Engagement. Gary Blankemeyer, who was most recently the Senior Vice President, Finance for the nonprofit Child Care Resources Inc., joins the Mint effective today, June 29, as the first person to hold the title of CFO. Cynthia Moreno, formerly Assistant Director of Lifelong Learning at the Mint for the past three years, is now Director of Learning & Engagement. She replaces Cheryl Palmer, who retired last year after more than 35 years leading the Mint’s educational programs.

“We are excited to welcome Gary on board as our museum’s first Chief Financial Officer, a role we have strengthened in recognition of our continued emphasis on growth and future sustainability,” said Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint. “His depth of experience will serve us well as we continue building a solid foundation to serve the community for many decades to come.”

Blankemeyer has over 20 years of accounting and finance experience. Prior to joining Child Care Resources, where he held responsibility for all financial activity, he spent 20 years at Bosch Rexroth Corp. in various senior financial and general management positions where he developed overall strategic, sales, and operational plans for various divisions of the manufacturing giant.

“The Mint Museum is such a significant member of our community, and is world-renowned in art and design. It truly is a great opportunity to be its CFO,” said Blankemeyer. “I am honored to join the Mint’s leadership and am really looking forward to this new, exciting chapter of my career.”

For the first time, the Mint worked with Charlotte-based executive search firm Search Solution Group to recruit and hire Blankemeyer. “Our contact Ashlyn Verot at Search Solution Group was a strong partner for this search process,” said Toni Freeman, the Mint’s Chief Operating Officer who led the CFO search. “The team used their extensive business network to identify and assess appropriate candidates for this position.” Added Blankemeyer: “I’m impressed with SSG’s growth, reputation in the community, and people.”

“The team at Search Solution Group is elated to work with a nonprofit organization as distinguished as The Mint Museum,” said Jeremy Gnozzo, founder and CEO. “It is a thrill to see everyone’s efforts result in the connection of a great candidate to a great institution. We look forward to growing our relationship with The Mint Museum, as well as their new CFO.”

New Learning & Engagement Director

Prior to joining the Mint in 2012, Moreno spent 18 years as Director of Education at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, which is Kentucky’s oldest and largest art museum. “During our years as co-workers, I had the pleasure of working with Cynthia on multiple exhibitions and gallery interpretation projects,” said Scott Erbes, chief curator for the Speed Museum. “Throughout, Cynthia and her team always found thoughtful, clever ways of engaging audiences of all ages. The Mint and its visitors will enjoy the energy and excitement Cynthia will bring to the galleries!”

Moreno’s promotion followed an extensive search process. “Cynthia emerged as the frontrunner among a strong pool of candidates. Her expertise, standing in the field, stakeholder engagement, and commitment to her team and the Mint will serve as a strong foundation for our next chapter,” said Jameson.

Other national leaders in the museum education field praised Moreno’s selection for the new role. “Cynthia will help raise the local, regional, and national profile of the Mint,” said Marianna Adams, president of Audience Focus, a museum visitor studies and research firm. Added Gwendolyn Kelly, who is part of the Leadership Louisville Connectors project: “The Mint and Charlotte families have received a gem of a gift in Cynthia Moreno.”

Moreno said she is looking forward to her new role. “I’m thrilled to lead the Mint’s Learning & Engagement team during this dynamic time in the museum’s development,” she said. “The Mint Museum is a truly amazing place. I’m excited have this rich opportunity to work with its world-class art collection, passionate volunteers, and team of creative colleagues.”

Exhibition presents a comprehensive look at American art, culture, and diversity

Paper is a delicate, yet enduring medium – ­­it can be destroyed in an instant, or with great care, can be preserved for centuries. Throughout history, this fragile medium has been a great repository for American works of art. The new exhibition America the Beautiful: Works on Paper from The Mint Museum has assembled an amazing breadth of works on paper, encompassing over 150 years of America’s illustrious history. Because works on paper are extremely light-sensitive and can only be on view for brief periods of time, the Mint is particularly excited to share with its visitors this exhibition of rarely seen works. The exhibition extends a rare and welcome chance to view works from some of America’s finest and most important artists.

America the Beautiful, on view July 2 through October 4 at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte, will feature nearly 200 works on paper, including various styles of prints, drawings, watercolors, pastels, and more. From quick on-site sketches and highly finished academic drawings to expressionistic portraits and abstracted landscapes, these works truly embody the extensiveness of the museum’s collection of American art. While some of the objects in the exhibition have recently been on view in the museum’s permanent collection galleries, many others have not been seen for several years, or have only just entered the collection.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to present this important part of our American collection in such a holistic manner,” said exhibition curator Dr. Jonathan Stuhlman. “I am certain that our visitors will enjoy exploring these diverse, engaging works of art as much as I did in the process of organizing the show. The range of media subject matter is so broad that there truly is something for everyone.”

America the Beautiful is a visual embodiment of one of America’s most prevailing qualities, its diversity. While all works of art are from the American art collection, many of the artists on display have far-reaching roots, such as Diego Rivera who is Latin American, Kurt Seligmann who is Swiss-American, and Clare Leighton, who is British-American. The exhibition also displays works by artists with local and regional connections, such as Elliot Daingerfield and Will Henry Stevens. America the Beautiful’s fusion of art and culture is reflected not just in the artists themselves, but in the diversity of their work. These works document the widespread changes that occurred in American art over the course of nearly 150 years. Highlights from the exhibition include numerous foreign scenes depicting subjects in France, Italy, England, and beyond.

The museum’s commitment to building its collection of works by African American artists is evident in the inclusion of such artists as Romare Bearden, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Hale Woodruff, Loïs Mailou Jones, and Elizabeth Catlett. Catlett’s work will not only be on view at the Mint this summer, but also at a neighboring museum in the Levine Center for the Arts, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, where Catlett’s life and work will be commemorated in an exhibition called Charlotte Collects Elizabeth Catlett: A Centennial Celebration on view July 18 through December 31. The Mint has loaned five of its Catlett prints to the Gantt’s exhibition.

As with prior special exhibitions at the Mint, visitors must pay special exhibition admission fees on top of general museum admission. Adults pay $24; college students and seniors $18; children 5-17 $6; children under 5 and museum members are FREE. During Wednesday evenings from 5-9 p.m. when general admission to the museum is free, special exhibition fees are $12 adults or $9 for college students and seniors, and admission is free to everyone under 18. (Special exhibition admission also includes the concurrent Mint-organized exhibition Body Embellishment, which remains on view through September 6.)

Special opening promotion for Charlotte Knights fans

The opening of America the Beautiful: Works on Paper from The Mint Museum coincides with another all-American pastime: Home games for the Charlotte Knights AAA baseball team at nearby BB&T Ballpark, just around the corner from Mint Museum Uptown. Fans headed to the July 2 and July 3 Knights games can show their game tickets at the Mint’s Guest Services desk to receive a $2 discount on special exhibition admission during the opening days, through Sunday July 5. And all museum visitors on July 2 and 3 can enter a drawing for two FREE sets of two tickets to the sold-out July 4 USA vs. Cuba game, which will be followed by the WBT Skyshow fireworks at BB&T Ballpark (note: The Mint Museum will be closed on July 4).

Other special exhibition programming includes:

• Taste of the Mint: America the Beautiful . Two small plate and beverage pairings complemented with a dessert at Halcyon, Flavors from the Earth restaurant and followed by an exhibition tour. 4-6 p.m. July 15; $40 or $30 for museum members. Registration available at mintmuseum.org/happenings.
• Sunday Fun Day: America the Beautiful . Family-friendly activities and hands-on art projects. $6 for adults and FREE for kids under 18. Special exhibition admission fees will be waived. 1-4 p.m. July 19.

This exhibition is organized by The Mint Museum, and WTVI is the exhibition media partner. All members of the media are invited to visit the exhibition during opening week and one-on-one interviews are available with Dr. Stuhlman. Email leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org or call 704.337.2009 to RSVP.

.Above image: Will Henry Stevens (American, 1881-1949). Untitled, 1944, pastel on paper. Gift of the Janet Stevens McDowell Trust. 2006.12.5. Collection of The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina. © Mint Museum of Art, Inc.

