Clayworks in Charlotte, NC, Receives $50,000 Grant for Claymobile

Clayworks, Charlotte, NC’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to the instruction and the creation of ceramic arts, was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Women’s Impact Fund to purchase and equip a claymobile. A conversion van will serve as the claymobile and will be outfitted with a potter’s wheel, clay and glazing materials in order to expose Mecklenburg County’s underserved populations to high-quality visual arts experiences in their schools and neighborhoods.

Clayworks now serves more than 7,500 individuals a year at its facility at 4506 Monroe Road in east Charlotte. The 8-year-old organization is dedicated to the promotion of ceramic arts, advancement of artists and students and enrichment of the communities it serves. With the use of the new claymobile, Clayworks will transport everything needed for a ceramics class including an instructor. Finished ceramic pieces will be transported to the Clayworks facility for firing and then returned to the students.

“It’s always been a wish of mine from the inception of Clayworks to reach people who have never been exposed to ceramic art and therefore don’t know the joy that comes from creating in clay,” said Clayworks Executive Director Adrienne Dellinger. “There are so many children and adults who don’t have transportation or who can’t afford to take classes. With the claymobile, we can bring the clay instruction to underserved populations.”

The claymobile will provide cost-effective ceramics instruction to educational and cultural programs by sparing host institutions the need to obtain equipment and expertise to produce ceramics. The claymobile’s teaching artists will collaborate with host staff to design projects that directly tie into classroom curriculum and/or organization-wide themes, ensuring an academically enriching experience for participants. The claymobile program will begin with the 2013-2014 school year and will provide 60 ceramic classes to the YWCA after-school program.

“Clayworks is grateful to the members of the Women’s Impact Fund who collectively choose the Clayworks claymobile project as the arts and culture grant recipient this year,” said Gary Knight, Clayworks Board President. “This is a highly competitive grant process and we’re honored that the Women’s Impact Fund saw great value in our project, which will enhance and inspire Mecklenburg County residents through the experience of ceramic art creation.”

Clayworks is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the ceramic arts through classes, workshops and community outreach. The organization provides studio space to 22 local artists, state of the art equipment, professional development opportunities and workshops. Clayworks offers adult ceramic classes as well as independent study programs and master classes led by nationally known ceramic artists. The organization is located at 4506 Monroe Road, Charlotte NC 28205.

For more information visit (www.clayworksinc.org) or call 704/344-0795.

The Women’s Impact Fund is a Charlotte-based nonprofit organization that maximizes women’s leadership in philanthropy by engaging and educating its membership, increasing charitable contributions and strengthening communities through the impact of collective giving. The more than 400 members are dedicated to changing lives and addressing critical needs in Mecklenburg County. The fund has awarded $3 million to 39 nonprofits since 2003.

For more information visit (www.womensimpactfund.org).

5th Annual Charlotte Fine Art Show™ in Charlotte, NC, Announces Award Winners

The 5th annual Charlotte Fine Art Show™, took place Mother’s Day weekend, May 10, 11, and 12, 2013, Uptown at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC.

This show brings together the highest quality art and artists from around the nation in one, spectacular exhibition and art sale! Artists normally seen in the Miami, Chicago, New York, and Atlanta shows will be on site to personally discuss their work with you. Juried by a panel of art professionals, these artists represent the nation’s finest in all disciplines: sculpture, painting, fiber, clay, wood, jewelry, photography, and more.

Sponsored in part by the non-profit Institute for the Arts & Education, and by HotWorks™.

It was a beautiful show with the utmost quality of personally handmade and original art. Decision on judging was very difficult – it was based on technique/execution, original and booth appearance.

There was $1,500 in professional artist awards, as follows:

$500 Judge’s Award of Excellence

Michael Conti, Wood

Wycliff “Linc” Bennett, Mixed Media

$100 Awards of Excellence

Carl Crawford, Mixed Media

Julio Garcia, Mixed Media

C. Elizabeth Smathers, Basketry

Kathleen Weir-West, Fiber

Ali Wieboldt, Jewelry

For further info contact Patty Narozny, Executive Director, Charlotte Fine Art Show™ by calling 248/684-2613, e-mail at (Patty@HotWorks.org), or visit (www.HotWorks.org).

Levine Center for the Arts in Charlotte, NC, Participates in Art Museum Day – May 18, 2013

Charlotte, NC’s, premier cultural destination, Levine Center for the Arts, is celebrating the Association of Art Museum Directors’ (AAMD) Art Museum Day 2013 by offering “pay what you wish” admission to museum visitors on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

Three of the cultural institutions at the South Tryon Street campus, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and Mint Museum Uptown, are joining forces to offer visitors an unparalleled arts experience. The Mint Museum is also offering “pay what you wish” admission at its other location, Mint Museum Randolph. (Normal admission is $8 each to the Bechtler and Gantt Center and $10 to the Mint, or a Levine Center for the Arts joint admission pass is available for $20 on CarolinaTix.org.)

