Join the one or two rousing rounds of musical chairs as part of the opening celebration for the exhibition The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design.

Game times: Noon and 2:15 PM

The event is hosted by Miguel of Miguel and Holly from 96.1 FM. Prizes include a $100 gift card to Little Mama’s Italian restaurant and the brand-new Chapter 6 restaurant, or any Rare Roots Hospitality-owned restaurant in Charlotte, plus a Contributor Level membership to the Mint for you or a friend. Participation is limited and registration is first come, first served.

Participation is limited. Registration is encouraged. Register here.

More about The Art of Seating Opening Celebration

The public opening celebration takes place 11 AM–6 PM September 16 and 1-5 PM September 17. Museum admission will be free both Saturday and Sunday of the opening weekend. 

Other special programming for the opening celebration includes:

1 PM: Curator-Collector Chat: Diane DeMell Jacobsen, Ph.D., chair of the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation, joins Senior Curator of American Art Jonathan Stuhlman, PhD, to discuss the collection of chairs featured in the exhibition. 

4 PM: Three 20-minute sessions of chair yoga led by Dancing Lotus Yoga + Arts. 

About the exhibition

The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design, on view September 16, 2023–February 25, 2024 at Mint Museum Uptown, features chairs sat on by presidents, chairs that were thrown from skyscrapers and chairs designed by renowned makers — and a few that visitors can sit on themselves.

The 52 chairs on view exemplify that a chair can be much more than just a place to sit. The exhibition reveals chairs as works of art that tell stories of United States history spanning from the early 19th century to the early 21st century.

These stories range from the contributions of immigrants to changing tastes in style and aesthetics to new innovations in technology and materials. Visitors can admire the works of esteemed makers and designers, including George Hunzinger, the Stickley Brothers, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Charles and Ray Eames, whose work has left an indelible mark on American design and continues to inspire contemporary artists and designers.

The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design is made possible through the generous support of PNC. Additional individual support is provided by Mary and Walt Beaver, Sarah G. Cooper, Lucy and Hooper Hardison, and Kati and Chris Small. The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated 248-page scholarly catalogue that is available in The Mint Museum Store.

Join us for the Constellation CLT Opening Celebration for  Sublimations of Spacetime by artist Ajané Williams. Admission is free, cash bar.

5:30 PM | DJ performance.

6:30 PM | Artist Talk: Sublimations of Spacetime artist Ajané Williams discusses her installation with Constellation CLT Curator Jamila Brown.

Galleries will be open 5-9 PM.

About Ajané Williams

Generation Z Afrofuturist painter, performance DJ, and video artist Ajané K. Williams creates places of discovery, shared spaces of the unknown, and visuals that she describes as being “a connection to the past, present, and future.”

Her oil paintings imaginatively depict UFOs, black holes, wormholes, orbs, ancestral spirits, and abstracted landscapes that envisage her studies of unexplained phenomena and theories within parapsychology, theology, and cosmology — all intersecting with her existence as a Black woman.  

Member’s enjoy a lecture and gallery conversations in The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design with Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D., and Jonathan Stuhlman Ph.D, senior curator of American art at the Mint.

6 PM–6:30 PM: Lecture/presentation in James B. Duke Auditorium with Jonathan Stuhlman Ph.D

6:30 PM–7:30 PM: Impromtu conversations in the gallery with Jonathan Stuhlman Ph.D and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D

7:30 PM–8:30 PM: Rest of galleries open for visit


Not a member? Join Today!

Get ready to dance the night away with Latin, Afro-Latin, and American beats, fitness, fun, and friends. Don’t miss the The Art of Seating exhibition open until 9 PM. Take free dance lessons with Rumbao Latin Dance Company and enjoy live music with the Mint Latino Percussionists Trio and DJ Carlos LeBron, C’Leb Entertainment. Plus, watch live artists paint, visit cultural vendors, and take pictures at the balloon arch and welcome special guest, Eddy Kbrera, performing live from 7 – 8 PM.

Members | $11 Non-members | $14 with $1 discount before 9 PM

Mint 2 Move is sponsored by Arts & Science Council.

¡Prepárate para bailar toda la noche con ritmos latinos, afro-latinos y estadounidenses, ejercicio, diversión y amigos! No te pierdas la exposición “The Art of Seating” abierta hasta las 9 PM. Toma clases de baile gratuitas con Rumbao Latin Dance y disfruta de música en vivo con el Trío de Percusionistas Latinos del Mint y el DJ Carlos LeBron de C’Leb Entertainment. Además, observa a artistas en vivo mientras pintan, visita vendedores culturales y toma fotos en el arco de globos. También contaremos con la presencia del invitado especial Eddy Kbrera, quien se presentará en vivo de 7 a 8 PM.

Mint 2 Move es patrocinado por el Arts & Science Council.

Youth Orchestras of Charlotte will perform works by composers from across continents in recognition of the exhibition Craft Across Continents.

Wednesday Night Live is presented by Bank of America.

Event is free, cash bar.