NEW DATE IS JUNE 25TH – We asked Charlotte their top 10 reasons for attending this year’s Party in the Park and you won’t believe what they came up with.

10. Its FREE – duh!

9. Attire is t-shirts, shorts, and flip flops. Cool and comfy is the name of the game.

And yes, you can have TWO popsicles if you want!

8. Family fun with music, food trucks, games, and a movie.

A dark and quiet movie theater is so BORING compared to this!

7. Due to inclement weather, the Mint had to reschedule this event twice in the

last month, so you need to come so we don’t cry.

6. Who doesn’t love The Sandlot?

5. George Clooney might be there – you never know.

4. You can bring your own picnic and blanket – plus,  once you sit down – you never

have to get up again. And bonus, no carpet cleaning if you spill your wine!

3. The park at the Mint is one of the most beautiful settings in Charlotte – furry friends are welcome too. 

2. Your presence will help support the Mint Museum Annual Fund.

1. No one likes a party pooper – so please come party with us! You’ll be glad you did. 

Oh, and this dancing kitty!

Artists to Perform/Present Live at 12th Annual Event Celebrating Hispanic Arts and Culture

ArtSí Charlotte, an arts initiative that supports and connects Latino artists in the Charlotte area, today announced the featured artists for its signature event Con A de Arte 2015. Artists featured this year include performers, visual artists, and writers who will present their works live at the Con A de Arte event taking place on Wednesday, June 10th at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street, uptown Charlotte, at 6:30 p.m.. The presentations will be followed by a reception that will give the public the opportunity to interact with the featured artists. Appetizers will be served. Cash bar available.

The featured artists were chosen by a group of professionals from institutions that include The Mint Museum, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, and Queens University of Charlotte. The artists to be featured at Con A de Arte 2015 are:

FEATURED ARTISTS:

• Luis Ardila – Visual Arts
• Carlos Cruz – Multidiscipline Performance
• Rocio González – Multidiscipline Performance
• Zaire Kacz – Visual Arts
• Ivan Toth Depeña – Visual Arts
• Al Torres – Visual Arts

As part of the Con A de Arte celebration the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will host a Literary Night at the Beatties Ford Road Regional Branch on Tuesday, June 9^th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Beatties Ford Road Library is located on 2412 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28216. Appetizers and soft drinks will be served.

The keynote speaker at both events is Mexican-American Photographer and Pulitzer Prize Winner Journalist José Galvez.

ABOUT JOSE GALVEZ

For over 40 years, José Galvez has used black and white film to create a powerful and unparalleled historical record of the Latino experience in America. His compelling work, done with respect, pride and no pretense, captures the beauty of daily life.

His photographs have been exhibited in museums and galleries here and abroad, including the Smithsonian. But more often, you’ll find him toting portable exhibits to schools, libraries, fiestas, low-rider shows, and rodeos.

Galvez moved on to the Los Angeles Times, becoming the first Mexican-American photographer on staff. In 1984, he was on a team of reporters and photographers that won a Pulitzer Prize for a series on Latino life in southern California: the first Chicanos to win the Prize. He left the Times in 1992 after winning many other awards for his photographs.

Galvez was an editor of and contributor to Americanos. He’s collaborated with writers such as Luis Alberto Urrea and Patricia Martin. His own stories illustrated with pictures he’s shot through the years is told in Shine Boy. His current work focuses on Latino communities of the American South, naturalization ceremonies, and documenting the many communities he visits every year.

ABOUT ARTSI:

ArtSí is a community initiative that advances the Latino arts and culture in the Charlotte region and that facilitates connections with the Charlotte arts community at large. ArtSí is run by volunteers, and it serves a membership base of over 200 individuals, from Latino artists to art supporters, and its work is backed by a group of well-known and respected local organizations that support its mission. Organizations supporting ArtSi include: the Mint Museum, Queens University of Charlotte, Levine Museum of the New South, McColl Center for Visual Art and Innovation, and the Latin American Contemporary Art Gallery (LaCa Projects).

ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG LIBRARY:

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library began more than a century ago as a treasured repository of knowledge. Although people have evolved to read, explore and acquire knowledge in many new ways since then, one important feature has endured: Their services remains free to all who come to its premises with a desire to research, learn and experience.

The Public Library serves hundreds of thousands of people while also responding to the needs of individual library visitors.

First-of-its-kind collaboration between Levine Center for the Arts institutions

From Qcitymetro.com:

Food. Drink. Entertainment. Put them all together then add the Levine Center for the Arts in uptown Charlotte and you’ve got “The Amazing Taste,” a first-of-its kind collaboration between the Gantt Center, Mint Museum Uptown, and Blumenthal’s Knight Theater.

Qcitymetro spoke with Leigh Dyer, the Mint’s director of public relations, to find out what all the hoopla is about. Here’s how it went. (Editor’s Note: Qcitymetro is a media sponsor of “The Amazing Taste.)

Q. What’s so special about this event?

Dyer: Who doesn’t like the idea of a “progressive dinner” that gives you the chance to visit three cultural attractions at once? It’s a chance for both foodies and arts lovers to enjoy a truly unique combination – a menu inspired in part by current cultural offerings at the Gantt Center, Mint Museum Uptown, and Blumenthal’s Knight Theater, as well as a chance to experience the art that inspired the menu. And, importantly, it’s a new phase of collaboration at the Levine Center for the Arts – the first time since the campus opened five years ago that multiple nonprofits have collaborated on a fundraiser event. Proceeds from this dinner will be split three ways among the participating institutions, so all the participants can have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping three nonprofits at the same time they’re having fun!

Q. What’s the idea behind it?

Dyer: Two years ago, Jill Marcus at Something Classic Catering approached the Mint with the idea of hosting a multiple-course dinner fundraiser tied to a food-themed exhibition the Mint had on view at the time, and it was a sellout. Last year, the Mint repeated the concept with a floral-themed menu and art exhibition pairing. This year, with the Levine Center for the Arts approaching its fifth anniversary, it seemed logical to expand the concept to include multiple institutions. The idea has strong support from the business community, notably Bank of America, which was one of the original supporters of the Levine Center for the Arts and is now a sponsor of this event. And “progressive dinners” are a hot trend in the restaurant and foodie community right now, so Jill was interested in experimenting with that.

Q. What’s on the food menu?

Dyer: At the Gantt Center, the appetizers have a lot of spice and are inspired by African cuisine – West African Chicken Shish Kebobs, Spicy Beef Meatballs with Peanut Sauce, Yam Pancakes, and more, all inspired by their exhibition “Venturing Out of the Heart of Darkness.” At the Mint, there will be two salad choices, and the menu takes another multicultural twist in celebration of the Mint’s “Body Embellishment” exhibition – Bang Bang Beef Short Ribs and Squid Ink Fettuccini with Peppadew Pesto and Seared Scallops are the entrée choices. At the Knight Theater, the dessert course is a celebration of performing arts capped off by “edible confetti.” We’ve also got wine from Shelton Vineyards, beer from two great local microbreweries – Birdsong Brewing Company and Lenny Boy Brewing – and some custom cocktails created by the mixologist at Halcyon, Flavors from the Earth restaurant. (You can see the full menu here: https://mintmuseumold.wpengine.com/happenings/779/the-amazing-taste-a-progressive-dinner-at-levine-center-for-the-arts)

Q. What about the entertainment menu?

Dyer: As I mentioned, participants will have the chance to tour two of the headlining exhibitions at the Gantt Center and the Mint. “Venturing Out of the Heart of Darkness” at the Gantt is an examination of the impact of colonialism on black culture in America. At the Mint, “Body Embellishment” explores 21st-century forms of body augmentation including tattoos, nail art, jewelry, and body-altering fashion. And at the Knight Theater, Sean Mason, prized local jazz pianist, will perform during the entire dessert course. We also have a surprise in store when it’s time to “lead the procession” from venue to venue – some very special local musicians will be playing a part in that. FYI – here’s a little more info about Sean: www.blumenthalartsblog.org/2014/10/14/winner-finalists-named-in-loonis-mcglohon-young-jazz-artists-competition

Q. Any tickets left?

Dyer: Yes, we have some tickets left – we know how Charlotteans sometimes wait until the last minute to buy tickets to things, so we’ve put a cushion in the headcount, but anyone who’s interested should hurry before they’re gone! (And a reminder: If you’re a member of any of the participating institutions, you qualify for a discount on the ticket price!)