Since 2010, the AAMD has encouraged art museums across the nation to participate in conjunction with the International Council of Museums’ (ICOM) International Museum Day, dedicated to promoting the value of museums in society. Over 100 AAMD member museums have participated each year. This year’s theme is “museums (memory + creativity) = social change.”

At the Mint, other special promotions and opportunities are surrounding the Art Museum Day 2013 effort. Beginning Monday May 13, anyone who “shares” the Mint’s Facebook posts at (facebook.com/mintmuseum) or “retweets” at (@TheMintMuseum) is eligible to win prizes including free guest passes and tickets to the museum’s May 30 “Party in the Park” event. On Saturday May 18, the Mint will offer a one-day-only special 50 percent off price for annual memberships, which brings unlimited free admissions to both museums and a host of other valuable benefits. And Mint Museum Uptown will be hosting two special events: a gathering for grandmothers, mothers, and daughters benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank called F.O.O.D. and Fellowship (registration required at mintmuseum.org/happenings) and a residency by local performance artist John W. Love, Jr. entitled FECUND. Special exhibitions on view at Mint Museum Uptown include F.O.O.D. (Food, Objects, Objectives, Design); Sociales: Debora Arango Arrives Today; and Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto. At Mint Museum Randolph, new exhibitions on view include American Glass; Arts of Africa; and the fashion exhibition Dior, Balmain, Saint Laurent: Elegance & Ease.

Visitors who are familiar with one or two of the institutions are encouraged to use the day to experience one they may not know as well.

All donations by museum visitors support making the priceless artistic treasures of these facilities more accessible to the larger community, as well as enabling museums to mount unforgettable educational programming.

More information about supporting each museum can be found at (bechtler.org) click on “Support”; (ganttcenter.org) click on “Join & Support”, and (mintmuseum.org) click on “Support”.

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture in Charlotte, NC, and Wells Fargo Partner to Present Henry Louis Gates and Kinsey Collection in a Symposium – June 27, 2013

The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture will launch its inaugural Gantt Symposium on Thursday, June 27, 2013, with Harvard University’s Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Gates will speak at 6:30pm at Knight Theater. The 2013 Gantt Symposium – sponsored by Wells Fargo – will also serve as the kick-off for the Center’s summer exhibitions which will include “The Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey – Where Art and History Intersect”.

“With Wells Fargo’s generous support this year, we are joining with our institution’s namesake to host the Gantt Symposium,” said David Taylor, Gantt Center President & CEO.  “Our objective with the annual symposium is to engage Charlotte residents in conversation about important topics that we believe are relevant, not only to African-Americans, but to the community-at-large.”

Bernard & Shirley Kinsey

The Gantt Center will host an optional reception and guided preview of the Kinsey’s exhibit with collectors Bernard, Shirley and Khalil Kinsey immediately following the symposium at 8:15pm. Exhibition of the Kinsey Collection at the Gantt Center has also been underwritten by Wells Fargo.

“The Wells Fargo Foundation provides grants to support innovative educational programs in the arts, history and culture,” said Kendall Alley, Wells Fargo Charlotte Region Community Banking President. “Our support for the Gantt Symposium and the Kinsey Collection exhibition provides a unique opportunity for the community to experience the intersection of art, artifacts, history and legacy.”

Dr. Gates’ lecture, “Finding Your Roots,” will be a lively discussion about individual lineage and American history. Gates will address research and DNA analysis and will also share poignant family stories during the presentation. A Q&A session, facilitated by Harvey Gantt, will follow.

Dr. Gates wrote and produced the PBS documentary entitled “African-American Lives,” the first documentary series to utilize genealogy and science to provide an understanding of African-American history. His latest PBS special, “Finding Your Roots” examines the nation’s shared history as Dr. Gates peers into the family genealogies of a number of well-known personalities.

Wells Fargo is funding the national tour of the Kinsey Collection – an exhibition of authentic and rare art, artifacts, books, documents and manuscripts that tell the story of African-American achievement and contribution – to honor the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation,

Tickets to the symposium go on sale to the public May 1, 2013, at (www.GanttCenter.org). Seats are $20 – $35 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets to the post-event reception and preview of the Kinsey Collection on June 27 at the Gantt Center are available as an add-on for an additional $15.