The Southern premiere of a new 2K restoration of Harry Smith’s pioneering short animated films created between 1946 and 1952. Inspired by Native American cultures, jazz, the Kabbala, and surrealism, Smith assembled his own cinematic universe of shape, color, light, and time. Lecture and discussion by Rani Singh, director of the Harry Smith Archives, following the screening.

Wednesday Night Live is presented by Bank of America.

Event is free, cash bar.

Take a seat for theater troupe XOXO, Charlotte’s masters-of-the-absurd, as they present When We Were Young the Moon Was a Living Star (A multimedia response to Ionesco’s ‘The Chairs’).

Performance begins at 7:30 PM.
Event is free, cash bar.

Featuring: Jen Adams, Kadey Ballard, Eric Mullis and Jeremy Shane
Production design by Will Rudolph
Sound design by Shannon Hager
Stage managed by Amanda Labrie
Directed by Matt Cosper

Wednesday Night Live is presented by Bank of America.

Enjoy drum group performances and informative presentations by Catawba Nation representatives.

Wednesday Night Live is presented by Bank of America.

Event is free, cash bar.

Members can enjoy early access to The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design at Mint Museum Uptown before the public.

The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design, drawn from the rich holdings of the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation, provides a rare opportunity to survey the history of American craftsmanship and ingenuity, seen through the lens of seating furniture.

The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design, on view September 16, 2023–February 25, 2024 at Mint Museum Uptown, features chairs sat on by presidents, chairs that were thrown from skyscrapers, and chairs designed by renowned makers — and a few that visitors can sit on themselves.

The 52 chairs on view exemplify that a chair can be much more than just a place to sit. The exhibition reveals chairs as works of art that tell stories of United States history spanning from the early 19th century to the early 21st century. These stories range from the contributions of immigrants to changing tastes in style and aesthetics to new innovations in technology and materials.

Visitors can admire the works of esteemed makers and designers, including George Hunzinger, the Stickley Brothers, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Charles and Ray Eames, whose work has left an indelible mark on American design and continues to inspire contemporary artists and designers.

Not a member? Join today.

Enjoy a final members-only tour of The Vault. Led by museum docents, the in-depth tours begin at 5:30 PM and 7 PM.

Space is limited. Reserve your spot.

Award-winning, Charlotte-based, and family-founded video production company LoydVisuals screens two of their most recent short films: “Kingfish: The Story of Kenny Washington,” created in collaboration with The BLK Originals; and a documentary for the City of Charlotte.

6 PM: Music mingle in the Morrison Atrium

7 PM: “Kingfish” screening

7:20 PM: Panel + Q&A moderated by the Mint’s Curatorial Assistant Jamila Brown

8:20 PM: Post Screening

8:45 PM: Program wraps

Celebrate the opening of the exhibition The Vault with free museum admission.

Celebrate the opening of The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design. The exhibition, drawn from the rich holdings of the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation, provides a rare opportunity to survey the history of American craftsmanship and ingenuity, seen through the lens of seating furniture.

Special programming includes:

Noon and 2:15 PM: The Mint’s Mega Musical Chairs Game. Join the one or two rousing rounds of musical chairs. The event is hosted by Miguel of Miguel and Holly from 96.1 FM. Prizes include a $100 gift card to Little Mama’s Italian restaurant and the brand-new Chapter 6 restaurant, or any Rare Roots Hospitality-owned restaurant in Charlotte, plus a Contributor Level membership to the Mint for you or a friend. Participation is limited and registration is first come, first served.

1 PM: Curator-Collector Chat: Diane DeMell Jacobsen, Ph.D., chair of the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation, joins Senior Curator of American Art Jonathan Stuhlman, PhD, to discuss the collection of chairs featured in the exhibition.

4 PM: Three 20-minute sessions of chair yoga led by Dancing Lotus Yoga + Arts.

The public opening celebration takes place 11 AM–6 PM September 16 and 1-5 PM September 17. Museum admission will be free both Saturday and Sunday of the opening weekend.

The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design is made possible through the generous support of PNC. Additional individual support is provided by Mary and Walt Beaver, Sarah G. Cooper, Lucy and Hooper Hardison, and Kati and Chris Small. The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated 248-page scholarly catalogue that is available in The Mint Museum Store.

Enjoy free museum admission and activated spaces for the public opening of the exhibition Craft Across Continents — Contemporary Japanese and Western Objects: The Lassiter/Ferraro Collection.

1–2 PM: Hear exhibition curator Annie Carlano in conversation with Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro on their personal journey to collecting contemporary craft, their adventures across the globe, and how living with handmade functional objects and sculpture has enhanced their lives.

2–3 PM: Introducing the work of 23 artists working in ceramic, glass, jute, and bamboo, Joe Earle, Japanese art expert, will show how practice-based considerations of material and technique have interacted with local traditions and global movements to produce one of the world’s most dynamic craft ecosystems. The leaders of today’s Japanese craft scene come from varied backgrounds including hands-on training in time-honored centers of the ceramic and bamboo industries, education in multidisciplinary art colleges, or long periods of residence abroad.

Mindfulness encourages us to be more present with art, ourselves and each other. The Mint Museum brings mindfulness to the experience of looking at art and invites you to take a restorative pause in your day and engage deeply with a work of art.