Click here to learn more about “The Amazing Taste” from this WBTV News report!

And here’s more from Time Warner Cable’s News Channel 14.

And a dining note from Helen Schwab of The Charlotte Observer.

ABOVE IMAGE BY GEOFFREY SCOTT QUEEN: From left: Tara Spil of Blumenthal Performing Arts; Sharon Holm of the Gantt Center; Leigh Dyer of The Mint Museum

Kristen Watts appointed new director of exhibitions and design at SLAM

Kristen Watts has been appointed director of exhibitions and design at the Saint Louis Art Museum, where she will plan and supervise all aspects of the museum’s robust exhibition schedule. She starts at the museum in June.

“Kristen has a successful record of thinking creatively about exhibition and design administration from her work as curator, registrar and exhibition director, which positions her well in shaping exhibitions and publications at the Saint Louis Art Museum,” said Jason T. Busch, the museum’s deputy director for curatorial affairs and museum programs.

Watts currently is director of collections and exhibitions at The Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C., where she served as project manager of several noteworthy exhibitions and catalogues, including Connecting the World: The Panama Canal at 100, Artist in Residence: Sheila Hicks, Romare Bearden: Southern Recollections, and Double Solitaire: The Surreal Worlds of Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy. Watts also was project manager for the Mint’s 2010 expansion and development of its new 146,000-square-foot facility in uptown Charlotte.

Watts previously worked at the McKissick Museum in Columbia, S.C. and at Kilpin Hall, a 17th-century manor house in North Yorkshire, England. She received master’s degrees in applied history and library and information science from the University of South Carolina, and a bachelor’s degree in ancient cultures and civilizations from the College of Charleston.

Watts succeeds Linda Thomas, who retired in 2014 after managing the collections and exhibitions endeavors at the Saint Louis Art Museum for more than 13 years.

Event brings together Opera Carolina, The Mint Museum, and ArtSí

Opera Carolina, The Mint Museum, and ArtSí are joining forces to present “Arte * Poesía * Música,” a first-of-its kind collaboration featuring a bilingual fusion of visual art, poetry, and musical performance.

The public is invited to purchase tickets to the concert on May 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street. Tickets are $15 and are available at mintmuseum.org/happenings or by calling 704.337.2000. A reception with participating artists and performers featuring light food and beverages is included in the purchase price.

The event is supported by the Foundation for the Carolinas, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Latino Initiative of The Mint Museum, which is supported by The Hearst Foundations and the Duke Energy Foundation.

The event follows two years of “Art Poetry Music” (APM) concerts held by Opera Carolina to bring together Asian, Russian, and Western cultures, and to build community through the power of art. For the first time, this event focuses on bilingual and Latin American influences. APM features regional Latin-American artists performing classical and Latin music, enhanced by the creative talents of regional painters and poets. Opera Carolina artists sing music from famous Zarzuela (Spanish folk-opera) with music by David Solis Olson, Aris Quiroga, Reinaldo Brahn, Rhythm Plus Group and many more.

“This event is a statement of the power of music to bring people from all walks of life together,” said James Meena, general director & principal conductor of Opera Carolina. “This concert will be another powerful way to introduce newcomers to two of our shining cultural institutions: The Mint Museum and Opera Carolina. APM is our way of saying ‘welcome, come join us in celebrating art and community.”

“This first-time collaboration with Opera Carolina and ArtSí Charlotte aligns perfectly with the Latino Initiative at the Mint by showcasing the talents of local Latino artists – musicians, poets and visual artists – and their culture, and at the same time bring a first-class concert for both the Latino community and the community at large to enjoy,” said Claudia Soria, Latino Community Education Liaison for the Mint, and ArtSí director.

“ArtSí is honored to work with Opera Carolina on the concert highlighting Latin American and Latino artistic production and local Latino talent. We appreciate the support and look forward to future collaborations,” said Dr. Michele Shaul, chair of the ArtSí board and Professor, Art Department of World Languages, as well as Director, Center for Latino Studies at Queens University of Charlotte.

For more information about the event, see mintmuseum.org or operacarolina.org.

ABOUT OPERA CAROLINA

Founded in 1948 by the Charlotte Music Club as a small group of volunteers, today Opera Carolina is the largest professional opera company in the Carolinas with an operating budget of more than $3 million for the fiscal year 2015. The mission of Opera Carolina is to inspire the region’s diverse community through the presentation of Opera, Operetta, and Education & Outreach programs that elevate the quality of life in the Carolinas. Opera Carolina is a community resource with a commitment to artistic excellence and community service.

ABOUT ARTSI:

ArtSí is a community initiative that advances the Latino arts and culture in the Charlotte region and that facilitates connections with the Charlotte arts community at large. ArtSí is run by volunteers, and it serves a membership base of over 200 individuals, from Latino artists to art supporters, and its work is backed by a group of well-known and respected local organizations that support its mission. Organizations supporting ArtSi include: the Mint Museum, Queens University of Charlotte, Levine Museum of the New South, McColl Center for Visual Art and Innovation, and the Latin American Contemporary Art Gallery (LaCa Projects).

Mint-organized show explores fashion, jewelry, nail art, and tattoos

Tattoos, nail art, jewelry, and fashion – the newest Mint Museum-organized exhibition, Body Embellishment, explores the most innovative artistic expression in the 21st-century international arenas of body extension, augmentation, and modification. The exhibition will be on view from April 11 through September 6, 2015 at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte.

The human impulse to ornament the body is an ancient desire that crosses cultures. Seeking to modify the natural skin and shape of the body, people have created imaginative ways to expand and distort, and add color, pattern, and narrative. Focused on twenty-first century innovators, this exhibition provides a glimpse at inventive designers from around the world who explore the role of the body and its embellishment.

“What makes Body Embellishment such a fascinating exhibition is its exploration of radical ways artists are redesigning our bodies to reflect 21st century life,” said Annie Carlano, the Mint’s senior curator of Craft, Design, & Fashion. “Through interventions with skin, nail extensions, wearable sculpture, and redefined body shapes, designers from throughout the globe are expressing emotional and intellectual responses to the everyday, individual and group identity, and ever-shifting concepts of beauty. Groundbreaking research introduces audiences to work by emerging artists that has never been seen in this country, alongside works by international superstars such as Filip Leu, Carlos Rolon (aka Dzine),  Lauren Kalman, and threeASFOUR.”

Tattoo is one of the trendiest methods of skin decoration today, yet is millennia old. Originally associated with indigenous groups, this radical method of body intervention has become an exalted art form. Nail art — the adornment and extension of fingertips — has evolved dramatically from its ancient origins, and today, nail art is a burgeoning means of aesthetic expression. Studio jewelry explores avant-garde wearable art which utilizes the body as an armature for creative expressions. The body embellished through fashion is examined in an installation by the international design collective threeASFOUR, who have created fashions for Bjork, Lady Gaga, and others. Incorporated into a virtual catwalk environment, their recent fashion creations distort parts of the human silhouette and extend humanitarian content.

The exhibition includes approximately 100 objects by artists and designers, also including Naomi Yasuda (whose work has appeared on the nails of Madonna , among others), Stephanie Tamez, Mi-Ah Rödiger, and Nora Fok. It is accompanied by a dynamic interactive digital exhibition catalogue authored by Mint curators, which will be available in the gallery and via mintmuseum.org.

The Mint Museum of Craft + Design Board of Directors is lead sponsor of Body Embellishment through their Adopt-A-Design program; major support has also been provided by Mint affiliate The Founders’ Circle Ltd. and US Bancorp. The exhibition media partner is WFAE 90.7fm.