Founded in 1974, Charlotte’s Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture (formerly the Afro-American Cultural Center) exists to present, preserve and celebrate the art, history and culture of African-Americans and those of African descent through dance, music, visual and literary arts, film, educational programs, theatre productions and community outreach. Named for Harvey B. Gantt, the prominent Charlotte architect and 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. Please visit (www.ganttcenter.org).

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, and the Internet (www.wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2012 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.

Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research at Harvard University, and has been credited with transforming the school’s African-American studies program. He is a literary critic, educator, scholar, writer and editor and has been named one of “Time” magazine’s 25 Most Influential Americans. Gates earned a BA summa cum laude in History from Yale University. He continued his education at Clare College at the University of Cambridge, earning his MA and PhD in English literature, making him the first African-American to receive a PhD from the university.

The Kinsey Collection strives to educate, motivate & inspire Americans to learn more about the remarkable contributions of African-Americans in building America. The Kinsey Collection has been featured on “CBS Sunday Morning” and scores of television and radio shows and in newspapers and magazines nationally. It has been cited in three national awards including the nation’s highest honor, The President’s Medal for Museum and Library Services, and was selected one of the “Top Ten Exhibits to See in the World.” With their son Khalil, the Kinseys have developed a 198-page coffee table book that has been adopted by the State of Florida to teach African-American history, and a companion lecture series titled “What You Didn’t Learn in High School History.” The Kinsey Collection exhibition has been on display in eight museums including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, with an iteration of the collection showing at EPCOT Center, Walt Disney World Resort through 2015.

For further info call the Center at 704/547-3700 or visit (www.ganttcenter.org).

Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte, NC, Offers Lecture and Conference on F.O.O.D. (Food, Objects, Objectives, Design) – Apr. 25 & 26, 2013

The public is invited to join a roster of chefs, writers, historians, and international designers – led by internationally renowned architect Michael Graves – who are visiting the museum later this month for a conference devoted to the innovative Mint-organized “F.O.O.D. (Food, Objects, Objectives, Design)” exhibition. Graves will be speaking on Apr. 25, 2013, as part of the Mint’s Contemporary Architecture + Design (CAD) Series at Mint Museum Uptown, in Charlotte, NC, which will serve as the F.O.O.D. Conference’s keynote address, and the day-long conference which follows on Apr. 26, 2013.

Michael Graves and his firms have received more than 200 awards for design excellence since he founded his practice in 1964, including the 1999 National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton. Michael Graves & Associates provides planning, architecture and interior design services, and Michael Graves Design Group specializes in product design, graphics and branding. As one of the most well-recognized contemporary architects in the country, Graves is widely credited with the ‘democratization of design’ through his partnership and accessible product line with Target.

“Good design not only addresses practical problems, it humanizes the products we use daily. Fittingly, the Mint’s CAD Series (Contemporary Architecture + Design) concludes its season and opens the F.O.O.D. Conference with a lecture by Michael Graves, the visionary architect and designer. More than anyone else, Graves has changed the field by championing good design as essential to everyday life, and by creating objects that are accessible, intuitive, functional and beautiful,” said Cheryl Palmer, the Mint’s director of Learning & Engagement.

Graves’ lecture begins at 7pm and the lecture is $5 for museum members, $15 for non-members, and free for students with valid ID. A light reception precedes the program at 6pm. Registration is required by visiting (www.mintmuseum.org/happenings).

The F.O.O.D. Conference promises a day of learning and creativity with presentations from industry leading writers, historians, chefs, and designers to complement the museum’s current exhibition devoted to objects designed to prepare, cook, and present food. The conference sessions mirror the four sections of the “F.O.O.D.” exhibition – Kitchen, Pantry, Table and Garden.

Presenters include Jessica Harris, author of 11 cookbooks and contributor to magazines such as Gourmet and Saveur; James Beard Award-winning author, bread expert and Johnson & Wales chef Peter Reinhart; Darra Goldstein, food historian and founding editor of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, named the 2012 Publication of the Year by the James Beard Foundation; Asheville-based architect Ken Gaylord, and Matteo Bologna, founding partner and principal of Mucca Design in New York.

Designers Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of the FormaFantasma Studio, who created the work “Autarchy” for the Mint’s “F.O.O.D.” exhibition, will also be presenting. Based on a prototype from 2011, this version of Autarchy was created especially for the Mint, and is made of agriculture waste, spices such as turmeric and paprika, and Geechie Boy corn meal. The two Italian designers are based in The Netherlands and their work seeks to bridge the relationship between craft, industry, object, and user. This is the studio’s first showing in an American museum. In 2011 the studio was nominated as one of the 20 most promising young design studios by Alice Rawsthorn, the design critic of The New York Times and Paola Antonelli, the senior design curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.