Celebrate the opening of the exhibition The Vault that features the private collections of four prominent Black collectors.

SATURDAY, JULY 15

1–3 PM: Celebration opens to museum members and general public.

1:30– 3 PM: Tour of the exhibition with guest curator Jessica Gaynelle Moss and the four collectors: Patrick and Judy Diamond, Christy and Quincy Lee, Nina and James Jackson, Cheryse and Quincy Terry, plus free pop-up portrait sessions with local artists Cary King and Breonna Collier.

Museum admission is free July 15 and 16.

Mint 2 Move Cultural Dance Night is not just a dance party. It is an artistic and cultural experience paying tribute to artists and dance forms from Latin, African, and Caribbean countries. It is the ultimate event in Charlotte where you can experience sizzling salsa, cha cha, bachata, line dancing, live musicians, Latin rhythms, Afro-beats, and dance lessons all under one roof.

• Enjoy four hours of Latin, Afro-Latin, and American beats with dancing, fitness, fun, and friendships.
• Galleries, including the latest exhibition The Vault, open until 9 PM.
• Free dance lessons with Rumbao Latin Dance Company.
• LIVE music with the Mint Latino Percussionists Trio.
• DJ Carlos LeBron, C’Leb Entertainment on the turntable.
• Fiestas Patrias presents Latin Independence Days.
• All cultures, ballroom dance classes, and dance lovers salsa, Cha Cha, merengue, line dance, and freestyle.
• Watch live artists paint, visit cultural vendors, and take pictures at balloon arc.
• Cool Vibe: At 8:23 PM, join in taking a throwback photo to salute “The Dab” and the Carolina Panthers.

Members | $11

Non-members | $14 with $1 discount before 9 PM

Purchase tickets.

Opera Carolina and The Mint Museum bring Greater Charlotte’s Latinx artistic community together to celebrate Latin culture and the exhibition Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds.

The family-friendly event honors Charlotte’s diverse cultures through an eclectic blend of visual art, spoken word, classical, and popular music from Latin America. Experience original poetry, local artists and musicians, including performances by members of the Opera Carolina residency company.

Free, cash bar. Performances begin at 6:30 PM. Wednesday Night Live is presented by Bank of America.

Poets/Musicians

Flutepraise Duet (Flute and Vocalist) 

Flutepraise

Flutepraise is comprised of Tommy Lopez, a professional flutist who performs Smooth Jazz, R&B, Latin, Latin Jazz, Latin Classics, and standards. He is a self-taught flutist who started at the age of 10 sharing one flute with five other fifth-graders in an elementary school in Harlem, New York.  He later learned how to read and compose at the High School of Music and Art in New York, where he met his now wife of 47 years. He is a native New Yorker but has made his life in Charlotte for the past 33 years.  Flutepraise also includes his wonderful wife Nancy Lopez, an accomplished vocalist who has been singing since she was a child.

 

 

 

Nuestro Tiempo Latin Youth Jazz Ensemble

Nuestra Tiempo Latin Youth Jazz Ensemble

Nuestro Tiempo Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble is a Latin Jazz orchestra in which students learn fundamentals, including clave rhythms, improvisational theory, and Latin Jazz history. This is a unique opportunity for student musicians, grades 7-12, to study an exciting facet of jazz that combines the chords and improvisational techniques of traditional jazz with Latin instruments and rhythms.

 

 

 

Aris Quiroga (Guitarist) 

As his fingers glide with fluid precision and masterful accuracy, Colombian classical guitarist extraordinaire Aris Quiroga Nieto ensnares his listeners in a wonderful world chock full of melody and infectious vibes. Hailing from Bogota, Colombia, Quiroga has spent his life learning, teaching, composing, and performing guitar, completely immersing himself into a world steeped in rich musical tradition and theory. With performances around the globe, and national presence in Spain and Colombia, he has slowly become one of the elite performers within the classical guitar circuit.

 

Javier Sánchez (Bandoneón Player)

Javier Sanchez

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Javier Sánchez has been playing the bandoneón for over 30 years.  Between 2005 and 2016, he was a member of Latin Grammy Award nominee Rodolfo Mederos Orquesta Típica. Sánchez has toured the globe with well-known tango orchestras and tango companies, such as Tango Pasión, Tanguera, Tango Emotion (returning to Japan for five consecutive years), and many others.

As an active musician in Argentina, Sánchez played in the most prestigious tango shows of Buenos Aires including El Viejo Almacén, Esquina de Carlos Gardel, Café Tortoni, Piazzolla Tango Theater, just to name a few. In 2016, he relocated to the New York metropolitan area and started collaborating with a variety of tango groups, among most noted are Aces of Rhythm directed by Pablo Aslan (debuted at Lincoln Center in July of 2017), Pan American Symphony Orchestra directed by Sergio Bušlje (Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.), and the Astoria Tango  Orchestra led by Daniel Binelli (11-piece orchestra típica). In August of the same year, he won the First Prize at the renowned Che Bandoneon International Competition judged by bandoneón legend Victor Lavallén. In 2018 Mr. Sanchez became Musical Director of Che Tangazo orchestra based in Montreal, Canada, making its debut in July at Tango BA Festival and World Cup. In 2021, he relocated to Charlotte and began performing solo recitals at numerous venues in Carolinas region.  He recorded a one hour concert from Bach to Piazzolla, which streamed live via TwitCasting (available now in its archives). 