Admission and programming

The exhibition will be accompanied by a full slate of educational programming, and several of its artists will visit during the exhibition’s run. Special exhibition admission requires additional fees on top of general museum admission. The cost is $24 for non-member adults; $18 for college students/seniors; $6 for children 5-17; and free for kids under 5. Discounted admission is available on Wednesday evenings and at select special programs. Unlimited admission is always FREE to Mint Museum members. Special programming details are available at mintmuseum.org/happenings (all events at Mint Museum UPTOWN unless otherwise noted). Events include:

• A VIP preview party which is open to the public on April 9 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 apiece, or $50 for museum members ($25 for members of the museum’s leadership giving circle, the Crown Society).

• A CAD (Contemporary Architecture + Design) lecture by fashion design group threeASFOUR (Gabi Asfour, Angela Donhauser, and Adi Gil) at 3 p.m. on Sunday April 12. Admission is $12 or $5 for Mint members, free to teens and college students with ID.
• Taste of the Mint: Small plate and beverage pairings at Halcyon, Flavors from the Earth and E2 Emeril’s Eatery restaurants, followed by a guided gallery tour, at 4 p.m. on April 15. Tickets are $50 or $35 for Mint members.
• Body Embellishment, Body Adornment: Fashion Accessories and Trends: This FREE public talk features local fashion consultants and fashionistas discussing fashion trends. April 15 at 6:30 p.m.
• Art Fusion: Embellish: This FREE public event features hands-on activities and gallery tours and one-night-only FREE admission to both Body Embellishment and the Mint’s companion exhibition, Halston and Warhol: Silver and Suede. April 22 from 6-9 p.m.
• A CAD lecture by Carlos Rolon (aka Dzine), an installation artist and nail art historian, on May 6 at 6 p.m. Admission is $12 or $5 for Mint members, free to teens and college students with ID. (Please note: The previously scheduled CAD lecture by Mikyoung Kim, which was cancelled in February due to inclement weather, has been rescheduled for Thursday April 16 at 6 p.m. Kim is an architect and designer working on art to be installed at the UNC Charlotte station of the CATS Blue Line light rail extension).
• The exhibition will be featured at the unprecedented new event The Amazing Taste: A Progressive Dinner at Levine Center for the Arts on May 18 at 5:30 p.m. This fundraiser features appetizers and gallery tours at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, entrees and Body Embellishment gallery tours at Mint Museum Uptown, and dessert, coffee, and performance at Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Knight Theater. Tickets are $120, with discounts for members of the three participating institutions.
• A master artist workshop with jewelry designer Nora Fok, June 17 from 6-9 p.m. Cost is $100 or $75 for Mint members.
• Member-only preview hours in April, gallery spotlight tours on select dates in April-June (free after exhibition admission), and FREE design labs and roundtables for teens ages 14-18 with threeASFOUR, Dzine, and Nora Fok in April, May, and June. Teens must register for the Mint’s new NexGen Mint initiative at mintmuseum.org/visit/nexgenmint.

MEDIA PREVIEW 

Members of the media may preview the exhibition at 10 a.m. on April 9. Light refreshments will be served, and gallery tours and interviews with curators are available. Media photography is permitted and high-resolution images are available upon request. RSVP to leighdyer@mintmuseum.org or meredith.connelly@mintmuseum.org or call 704.337.2018.

Above image: Joji Kojima (American and Japanese, 1987-). Raspberry mask from Hotel Gluttony Collection, 2011, resin, brass, crystals, leather. Collection of the artist. © Joji Kojima.

NexGen Mint invites students to engage with art and design both online and in galleries

Calling the next generation of museum-goers: Teens are invited to engage with art and design at The Mint Museum in a wide range of new ways with the help of a recently launched initiative, NexGen Mint.

Teens’ lives are centered around home and school – and now, the NexGen Mint’s vision is to offer them a nurturing, creative “third place.” It’s a creative community to exchange ideas, have fun, interact, and learn from artist role models and peers.

Thanks to major grants from the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and Wells Fargo and additional support from IBM and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Arts & Science Council, the Mint is rolling out a series of new offerings for students ages 14-18, including:

–A free membership offering teens the opportunity to make unlimited visits to the museum with a guest;

–Exclusive opportunities for teens to interact and foster their creativity with internationally known artists and designers who visit the museum;

–New forms of online interaction via a new website with curated, teen-focused content and dialogue scheduled to launch this spring; and

–Scholarships for 30 teens to attend a free week-long summer art camp.

Following a series of teen focus groups during 2014, public events kicked off with a teen round table with contemporary artist Mel Chin at Mint Museum Uptown in February. Chin, a former Artist-in-Residence at McColl Center for Art + Innovation, introduced the participating teens to his installation SEA to SEE, which he created to analyze human environmental impact on the world’s oceans in conjunction with a recent Mint exhibition examining the centennial of the Panama Canal. And on March 21-22, teens met at Mint Museum Randolph with contemporary Pueblo artist Rose “Bean” Simpson of Santa Fe, New Mexico, for a hands-on roundtable and workshop. Future NexGen events include:

–An April design lab and talks with fashion designers threeASFOUR, whose body-altering creations are a major feature in the Mint’s upcoming Body Embellishment exhibition, which will be on view from April 11 through September 6 at Mint Museum Uptown.

–A May design lab and talks with Dzine (aka Carlos Rolon), an installation artist and painter and author of a photographic history of nail art. His visit is also in conjunction with the Body Embellishment exhibition.

–A June design lab and talks with modern jewelry designer Nora Fok, also featured in Body Embellishment.

Participants can register NOW to receive the free NexGen Mint museum membership and begin receiving invitations to upcoming events. More information is available at mintmuseum.org/visit/nexgenmint.

Art History Symposium is March 22 at Mint Museum Randolph

A longstanding Mint Museum event is celebrating twenty-five years of scholarship. The Mint Museum’s 25^th Annual Regional Collegiate Art History Symposium happens Sunday, March 22, from 1-4 p.m. at Mint Museum RANDOLPH, 2730 Randolph Road. Admission is free, and a light reception follows the event.

The mission of the symposium has been to showcase undergraduate research in art history while providing students a unique opportunity to present their research in a professional environment and gain valuable academic experience. “UNC Greensboro Mint Museum presenters have published their findings in Explorations, the Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities for the State of North Carolina and many of our representatives have gone on to pursue Masters Degrees and Ph.D.s in Art History,” says Dr. Elizabeth Perrill, a professor at UNC Greensboro.

In addition to providing a valuable platform for students studying art history, the symposium increases research and knowledge of the Mint’s permanent collections. The students’ research papers are archived in the J.A. Jones Reference Library at Mint Museum Randolph.

“Since 1990, the Mint Museum’s Regional Art History Symposium has provided a dynamic forum for young art historians to share their passion for art and their art history scholarship.  We salute the 100 college scholars who have presented their research to the community. We also would like to acknowledge the museum’s ongoing partnership with local art history departments and their faculty for their efforts to make the symposium a continued success,” said Cynthia Moreno, the Mint’s assistant director of lifelong learning.

This year, the museum celebrates the 25^th year of this innovative and integral part of the museum’s educational mission, we are thrilled and look forward to many more years of this enriching program.

Over the years the symposium has featured over ten different higher education institutions from the regional area and well over one-hundred students; this year’s presenters include:

Kristine Guhne | University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Junior

Grete Marks: Transcending Circumstances through Clay

Cathryn Smith | Winthrop University, Senior

Ritual Significance of the Human Body in Pre- and Post-Colonial Central American Art

Mills Brown | Wofford College, Senior

Elemental South: a TJC exhibition

Lauren Glazer | Queens University of Charlotte, Senior

Vik Muniz and the Found Object: The Path to Visual Literacy 

Exhibition unites the legendary fashion designer and Pop artist

Liza. Jackie. Liz. Between the 1960s and 1980s, these glamorous celebrities needed only one name to conjure images in the minds of those who heard them. Two of the men who helped make those women’s names so evocative are also one-word phenomena themselves: Warhol and Halston. They are the subjects of a new exhibition at The Mint Museum that will transport visitors back to the heady, freewheeling days of the New York art and fashion worlds of the 1980s.

Halston and Warhol: Silver and Suede, on view from March 7 through June 14 at Mint Museum Uptown, examines the interconnected lives and creative practices of these two American icons who had a profound impact on 20^th century art and fashion. The exhibition has been organized by The Andy Warhol Museum, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, and was co-curated by Halston’s niece, Lesley Frowick. It is presented with the cooperation of Halston Heritage, one of the major lenders to the exhibition.