 

Patrice N. Wilson (Spoken Word/Poet) 

Patrice Wilson

Patrice N. Wilson is an educator, language enthusiast, spoken word artist and creative, from Charlotte. Wilson received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the UNC Charlotte. Through her educational and creative pursuits, Wilson champions diversity, intersectionality, equity, communal connection, and understanding. Wilson believes that education and action, if used correctly, can be vehicles for sustainable growth and change within society. Wilson loves to write and create, and believes the power of creativity is underrated and can foster community, growth, and understanding.

Visual Artists

Julio Gonzalez (Visual Artist) 

Julio Gonzalez

Julio Gonzalez is a self-taught multimedia artist and a native of Atlanta, Georgia. One of Gonzalez’s defining characteristics as an artist is his use of Mexican and Mayan design elements to explore questions of contemporary life and values. Gonzalez cites the simple question “What if?” as a cornerstone of his creativity and practice, a way to approach his ideas from different sides and explore them to the fullest. He hopes viewers of his work will find themselves asking the same question and rediscovering their sense of interconnectedness, curiosity, and childlike wonder. The simple phrase “What if?” is the concept behind the name Wonder What If, a project of which Julio is the Creative Director.

 

Elisa Lopez Trejo (Visual Artist)

Elisa Lopez-Trejo

Elisa Lopez Trejo is a mixed-media artist and recycling designer from Mexico City. She moved to Charlotte in 2010. Since then she has participated in art events in galleries with other artists, including live painting at the Mint Museum and the OBRA Collective Gallery at VAPA with Latino artists events. Her art was exhibited at the Galleria Magnolia Emporium for three years, and she has participated at the “Charlotte Fashion Week” for six years. Her paintings use different mediums, including oil and acrylic paint, collage, gold leaf and silver leaf. Her style is sometimes abstract and other times figurative, varying with feeling.

Children age 5 and younger and their caregivers are invited to explore Latin music, stories, and instruments with Criss Cross Mango Sauce, a trio of Latino performing artists and educators.

Celebrating artists Romare Bearden and Pablo Picasso, enjoy exhibition-related dancing and art activites with free dance lessons, live painting, Latino and African-inspired music, and international rhythmic sounds with DJ Carlos Lebron and the Mint 2 Move Percussion Trio. Galleries are open until 9 PM.

Get Tickets Here

Presented in partnership with UNC Charlotte, enjoy the opening ceremony for the UNCC Lavagem African Brazilian Festival featuring African Brazilian instructors, The Spirit of the Drum: African Brazilian drumming class with Jose Ricardo and Bira Monteiro, and Danca Afro workshop with Nildinha Fonseca.

This is a Mint Community Relations collaboration with UNC Charlotte, generously supported by the Arts and Science Council.

Registration requested. Donations encouraged.

To commemorate the life and career of Pablo Picasso on the 50th anniversary of the date of his death, join the Mint for a ‘Pablomonium’ Community Celebration that includes complimentary admission to Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts and the exhibition Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds, plus live music, art activities, film screenings, photo booths, food trucks, a cash bar, and door prizes.

During the community celebration, free one-hour timed tickets are first come, first served to Picasso Landscapes based on exhibition capacity. 

Bring your earbuds to enjoy the free audio tour that complements Picasso Landscapes!

Schedule of events

11 AM- 5 PM: Live music and cash bar | Robert Haywood Morrison Atrium 

Noon–4 PM: Photo station with Playing Pablo murals | Level 5 Queens Room 

12:30, 1, 1:30, and 2 PM: Mint on the Dot talks in Picasso Landscapes. Look for “Mint on the Dot!” signs on the gallery floor 

1-4 PM: Art activities | Robert Haywood Morrison Atrium 

1–5 PM: Face painting and more | Van Allen Terrace 

Learn about the life and works of Romare Bearden in a discussion with Richard Powell, PhD, Duke University professor and Romare Bearden Foundation advisor; and Denise Murrell, PhD, curator-at-large at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; moderated by Diedra Harris-Kelly, co-director of the Romare Bearden Foundation.

Following the salon talk, visitors are invited to join the guest speakers and members of the Romare Bearden Foundation at a reception with live music by local jazz vocalist Dawn Anthony and the Lovell Bradford Trio. Copies of Dr. Powell and Dr. Murrell’s books will be available, along with gift giveaways, at The Mint Museum Store.

“An Afternoon Salon: Romare Bearden and Modernism” is presented in coordination with The Mint Museum’s exhibition Bearden/Picasso: Rhythms and Reverberations. The salon event is free to attend, however, registration is encouraged.

Salon schedule:

2-4 PM: Richard Powell, PhD; Denise Murrell, PhD, and moderator Diedra Harris-Kelley present “An Afternoon Salon: Romare Bearden and Modernism.”