Locally, the exhibition is presented through the generous support of PNC Financial Services, Electrolux, Moore & Van Allen, the Mint Museum Auxiliary, and the Young Affiliates of the Mint. The exhibition media partner is The Charlotte Observer.

“We are so pleased that such a broad cross-section of our corporate and affiliate partners have brought their support to this exhibition so it can visit Charlotte audiences as part of its national tour,” said Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint.

The exhibition integrates Halston’s garments, including dresses, hats, and other accessories, along with Warhol’s photography, videos, and paintings. It includes approximately 40 of Halston’s creations including an iconic pillbox hat designed for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1961, and his signature Ultrasuede shirtdress, juxtaposed with Warhol’s works. It also features archival material and ephemera from the archives of The Warhol and the personal collection of Lesley Frowick.

“Halston was by far and away one of Andy Warhol’s dearest friends. Is fashion sense was impeccable and his designs quite literally defined an age of American glamour,” said Eric Shiner, director of The Warhol.

“This exhibition is an endearing insider’s homage to friendship, Pop art, and fashion. My uncle left an indelible mark on fashion history and gave me the best seat in the house to watch the show,” added Lesley Frowick.

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, available in the Mint Museum Shops for $50. Additionally it will be accompanied by a full slate of educational programming. Special exhibition admission requires additional fees on top of general museum admission. The cost is $24 for non-member adults; $18 for college students/seniors; $6 for children 5-17; and free for kids under 5. Discounted admission is available on Wednesday evenings and at select special programs. Unlimited admission is always FREE to Mint Museum members. Special programming includes:

• Lecture: A Personal Journey – Lesley Frowick. Halston’s niece and the co-curator of the exhibition will share recollections and sign copies of her book. 3 p.m. March 8; event included with exhibition admission.
• Taste of the Mint: Halston and Warhol. Small plate and beverage pairings at Halcyon, Flavors from the Earth and E2 emeril’s eatery followed by an exhibition tour. 4 p.m. March 11 OR May 20; $50 or $35 for museum members.
• Sunday Fun Day: Halston and Warhol. Family-friendly activities and special exhibition admission $6 for adults and FREE for kids under 18. 1-4 p.m. March 15.
• Taste of the Knights: Small plate and beverage pairings at the Charlotte Knights’ BB&T Ballpark, followed by a short walk to the museum for a Halston and Warhol exhibition tour. $55 or $45 for museum members. March 18, 5:30 p.m.
• Educator Open House: Exhibition tour included, free for K-12 educators. March 18, 6-8 p.m.
• Art Fusion: Fab Fashion: FREE special exhibition admission included in this special program, March 18, 6-9 p.m.

More information and registration for these and other programs is available at mintmuseum.org/happenings or by calling 704.337.2000.

MEDIA INVITATION: Members of the media are invited to preview the exhibition at 10 a.m. on Thursday March 5. Light refreshments will be served. Lesley Frowick and museum staff will be available for interviews. Limited gallery photography will be permitted; due to copyright and conservation restrictions, some pieces will be unavailable for photography. High-resolution images are also available upon request. RSVP to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The Mint Museum will preview its next exhibition, Body Embellishment, for members of the media at 10 a.m. on Thursday April 9 at Mint Museum Uptown. Organized by The Mint Museum, this exhibition explores 21^st century forms of body embellishment including fashion, jewelry, tattoos, and nail art. More information and images from this innovative show are available upon request to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

ABOUT PNC

This exhibition is supported by PNC and The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (www.pnc.com). PNC is one of the nation’s largest diversified financial services organizations providing retail and business banking; residential mortgage banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management; and asset management. Follow @PNCNews on Twitter for breaking news, updates and announcements from PNC.

Speakers headline museum’s Contemporary Architecture + Design (CAD) Series

The Mint Museum is announcing an exciting lineup of speakers for its 2015 CAD (Contemporary Architecture + Design) lecture series, now entering its fourth year.

The series, aimed at exploring innovative perspectives and insightful stories on architecture and design, brings four speaker events to the community this winter and spring: Wendell Castle, known as the Picasso of the studio furniture design movement; Mikyoung Kim, who is currently designing a work of art for the Charlotte Area Transit System’s (CATS) Blue Line Extension; avant-garde fashion design team threeASFOUR; and installation artist, painter, and nail designer Dzine (aka Carlos Rolon).

Except where noted, event admission is $12; $5 for Mint Museum members (with included admission to select special museum exhibitions); or free to teens and college students with student ID. The events occur at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street. Tickets and more details are available at mintmuseum.org/happenings.

Wendell Castle, Furniture Designer

Thursday, January 15, 6 – 8 p.m.

$5 Mint members, $12 non-members*

FREE to teens and college students with ID

Light reception provided

Wendell Castle helped establish the art furniture movement in the 1960s and remains one of its most creative and iconic designers. Castle has influenced generations of furniture makers. He is renowned for his innovative techniques creating sculptural, biomorphic furniture.

wendellcastle.com

* Includes pre-program admission to the Beyond Craft exhibition

Mikyoung Kim, Architect and Public Artist

NOTE: Due to inclement weather, this event was rescheduled to April 16 at 6 p.m.

FREE event, co-sponsored by Charlotte Area Transit System

Light reception provided

Mikyoung Kim is an internationally renowned landscape architect and artist whose work focuses on merging sculptural vision with the urban landscape. Mikyoung Kim Design is currently designing art to be integrated at the UNC Charlotte station of the new CATS Blue Line Extension, scheduled to open in 2017. She has received awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Institute of Architects. Her work is also featured in Architectural Record, the New York Times, and Dwell Magazine.

myk-d.com

threeASFOUR, Fashion Designers

Sunday, April 12, 3 – 5 p.m.

$5 Mint members, $12 non-members*

FREE to teens and college students with ID

Light reception with cash bar

threeASFOUR is an avant garde group of three designers: Gabi Asfour, Angela Donhauser, and Adi Gil. Major museums acquiring designs for their collections include the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Costume Institute, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Additionally, their works have been featured in the Cooper-Hewitt Museum and Musee de la Mode et du Costume Galliera in Paris.

threeasfour.com

* Includes pre-program admission to the exhibition Body Embellishment

Dzine (aka Carlos Rolon), Installation Artist and Painter

Wednesday, May 6, 6 – 8 p.m.

$5 Mint Members, $12 non-members*

FREE to teens and college students with ID

Light reception with cash bar

Carlos Rolon, known as Dzine, creates ornate works of art and installations that combine contemporary art strategies with the “Kustom Kulture” and exuberant visuality of his Puerto Rican upbringing in Chicago. Formally trained as a painter, Rolon is the author of “Nailed,” a photographic history of nail art from the ancient Egyptians to contemporary fashion. Rolon’s work has been exhibited in prominent venues as diverse as Miami’s Bass Museum of Art and the 2007 Venice Biennale.

dzinestudio.com

* Includes pre-program admission to the exhibition Body Embellishment

Mint prepares to launch expansion of its digitization project

The Mint Museum is preparing to launch an expansion of a project to digitize its art collection, thanks to a $100,000 grant from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The Mint was among 13 Charlotte arts organizations receiving $1 million in grants announced at a celebration Friday evening at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, site of the Knight-supported work of art SEA to SEE. The interactive installation was created by North Carolina artist Mel Chin, a former Artist-in-Residence at McColl Center for Art + Innovation. The work, which suggests the experience of walking between two oceans with two large glass hemispheres and video and sound components, is part of the Mint-organized exhibition Connecting the World: The Panama Canal at 100. The exhibition, commemorating the centennial of the Canal’s completion in 1914, will remain on view through February 1.

The new phase of the Knight grant will launch at the Mint following the closing of Panama Canal at 100. Building on previous grants received from the Knight and from the National Endowment for the Arts, the museum’s expanded digitization project will create virtual tours of the museum and its collections and special exhibitions, plus interviews with curators and artists. The project will enable local and global residents to virtually visit the museum through tools including Google Photosphere Imaging, which enables viewers to see detailed 3-D panoramas, and RTI Imaging, a photographic method allowing the interactive re-lighting of an object from any direction. The digitization work will focus in particular on 100 key works of art in the museum’s collection, including the signature works Threshold by Danny Lane and Mega Footprint Near the Hutch (May I Have this Dance?) by Sheila Hicks.

“The Mint is grateful to the Knight Foundation for its significant support of our efforts to continue to bring art to as many members of our global community as possible, both virtually and inside the museum’s walls,” said Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, president & CEO of the Mint.

“Arts organizations are increasingly meeting their audiences where they are and often that’s online,” added Dennis Scholl, vice president of arts for Knight Foundation. “The Mint’s efforts have already engaged visitors with the high-quality programmatic video they have created. We look forward to more as they work to not just bring more eyes to the collection but enhance visitors’ experiences by providing engaging content.”

Above image from Mint Museum Uptown: Nancy Pierce Photo

Mint prepares to launch expansion of its digitization project

Mint will offer free admission to hotel guests as part of UNLOCK ART™ program

The Mint Museum has partnered with uptown Charlotte’s newest hotel, Le Méridien Charlotte, to offer free general admission to its guests as part of the company’s UNLOCK ART™ program.

Le Méridien Charlotte, which celebrated its opening at a ribbon cutting event Thursday morning, announced the partnership at a gathering that included representatives from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Arts & Science Council and Visit Charlotte, the tourism arm of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. The partnership is in recognition of the Mint’s growing importance as a tourism amenity for the Charlotte market. Hotel guests may gain free general admission at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts by presenting their artist-designed key card, a card that opens the door to more than just the guest room.  The hotel is just a few blocks’ walk from the recently renovated hotel property at the corner of McDowell and Stonewall Streets.

“Internationally, Le Méridien has a focus on the arts and attracts a clientele who enjoy visiting art museums. For us, the partnership made sense as a way of luring more travelers looking for something to do in their spare time and introducing them to some of what Charlotte has to offer,” said Leigh Dyer, Director of Public Relations and Publications for the Mint.

For more information about the partnership, visit lemeridiencharlotte.com/mint-museum-uptown.

About Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts

Le Méridien, the Paris-born hotel brand currently represented by nearly 100 properties in more than 35 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) in November 2005.  With more than 80 of its properties located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Le Méridien provided a strong international complement to Starwood’s then primarily North American holdings at the time of purchase. Since then, Le Méridien has gone through a brand re-launch, which included a large scale hotels product consolidation and redefined brand strategy. Through creation of the LM100 artist community, Le Méridien has transformed numerous guest touch points, thus bringing unique, interactive and curated experiences to its guests. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le Méridien Hotels and Resorts within the next five years, concentrating on markets in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Le Méridien recently opened new hotels in Charlotte (North Carolina, USA), Tampa (Florida, USA), Chicago, Cairo, Bali, Atlanta, Dallas, Istanbul, Oran (Algeria), Zhengzhou (China), Arlington (Virginia, USA) and Santa Monica, (California, USA), and will open in the next 12 months in Bangkok, New Orleans, Mahabaleshwar (India), Gandhinagar (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Indianapolis (Indiana, USA). For more information, please visit leMéridien.com or facebook.com/leMéridien. Follow @LeMéridien Hotels on Instagram and Twitter.

Slate of programs for the internationally acclaimed exhibition continues during its final month on view

The Mint Museum is convening a round table discussion of political and economic leaders to explore Charlotte’s growing role as an inland port as a complement to its internationally acclaimed exhibition Connecting the World: The Panama Canal at 100.

The FREE public event at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14 is one of several in the coming weeks as the Mint-organized exhibition nears the end of its run. Between now and the close of the exhibition on February 1, Mint Museum Uptown will also host musical performances, a film screening, gallery talks, and a public appearance by contemporary artist Mel Chin, who created an original commissioned installation in conjunction with the exhibition.

The round table discussion, entitled “Connecting Charlotte to the World,” will explore the ongoing importance of the Panama Canal and how its current expansion will impact the economy of the Charlotte region, especially considering the implementation of an intermodal facility at the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. A reception begins at 6 p.m. on Jan. 14 and the discussion begins at 7 p.m. Panelists include:

•           Astrid Chirinos, Chief Development Executive at the Latin American Economic Development Corporation

•           Jack Christine, Deputy Aviation Director at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport

•           Wayne Cooper, Honorary Consul of Mexico and Chairman of the N.C. District Export Council

•           Paul J. Cozza, CEO of the North Carolina State Ports Authority

•           John Paul Galles, Publisher of Greater Charlotte Biz

•           Michael Gallis, Michael Gallis & Associates

•           Jennifer Roberts, former commissioner and former Chair of the Mecklenburg County Commission

•           Dan Roselli, Co-founder of Packard Place (Moderator)

•           Chase Saunders, Special Counsel McNair Attorneys

•           Dr. Jonathan Stuhlman, the Mint’s Senior Curator of American, Modern, and Contemporary Art

“This is a great opportunity to hear about the economic development future of our community,” said panel moderator Dan Roselli, co-founder of Packard Place.

A gallery tour will follow the discussion. “One of the most fascinating aspects of this exhibition has been the way in which its broad and timely subject of global interconnectivity has enabled the museum to interact with many new segments of Charlotte’s business community.  Projects like Panama Canal at 100 demonstrate that art can be a central part of discussions about the region’s position in an increasingly interconnected world,” said Stuhlman.

The exhibition, organized to celebrate the centennial of the Canal’s opening in 1914, brings together for the first time the work of three American artists who traveled to Panama to paint and draw the Canal’s construction. It also contains a variety of historical materials exploring the broader public perception of the Canal and its impact, along with two new original works commissioned by the Mint. Contemporary artist Mel Chin, a North Carolina resident and former Artist-in-Residence at McColl Center for Art + Innovation, created the installation SEA to SEE which explores the environmental impacts of the Canal. Its commission was supported by a generous grant from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. And the Mint commissioned New York Times best-selling author Anthony Doerr, recently a National Book Award finalist for his novel “All the Light We Cannot See,” to craft an original short story for the catalogue accompanying the exhibition. The bilingual exhibition, with gallery texts in both English and Spanish, has been visited by both the U.S. Ambassador to Panama and the Panamanian Ambassador to the United States, and has been covered widely by both English and Spanish-language media, including the major daily newspapers in Panama.

Additional upcoming public programs scheduled at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street, include:

“Travels through Latin America with Music,” January 18, 3-4 p.m. Inspired by the exhibition, local musician Ana Lucia Divins embarks on a journey through classic and contemporary Latin American music. Free for museum members or after museum admission.

“Movie and a Mint – The Roosevelts: An Intimate History,” January 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m. A gallery tour at 6:30 p.m. will include Edward Laning’s painting “T.R. in Panama,” depicting President Teddy Roosevelt’s historic visit to the Canal, followed by a screening of excerpts of the acclaimed Ken Burns PBS documentary on the Roosevelts. Free museum admission; special exhibition admission fee required for gallery tour.

“A Conversation with Artist Mel Chin,” February 1 at 3 p.m. As part of a last look on the exhibition’s final day, Chin leads a conversation on his vision behind his installation SEA to SEE.

More information on these and other events is available at mintmuseum.org/happenings.