4-6 PM: Jazz reception with local jazz vocalist Dawn Anthony along with the Lovell Bradford Trio, and opportunity to meet guest speakers and members of the Romare Bearden Foundation.

About the speakers:

An Afternoon Salon: Romare Bearden and Modernism
March 18, 2-4 PM program; 4-6 PM reception and giveaways 
Mint Museum Uptown
Free

Hnin Nie’s response to Picasso’s Landscape of Juan-les-Pins (1920), 2023.

Playing Pablo

10 Local artists create murals in response to works in Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds 

By Jen Sudul Edwards, PhD 

Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds, organized by the American Federation of the Arts, is a major initiative for The Mint Museum. It not only brings major Picasso paintings to Charlotte from all around the world, but also offers an opportunity for the museum to bring together multiple cultural entities in collaborations and partnerships. One of these projects is a mural series enlisting 10 artists and collectives (some of whom will be familiar to the Mint audience from past projects) to create murals around the city. 

The initiative is a partnership with Carla Aaron-Lopez, curator of the Local/Street exhibition series that was on view at The Mint Museum in 2021 and 2022; and Talking Walls, the organization that has been supporting mural installations across the city for the last five years.  

Together with Aaron-Lopez and the Mint’s Curatorial Assistant Jamila Brown, a group of local artists were invited to paint a mural in response to Guernica — Picasso’s powerful, mural-size antiwar painting — or any of the landscapes included in the Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds. The result is a diverse range of styles and images that will dot Charlotte’s urban landscape and the two Mint museum locations beginning mid-February 2023.

Involving Charlotte contemporary artists was always central to the Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds. As Aaron-Lopez and local artist ARKO have pointed out, Picasso continues to be a major influence on contemporary artists both as an inspiration and as a foil. The exhibition allows local artists to study the works up close and in person, to break down the structure, and analyze the compositions and brushstrokes to further their own education and experimentation. This partnership reminds us that one of the museum’s primary goals is to preserve and present art’s history so that the next generation can push it forward.  

The Picasso Mural project is generously supported by a grant through the North Carolina Arts Council and Infusion Fund. 

Mural artists and locations 

ARKO and Dammit Wesley
Mint Museum Uptown 

Brand the Moth
Mint Museum Randolph

CHD:WCK!
Mint Museum Uptown 

HNin Nie
Optimist Hall

Emily Núñez
Queens University 

Kalin Reece
Elder Gallery 

Mike Wirth
Camp NorthEnd 

Frankie Zombie and 2Gzandcountin
Optimist Hall

Jen Sudul-Edwards, PhD, is chief curator and curator of contemporary art at The Mint Museum.

Three playwrights and four actors from Queen City New Play Initiative will create impromptu skits in response to works in Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds and our permanent collection galleries with projections of works in Mint Uptown Atrium.

Wednesday Night Live: Queen City New Play Initiative Bake-off
March 1, 2023 | 5-9 PM, 6:30 PM performance
Mint Museum Uptown
Free, cash bar

Journey through two centuries of American art and artists in American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection, presented by PNC Bank, at The Mint Museum

For Immediate Release | Images Here

Charlotte, North Carolina (August 16, 2022) — The Mint Museum is pleased to announce the opening of American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection, which features more than 100 works of art by renowned American artists, such as Benjamin West, Sarah Miriam Peale, Thomas Cole, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, Robert Henri, and Charles Alston. The exhibition will be on view September 10 through December 24 at The Mint Museum’s uptown location (known as Mint Museum Uptown). Drawn entirely from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection, the exhibition beautifully illustrates distinctive styles and thought-provoking art explored by American artists over the past two centuries.

Though many objects from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection have been on view at other museums, ranging from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and Saint Louis Art Museum, this is the first exhibition to see the best of the collection brought together in one location.

“Private collections by definition reflect the tastes and focus of the collector. In the case of Diane Jacobsen, we are fortunate that not only does she have a keen eye for quality, condition, and the appropriate frame, but she has actively collected works by female artists and artists of color, often overlooked in surveys of American art, offering our visitors a broader understanding of artistic production in America from its early days as a young country to the 20th century,” says Todd Herman, Ph.D., president and CEO at The Mint Museum.

The exhibition, presented by PNC Bank, begins with portraits by masters including Rembrandt Peale and Thomas Sully, before moving on to highlight the development of mid-19th-century landscape painting with works by Asher B. Durand, John Frederick Kensett, and others. Enticing images of fruits, flowers, and other delights by Severin Roesen, John Francis, Ferdinand Richardt, Elizabeth Williams, and Adelaide Coburne Palmer will be featured alongside trompe l’oeil (“deceives the eye”) examples by William Michael Harnett, John Haberle, and John Peto. Twentieth-century modernism and realism can be seen in works by artists ranging from Patrick Henry Bruce and Marsden Hartley to Paul Cadmus, Charmion von Wiegand, Suzy Frelinghuysen, Elizabeth Catlett, and Earnie Barnes.

The mission of The Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation to “carefully research and obtain American masterpieces” is abundantly represented in American Made, says Jonathan Stuhlman, Ph.D., senior curator of American art at the Mint.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Dr. Jacobsen and her team to bring this exhibition to life over the past few years,” Stuhlman says. “Dr. Jacobsen has built this collection with not only an incredible passion for teaching the public about American art, but with a sense of exploration and discovery, a keen eye, and incredible connoisseurship.”