Above image: Alson Skinner Clark (American, 1876-1949). In the Lock, Miraflores, 1913, oil on canvas. Private Collection, Princeton, New Jersey. L2010.40

Work by artist Barbara Pennington depicts key events of the Civil Rights Movement

Mint has also recently opened two other spotlight exhibitions with Charlotte connections

At 35 years on staff, Palmer is an industry leader and the Mint’s longest-serving employee

Famed author and designer headlines Fall EnrichMINT Forum

2nd annual Fall Ball, Inaugural flag football game, and Oyster Roast at Mint Museum Randolph

Public is invited to register for free event, “The Arts in Global Africa”

Annual party raises funds for highly anticipated Halston and Warhol exhibition

Claudia Soria joins staff as new Latino Community Education Liaison

Short story by Anthony Doerr and original commission by renowned artist Mel Chin to be part of exhibition, opening November 1 at Mint Museum Uptown

Book signing scheduled for September 17 at Mint Museum Randolph

Works of art completed by healed hand patients of OrthoCarolina

Chandra Johnson’s SOCO Gallery organizes pop-up photography show in museum’s Level 5 expansion space

Leatrice S. and Melvin B. Eagle, leading collectors of decorative arts and founding members of the Mint’s The Founders’ Circle, assembled renowned collection over 53 years

Mint Museum’s Senior Curator of Craft + Design and Fashion will be participating as one of three judges in this year’s Smithsonian Craft Show

Jens Praet’s “Shredded Side Table” premiered at Design Days Dubai

NBA team also privately unveiled the uniforms to three star players inside the Mint this week

Museums offer half-price adult admission, free admission for kids under 18, and Mint waives special exhibition fees

10th annual Mint Museum Potters Market Invitational set for Saturday, September 6

Events scheduled for April 23 and 26

Mint teams with LaCa Projects, McColl Center

Delhom Gallery at Mint Museum Randolph to remain closed until May 2 for curatorial research

Popular event will feature free food and beverage, live entertainment, lawn games, a silent auction, and a viewing of “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” at Mint Museum Randolph

Hoss Haley’s “White Ripple” was created in the North Carolina mountains

Charlotte is the first stop on the national tour presented by PNC Financial Services

Allure of Flowers: Botanical Motifs in Craft, Design, & Fashion

Jonathan Stuhlman, Amber Smith to assume new titles, following recent hire of new Chief Designer Steven Plaxco

Bank of America executive helped launch museum’s Collections Initiative

Tourism agency names the Mint Charlotte’s best attraction

Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the opening of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design

2014 marks a new beginning for The Mint Museum as we continue to address the growing needs of the community we serve.

Bearing Witness: The New York Photo League and Sonia Handelman Meyer to open November 23 at Mint Museum Randolph

The New York Photo League was established in 1936, and centered on the exploration of the power of photography to effect social change and capture the lives of ordinary people as they had never before been depicted. And now, the work of this era – focusing in particular on the remarkable photography of Sonia Handelman Meyer of Charlotte – will soon go on view in a special exhibition at Mint Museum Randolph. Bearing Witness: The New York Photo League and Sonia Handelman Meyer, comprising approximately 100 photographs from Photo League members, will be on view November 23, 2013 through June 29, 2014.

“Although Sonia’s work and the work of others at the Photo League were created in response to the struggles of this very specific time period, these photographers were dealing with many of the same issues that we still grapple with—poverty, social inequalities, crime, unemployment—and so this work remains incredibly relevant to our lives today,” said Amber Smith, who curated the exhibition for the Mint and is writing a catalogue to accompany the exhibition which will be published this spring.

The idea for the exhibition began last year when the Mint received a gift of three vintage 1947 prints by Meyer. The Mint’s collection includes nearly 100 other photographs by Photo League members, so building an exhibition around this trove, with a particular spotlight on Meyer’s work, strategically leveraged a core strength of the museum. Hodges Taylor Art Consultancy devoted a solo show to Meyer’s work in 2007, but this is the first major museum exhibition to focus on Meyer.

Born in Lakewood, New Jersey in 1920, Meyer spent most of her life in New York City. She was introduced to the Photo League in 1943 and remained a member until its closure in 1951. The photographs presented in this exhibition underscore Meyer’s concern with social justice and her humanist approach to documenting her subjects, including her work with the Sydenham Hospital, the first integrated hospital in the country; the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society; her extensive documentation of life in Harlem and Spanish Harlem; and her moving, dignified portraits of children.

“I was discovering New York City and its people in a way that was new, and wonderful, with my camera. I began to see what the [Great] Depression meant in the lives of people in the city. I began to appreciate and love the people and places I was photographing. I realized that understanding them might also bring about changes for the better,” said Meyer. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity to show Photo League work along with my own photographs to Charlotte.”

Other photographers from the Photo League featured in the exhibition include Berenice Abbott, Margaret Bourke-White, Vivian Cherry, Morris Engel, Lewis Hine, Sid Grossman, Rosalie Gwathmey, N. Jay Jaffee, Arthur Leipzig, Rebecca Lepkoff, Barbara Morgan, Arnold Newman, Ruth Orkin, Walter Rosenblum, W. Eugene Smith, Lou Stoumen, Todd Webb, and Ida Wyman, among others.

The Photo League came under FBI suspicion during the McCarthy era and was accused of being a Communist front. Membership declined and the League was ultimately forced to disband. After the painful dissolution, some former League members chose to move away from photography. “Sonia was one of those photographers who faded from the public eye to a large degree. It has only been in the last decade that her work has been ‘rediscovered,’ so to speak,” said Smith. “Sonia is a kind and generous person, not only a true humanist, but an immensely talented photographer. It has been the greatest pleasure working so closely with her on this project.”

Bearing Witness: The New York Photo League and Sonia Handelman Meyer is made possible through generous support from MetLife Foundation, the charitable arm of MetLife, which recently relocated its U.S. Retail division in Charlotte. Additional support is provided by Young Affiliates of the Mint.

Members of the media are invited to a special media-only preview of the exhibition at 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 21 at Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road. Sonia Handelman Meyer will be present and available for interviews, and Amber Smith will lead a gallery tour. RSVP to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

Above photo credit:

Jerry Siegel. American, 1958–

Sonia Handelman Meyer  2009

© Jerry Siegel

Charlotte Studio to Present on “Timeless Modernism;” Archivist to Discuss “Tiffany at the World’s Fairs”

Two world-class experts will visit Mint Museum Uptown next week to illuminate the excitement behind World’s Fairs – events that debuted new items ranging from hot dogs and ice cream to premier decorative arts in the days before the Internet and electronic media allowed the sharing of new ideas.

The public is invited to register for exciting presentations from the Design Within Reach studio – whose staffers are experts on the “timeless modernism” of furniture designs which premiered as early as the World’s Fairs of the 1930s and remain popular today ­– and the national archivist from Tiffany & Co., who will be visiting from New York to present about the jeweler’s rich history of bringing its designs to World’s Fairs. Registration is available at mintmuseum.org/happenings, by visiting the front desks of either of The Mint Museum’s two locations, or by calling 704.337.2107.

The gallery talk on “Timeless Modernism” will occur on Wednesday, November 6 at 7 p.m. within the galleries where the groundbreaking exhibition Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851-1939 remains on display through January 19. The presentation is limited to 30 participants and spots are still available. The event is free for Mint members and for college students with valid ID, but non-members must pay $10 adult exhibition admission to Inventing the Modern World in order to enter the gallery.

Leading the discussion is Kari Woldum, Vice President of Merchandising at Design Within Reach, where she manages the merchandising and product development departments. Leveraging her passion for design and modernism, her role at DWR has spanned the entire assortment, from sofas and beds to floor coverings and dining chairs. Woldum is responsible for developing and curating the full product line. She holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder and spent some years in magazine publishing before discovering her true passion: seeking out the best in authentic modern design.

Next Sunday, November 10, Tiffany & Co. Archivist Annamarie V. Sandecki will speak in the Duke Auditorium at 3 p.m. on “Tiffany at the World’s Fairs.” The lecture is free to Mint members and college students with valid ID, but requires general museum admission for non-members ($10 general adult admission, plus an optional additional $10 to visit the Inventing the Modern World exhibition before or after the talk). The Tiffany & Co. Archives preserve, maintain, and make available materials relating to the history of Tiffany as a jeweler and silversmith. Sandecki also administers a collection of hundreds of Tiffany objects spanning the company’s history, and is responsible for the acquisition of additional Tiffany designs through auctions and estate sales.

Sandecki received her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Delaware, and continued her education in the museum administration masters program at New York University. She is a member of American Association of Museums, the Society of Jewelry Historians and the New York Silver Society.

The Inventing the Modern World exhibition contains several Tiffany & Co. designs, including a priceless corsage ornament from 1900 made from Montana sapphires, diamonds, and platinum. The exhibition was organized by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, and traveled to the New Orleans Museum of Art before making its final stop at the Mint. So, the Mint is the final place anywhere in the world for the public to see the approximately 200 objects shown during the major World’s Fairs from 1851 to 1939, many of which had never before left their home countries, all under one roof. Major support for this exhibition was provided by Wells Fargo, the Windgate Charitable Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibition is brought to Charlotte through generous support from Duke Energy, Novant Health, Rodgers Builders, and the Southern Christmas Show.

Both events will occur at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte.

Above image: Tiffany & Co., Unites States (New York), 1837-present. Corsage Ornament, 1900. Montana sapphires, diamonds, demantoid garnets, topaz, blued steel, gold alloys, and platinum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Acquired by Henry Walters, 1900, 57.939

Charlotte Studio to Present on “Timeless Modernism;” Archivist to Discuss “Tiffany at the World’s Fairs”

Two world-class experts will visit Mint Museum Uptown next week to illuminate the excitement behind World’s Fairs – events that debuted new items ranging from hot dogs and ice cream to premier decorative arts in the days before the Internet and electronic media allowed the sharing of new ideas.

The public is invited to register for exciting presentations from the Design Within Reach studio – whose staffers are experts on the “timeless modernism” of furniture designs which premiered as early as the World’s Fairs of the 1930s and remain popular today ­– and the national archivist from Tiffany & Co., who will be visiting from New York to present about the jeweler’s rich history of bringing its designs to World’s Fairs. Registration is available at mintmuseum.org/happenings, by visiting the front desks of either of The Mint Museum’s two locations, or by calling 704.337.2107.

The gallery talk on “Timeless Modernism” will occur on Wednesday, November 6 at 7 p.m. within the galleries where the groundbreaking exhibition Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851-1939 remains on display through January 19. The presentation is limited to 30 participants and spots are still available. The event is free for Mint members and for college students with valid ID, but non-members must pay $10 adult exhibition admission to Inventing the Modern World in order to enter the gallery.

Leading the discussion is Kari Woldum, Vice President of Merchandising at Design Within Reach, where she manages the merchandising and product development departments. Leveraging her passion for design and modernism, her role at DWR has spanned the entire assortment, from sofas and beds to floor coverings and dining chairs. Woldum is responsible for developing and curating the full product line. She holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder and spent some years in magazine publishing before discovering her true passion: seeking out the best in authentic modern design.

Next Sunday, November 10, Tiffany & Co. Archivist Annamarie V. Sandecki will speak in the Duke Auditorium at 3 p.m. on “Tiffany at the World’s Fairs.” The lecture is free to Mint members and college students with valid ID, but requires general museum admission for non-members ($10 general adult admission, plus an optional additional $10 to visit the Inventing the Modern World exhibition before or after the talk). The Tiffany & Co. Archives preserve, maintain, and make available materials relating to the history of Tiffany as a jeweler and silversmith. Sandecki also administers a collection of hundreds of Tiffany objects spanning the company’s history, and is responsible for the acquisition of additional Tiffany designs through auctions and estate sales.

Sandecki received her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Delaware, and continued her education in the museum administration masters program at New York University. She is a member of American Association of Museums, the Society of Jewelry Historians and the New York Silver Society.

The Inventing the Modern World exhibition contains several Tiffany & Co. designs, including a priceless corsage ornament from 1900 made from Montana sapphires, diamonds, and platinum. The exhibition was organized by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, and traveled to the New Orleans Museum of Art before making its final stop at the Mint. So, the Mint is the final place anywhere in the world for the public to see the approximately 200 objects shown during the major World’s Fairs from 1851 to 1939, many of which had never before left their home countries, all under one roof. Major support for this exhibition was provided by Wells Fargo, the Windgate Charitable Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibition is brought to Charlotte through generous support from Duke Energy, Novant Health, Rodgers Builders, and the Southern Christmas Show.

Both events will occur at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte.

Above image: Tiffany & Co., Unites States (New York), 1837-present. Corsage Ornament, 1900. Montana sapphires, diamonds, demantoid garnets, topaz, blued steel, gold alloys, and platinum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Acquired by Henry Walters, 1900, 57.939

Sam Francis painting is one of the most significant acquisitions donated to the museum

With a generous gift from Bank of America, The Mint Museum is launching a new Collections Initiative to strengthen the breadth and scope of art that the museum makes available to the global community.

The Mint Museum announced today that the bank is gifting to the museum a seminal painting by California artist Sam Francis, Untitled (Seafirst) 1979, from the Bank of America Collection. The painting is one of the largest by size – at approximately 19 feet tall by 38 feet wide – and one of the most significant works to enter the museum’s collection.

“The Mint is deeply grateful to Bank of America not only for this specific painting, which is an incredible gift on its own, but also for the opportunity to highlight to the community our new initiative to target and acquire works of art that will continue to elevate the Mint’s stature in the national and international arena,” said Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint. “This historic occasion serves as the catalyst to spur dynamic growth of the Mint’s exceptional collection of international art and design.”

The painting has been hanging in the Robert Haywood Morrison Atrium of Mint Museum Uptown on long-term loan since the building first opened to the public in October 2010, and is one of the first works of art viewed by visitors entering the museum.

“We’re honored to partner with The Mint Museum to launch their new collection drive by donating the Sam Francis painting from the Bank of America Collection, as it adds another world-renowned piece of art to a permanent collection here in Charlotte,” said Charles Bowman, North Carolina and Charlotte president, Bank of America. “The arts play a vital role in Charlotte’s cultural identity and economy and we’re hopeful that our gift encourages other businesses and individuals to donate to the museum’s collection.”

This is not the first time that the bank has donated art to the Mint Museum. In 1978 the bank donated Il Grande Disco by Arnaldo Pomodoro, which remains on view at the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets in uptown Charlotte as part of the Mint’s public art program, and in 2002 it donated six paintings by renowned Charlotte-born artist Romare Bearden.

The Mint’s Collections Initiative seeks to empower the museum’s invested donors, affiliate groups, committees, boards, trustees, and new patrons to give and seek out major examples of art, craft, and design for the museum’s collection. The initiative will remain a key institutional focus through fall 2016, culminating in the publication of  a major publication on the museum’s exceptional permanent collection celebrating the landmark 80^th anniversary of North Carolina’s first art museum. The Mint will celebrate new acquisitions with a local, national, and international public relations and marketing campaign.

The Sam Francis gift sets an appropriate stage for the types of works of art that the museum is targeting for future acquisitions. “Sam Francis’s monumental painting is a tremendously important addition to the museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art; one that animates the atrium in an utterly dynamic fashion,” said Jonathan Stuhlman, the Mint’s Senior Curator of American, Modern, and Contemporary Art. “Untitled (Seafirst) 1979 demonstrates the artist’s commitment to new forms of abstraction and allows the museum to share with its visitors the impact of two key artistic movements of the 20th century – Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism – something that was not previously possible.”

California-born abstract expressionist Sam Francis (1923–1994) was one of the 20th century’s leading interpreters of light and color. Francis maintained studios in Bern, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo, making him the first post-World War II American painter whose reach was truly international. Throughout a long and prolific career, Francis created thousands of paintings as well as works on paper, prints, and monotypes. His work holds references to New York abstract expressionism, color field painting, Chinese and Japanese art, French impressionism, and his own Bay Area roots.

As Mint curators and other staff have been developing the initiative in recent months, one local foundation has responded by providing another generous major acquisition to the museum, which will be announced soon.

“This initiative will serve to build the cultural assets of this community, better enabling us to drive and support education, audience engagement, tourism, and economic development for the region,” Jameson said. “We welcome the entire community to join us in enhancing our collections and preserving them for generations to come.”

Members of the media are invited to the atrium of Mint Museum Uptown, 500 South Tryon Street, today between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. to interview Jameson, Bowman, and other officials from the museum and Bank of America, as well as to photograph the Francis painting. High-resolution images and video of the painting are available upon request. RSVP to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.

Above image credit: Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994). Untitled (Seafirst) 1979. Acrylic on canvas. Generously donated by Bank of America Corporation. Photo courtesy of The Mint Museum. © 2013 Sam Francis Foundation, California / Artists Rights
Society (ARS), NY.

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