The September 10 opening-day celebration will include a panel discussion with Diane Jacobsen, Ph.D., distinguished scholar, art collector, and chair of the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation, along with Herman and Stuhlman.

American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection is generously presented in Charlotte by PNC Bank. Additional generous support is provided by The Dowd Foundation, Windgate Foundation, U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, and The President’s Cup. The national tour of American Made is made possible by Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Schoelkopf Gallery, and Sotheby’s. Media partners are SouthPark magazine and WDAV 89.9.

“Since establishing a presence in North Carolina one decade ago, PNC has invested heavily to support the arts and the region’s thriving cultural community,” says Weston Andress, PNC Bank regional president for Western Carolinas. “Through our frequent collaborations with The Mint Museum, we’ve helped bring world-class exhibitions to the city of Charlotte, and we’re delighted to continue that tradition with American Made.”

Accompanying the show is a catalogue of the DeMell Jacobsen Collection of fine art that is principally authored by Elizabeth Heuer, Ph.D., with contributions from other leading scholars, edited by the Mint’s Jonathan Stuhlman, Ph.D., and published by D. Giles Ltd. It is available in The Mint Museum Store or online at store.mintmuseum.org.

Following its run at the Mint, the exhibition will travel to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee; the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida; the San Antonio Museum of Art in Texas; and the Huntsville Museum of Art in Alabama.

Ticket Information
The Mint Museum exhibition is free for members and children ages 4 and younger; $15 for adults; $10 for seniors ages 65 and older; $10 for college students with ID; and $6 for youth ages 5–17. For museum hours, visit mintmuseum.org.

The Mint Museum
Established in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative cultural institution and museum of international art and design. With two locations — Mint Museum Randolph
in the heart of Eastover and Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts — the Mint boasts one of the largest collections in the Southeast and is committed to engaging and inspiring members of the global community.

PNC Bank
PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.

The Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation
The Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation is dedicated to preserving and exhibiting American art by carefully researching and obtaining American masterpieces, providing restoration, if necessary, and facilitating long-term loans to accredited major museums and traveling exhibitions. Created in 2011 as a 501(c)3 private operating foundation, the Foundation educates and stimulates creativity and teaches viewers about our nation’s rich artistic heritage with the goal of celebrating American art.

Media
For interviews, digital images, or additional information, please contact:

Michele Huggins, associate director of marketing and communications
michele.huggins@mintmuseum.org | 704.564.0826 (c)

Clayton Sealey, senior director of marketing and communications
clayton.sealey@mintmuseum.org | 704.534.0186 (c)

The Mint Museum celebrates the re-installation of The Mint Museum Craft + Design Collection — with FREE admission and a weekend full of conversations with internationally acclaimed artists and makers

For Immediate Release | Images available here

Charlotte, North Carolina (May 12, 2022) — The Mint Museum is excited to announce the opening weekend of Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things May 21–22 at Mint Museum Uptown with complimentary admission throughout the weekend. As part of the celebration, highly acclaimed makers and educators Joseph Walsh, Hideo Mabuchi, and Silvia Levenson will present on their design inspirations, processes, and practices.

Examined through the lens of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics, Craft in the Lab tells the story of how makers and designers use knowledge from the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math in their artistic processes.

From 2 to 3 p.m., Saturday, May 21 internationally acclaimed and Ireland-based maker Joseph Walsh and Stanford University professor and maker Hideo Mabuchi discuss how science, technology, engineering, and math are used in their design processes, followed by an artists reception. From 2-3 p.m. Sunday, May 22, renowned international glass artist Silvia Levenson highlights her use of glass and printing techniques to reflect tensions in daily life, domestic violence, discrimination, and refugee issues. These conversations are being presented in partnership with Müller Corporation and the Craft & Trade Academy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing trades and craft in Charlotte.

The installation, which officially opened February 12, 2022, represents highlights from more than 3,000 works in The Mint Museum’s world-renowned collections of regional, national, international handmade glass, wood, jewelry and metal, fiber ceramic, and design objects. Presented by Müller Corporation, Craft in the Lab also celebrates the reinstallation of The Mint’s highly acclaimed Craft + Design galleries — the first since its opening in 2010 at Mint Museum Uptown.

Co-curated by the Mint’s Senior Curator of Craft, Design, and Fashion Annie Carlano and Assistant Curator for Craft, Design, and Fashion Rebecca Elliot, the installation includes 100 objects organized by material and subject throughout the galleries, touchable material panels, and videos of makers at work in their studios.

“The reinstallation of the Craft + Design galleries allow us the opportunity to bring new works out on view and to interpret the collection through new pairings and themes,” says Todd Herman, president and CEO at The Mint Museum. “Craft in the Laboratory examines how investigation, experimentation, and critical thinking are common to both science and art, and the correlation of art with science, technology, engineering, and math that effectively changing STEM to STEAM concepts.”

The installation is accompanied by an important and timely catalogue on the topic, with contributions by several scholars and a lead essay by Elliot. The fully illustrated catalogue of the same name, published by Dan Giles Ltd., also includes contributions from museum staff, and guest essayists.

“Craft in the Laboratory is the first publication in over 20 years to discuss The Mint Museum’s Craft and Design collection in depth,” Elliot says. The book is available for purchase at The Mint Museum Store or at store.mintmuseum.org.

Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things is generously presented by Müller Corporation. Generous individual support provided by Beth and Drew Quartapella, Mary Anne (M.A.) Rogers, Ann and Michael Tarwater, and Rocky and Curtis Trenkelbach. Additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. The catalogue is supported by the John and Robyn Horn Foundation.

The Mint Museum
Established in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative cultural institution and museum of international art and design. With two locations — Mint Museum Randolph in the heart of Eastover and Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts — the Mint boasts one of the largest collections in the Southeast and is committed to engaging and inspiring members of the global community.

Müller Corporation
Founded in Germany, and family owned and operated, Müller provides commercial surface installation, and cleaning and maintenance services to the solar, hospitality, automotive, food and beverage, and other industries. European standards and in-house trained craftsmen ensure superior results and unmatched client service. To learn more, visit mullercorporation.com.

Craft & Trade Academy
Founded in 2019, the training programs and apprenticeships are based on the international recognized German model. In order to develop apprentices into quality craftsmen, the Academy runs classroom and workshop training, as well as on-the-job training recognized by the Department of Labor. The Craft & Trade Academy is a public 501(c)3 nonprofit higher education institution committed to providing paths and expanding skills within the construction industry. To learn more, visit craftandtradeacademy.org.

Contact:
Clayton Sealey, senior director of marketing and communications
clayton.sealey@mintmuseum.org | 704.534.0186 (c)

Michele Huggins, associate director of marketing and communications
michele.huggins@mintmuseum.org | 704.564.0826 (c)

FROM LEFT: Mark Rothko (American, born Russia, 1903–70). No. 17 [or] No. 15 1949, oil on canvas, 51 7/8 x 29 1/8 inches. Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc. National Gallery of Art, Washington 1986.43.142. Mark Rothko (American, born Russia, 1903–70). Untitled 1951, oil on canvas, 44 1/4 x 37 3/8 inches. Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc. National Gallery of Art, Washington 1986.43.157.

Paintings by Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko debut at The Mint Museum for first time in the museum’s history

Charlotte, North Carolina (March 10, 2022) — For the first time in its 85-year history, The Mint Museum has not one, but two, Mark Rothko paintings on view. Through a long-term loan with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., two paintings by the Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko are on view in the Modern Contemporary galleries at Mint Museum Uptown. The two works — No. 17 [or] No. 15 and Untitled 1951 — are the only paintings by Rothko currently on view in North Carolina.

To celebrate, Harry Cooper, senior curator and head of modern and contemporary art at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., presents “Rothko Becoming Rothko” 6:30 p.m. April 13 at Mint Museum Uptown about the life and works of the famed artist. The lecture is part of the Wednesday Night Live Series, presented by Bank of America, and includes free admission to the museum, plus a cash bar, 5:30-9 p.m.
Rothko’s serene floating blocks of color, typical of his mature work in the 1950s and 1960s, are considered a pivotal moment in the move from figural painting to Abstract Expressionism, says Todd A. Herman, president and CEO.

“Influenced by the tragedies of World War II, Rothko felt that painting needed to reach deeper into our shared subconscious where humanity can be connected through emotional responses to color and shape. He worked in a vertical format to reflect the human form and encouraged people to stand just a few feet in front so that the work could fill their vision and maximize the effect.”

The paintings will be on view through March 2023 at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts.

Ticket Information
Admission to The Mint Museum is free for members and children ages 4 and younger; $15 for adults; $10 for seniors ages 65 and older; $10 for college students with ID; and $6 for youth ages 5–17.

The Mint Museum
Established in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative cultural institution and museum of international art and design. With two locations — Mint Museum Randolph in the heart of Eastover and Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts — the Mint boasts one of the largest collections in the Southeast and is committed to engaging and inspiring members of the global community.

More information, contact: Michele Huggins, Interim Director of Marketing and Communications at The Mint Museum
michele.huggins@mintmuseum.org | 704.564.0826 (c)

Kehinde Wiley acquisition caps off a roster of new works at The Mint Museum by culturally diverse artists

The Mint Museum is proud to announce major additions to its collection, including internationally renowned artist Kehinde Wiley’s Philip the Fair. Wiley, a California native, is best known for painting President Barack Obama’s portrait. Philip the Fair is an example of Wiley’s majestic representation of urban Black men recast in place of those populating European old-master paintings, and asking the question ‘who gets represented?’ Philip the Fair references a 15th-century stained-glass image of Philip the IV of France who was known as Philip the Fair.  The painting has been on loan at The Mint Museum since 2006, but is now part of the museum’s collection.

“The Mint Museum continues to grow and refine its collection through purchases and gifts with stellar examples from artists that represent a diverse array of backgrounds and experiences,” says Todd Herman, president and CEO at the Mint. “We are grateful to our generous donors, and especially to the artists, for allowing us to share these beautiful and inspirational works with our audience.”  

Other exceptional works entering the collection, include Willie Cole’s Silex, currently on view in the Mint’s Continuing Conversations exhibition, and Elizabeth Talford Scott’s quilted and appliqued mixed-media piece Untitled (Shield), part of the Mint’s Craft + Design Collection, both of which transcend time with stories tied to race and cultural experiences. 

Expanding the museum’s collection by artists from outside the United States are works by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, Indian fashion designer Anamika Khanna, Canadian artist Simone Saunders, British photographer Sam Taylor-Johnson, Dutch artist Iris van Herpen, Belgium artist Berlinde de Bruyckere, and Spanish artist Nacho Carbonell. 

In addition are notable works by Charlotte-based artists, including Nellie Ashford, MyLoan Dinh, de’Angelo Dia, and Julio Gonzales, that reflect cultural heritage, ancestry, and community. 

“We are particularly proud of the diversity represented in our acquisitions over the last couple of years. Not only are the makers of all profiles — international, regional, men, women, nonbinary, young, late career — but the media spans the gamut,” says Jen Sudul Edwards, chief curator and curator of contemporary art. “These new acquisitions reinforce The Mint Museum’s commitment to all forms and all makers as long as the work is thoughtful, ambitious, and excellent.”  

The acquisition of Philip the Fair is made possible by the generous support of the Mint Museum Auxiliary, the Katherine and Thomas Belk Foundation, and Kelle and Len Botkin.

For more information, contact:
Michele Huggins, interim director of marketing and communications at The Mint Museum
michele.huggins@mintmuseum.org | 704.564.0826 (c) 

E.V. Day (American, 1967–). Daytona Vortex, 2020, neoprene, filament, metal. On loan from Jimmy and Chandra Johnson.

The Mint Museum debuts Daytona Vortex sculpture commemorates NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson’s 2006 Daytona 500 victory

For Immediate Release 

Charlotte (December 22, 2021) — Daytona Vortex by New York-based artist EV Day makes its public debut December 23, 2021 at The Mint Museum in uptown Charlotte. On loan from Jimmie and Chandra Johnson, the sculpture is made from the fire suit Jimmie Johnson wore when he took the win at the 2006 Daytona 500. 

Made from the winning fire suit, monofilament and hardware with a mirrored stainless steel base, Jimmie Johnson commissioned Day to create the sculpture that stands more than 12 feet tall. For decades Day has constructed sculptures that question social structures and perceptions around gender and sexuality, as seen in her Exploded Couture series that includes Transporter, which is on view in the Mint’s permanent collection galleries on Level 4 at Mint Museum Uptown. 

Bold forms and colors found in the sculpture generate notions of speed, technology, and celebratory confetti. The reversed engineering of the suit pays homage to Karuta, the complicated armor worn by samurai warriors. Day also considers Jimmie Johnson’s racing suit in the lineage of space exploration, tracing its fiber genetics to the suit that allowed Major Arthur Murray to become the first pilot to leave the Earth’s atmosphere in 1954.  

“It celebrates the power and heroism of humankind’s innovation,” Day says. “Tectonically the language of the piece highlights the friction between man and machine — softness of the highly tailored fabric to the rigid structure of the hardware. It may seem that these forces are at odds, but they are interdependent on one another,” Day says. 

When Jen Sudul Edwards, PhD, chief curator and curator ofcontemporary art at the Mint, learned about the commissioned piece, she knew she wanted to have it on view at the Mint.  

“Like Transporter, Daytona Vortex is visually stunning and conceptually powerful as it pushes us to rethink ideas around gender, dress, social interactions, expectations and popular culture,” Sudul Edwards says. “It’s also a poignant reconsideration of sports heroes like Jimmie Johnson and the tension that must be maintained between the physical and intellectual, assurances and risk, in order to succeed.” 

Daytona Vortex is on view December 23, 2021-June 5, 2022, in the Gorelick Gallery on Level 3 at Mint Museum Uptown. 

Ticket Information 

The Mint Museum exhibition is free for members and children ages 4 and younger; $15 for adults; $10 for seniors ages 65 and older; $10 for college students with ID; and $6 for youth ages 5–17. Frontline workers and their immediate families receive complimentary admission through December 31, 2021. 

About The Mint Museum  

Established in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative cultural institution and museum of international art and design. With two locations—Mint Museum Randolph in the heart of Eastover and Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts on South Tryon Street—the Mint boasts one of the largest collections in the Southeast and is committed to engaging and inspiring members of the global community. 

Contact: 

Michele Huggins, Interim Director of Marketing and Communications at The Mint Museum 

michele.huggins@mintmuseum.org | 704-564-0826 

Join a Mint educator for a 45-minute mindfulness session and discussion about the work ‘The Bull Fight’ in the exhibition Bearden/Picasso: Rhythms and Reverberations | Cost of Admission

Mindfulness encourages us to be more present with art, ourselves and each other. The Mint Museum brings mindfulness to the experience of looking at art and invites you to take a restorative pause in your day and engage deeply with a work of art.