“Designers are creative individuals who apply art and engineering to solve a problem. Regarding food, that problem might be making a spoon that holds just the right amount of liquid, that is comfortable to hold, and that looks really cool.  It might be creating a kitchen that incorporates sustainable appliances, green machines, and ergonomic furniture.  And it could even be coming up with a typeface, and innovative graphic designs, for restaurant advertisements, menus, or cookbooks. The Mint’s F.O.O.D. Conference brings together top international talent – chefs, culinary historians, designers, and architects –  to discuss their perspectives on the meaning of table, pantry, kitchen, and garden in our lives today,” said Annie Carlano, the Mint’s director of craft + design.

The conference runs from 9:30am-4pm and the cost for Mint or Center for Craft, Creativity and Design members is $60 with a box lunch and includes admission to Michael Graves’ CAD lecture. Cost for non-members is $85 with a box lunch, or $100 for lunch and admission to the Graves CAD lecture. Registration is required at (www.mintmuseum.org/happenings).

The conference is co-presented with The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design in Hendersonville, NC, and funded by the Founders’ Circle. In-kind partners include Johnson & Wales University and The Mother Earth Group. Michael Graves’ lecture is generously supported by a grant from the Arts & Science Council.

The “F.O.O.D.” exhibition features approximately 300 modern and contemporary pieces, including unique and mass-produced works chosen from the Mint’s permanent collection, loans and new acquisitions. The exhibition is co-organized by the research center FoodCultura, Barcelona, and remains on view through July 7, 2013. “F.O.O.D. (Food, Objects, Objectives, Design)” is made possible through major support from PNC with additional support from Piedmont Natural Gas. Acquisition support was provided by the Design Committee of The Mint Museum.

For more information, visit (www.mintmuseum.org).

Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC, Invites People to “Slow Art Day” Event – Apr. 27, 2013

“Slow Art Day” is the global all-volunteer event with a simple mission: help more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art. Join us in the Ross Gallery on Central Piedmont Community College Central Campus in Charlotte, NC, on Saturday, Apr. 27, 2013, at 11am to SLOWLY view 5 predetermined pieces of art by artists Amy Bagwell and Kit Kube.

Lunch and discussion to follow at Viva Chicken on Elizabeth Ave. Register now at (http://slowartcpcc2013.eventbrite.com/#).

You can see more about Slow Art Day and the mission behind it at this website at (http://SlowArtDay.com).

For more information, contact CPCC Art Gallery Coordinator Grace Cote by e-mail at (grace.cote@cpcc.edu) or call 705/330-6211.

5th Charlotte Fine Art Show™Taking Place at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC, Calls for Participation by Professional Artists – Deadline is Mar. 30, 2013

The 5th Charlotte Fine Art Show™ will take place at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC, on May 10-12, 2013.

Event is limited to 105 artists

Prime event location indoors at the Convention Center – weather is not a factor

Plenty of discounted patron parking at LAZ/Westin Parking for $6 or Nascar Parking lot $7 (NOTE: Nascar Museum built a garage with 900 parking spots in 2009, connected to the Convention Center and is available for parking for Convention Center events)

Unparalleled respect for participating artists

No buy/sell

Juried by art professionals

A Show Director who truly cares about the success of the artists

$1,500 in Artist Awards

Top dollar advertising and promotion including: Broadcast TV, Public Radio, Classical Radio, Social Media targeted demographic, Magazines, Charlotte Art Guide, Billboards, Large banners hung on the street viaducts in downtown Charlotte, Posters, Post cards, Patron list from previous Charlotte shows

Thursday set up

Friendly and experienced professional event crew

Booth sitters available

Overnight security provided

Late Applications Being Accepted thru March 30 online at (www.Zapplication.org).

For more info contact Patty Narozny by calling 248/684-2613 or visit (www.hotworks.org).

We’re not successful until you are!

Artist Testimonials:

“The downtown area is a growing part of Charlotte. The performance arts are a very viable part of Charlotte. I would like to see the visual arts grow into the same entity.  When ACC was operating the show advertising was not as strong as Patty has been able to achieve.  It will just take time to bring it back but I know a lot of people that never missed the show. This is the only indoor show in Charlotte. For a city so large this show is a premier show.
Mia Tyson, Fiber, Tega Cay, SC

“I was pleased to see those patrons who attended the American Craft Council Show welcome back a quality event like Patty’s Charlotte Fine Art Show.”
Edward Barnes, Wood, Woolwine, VA

“Hot Works has done a superb job in promoting this show in the Charlotte and surrounding areas.  The word is out, attendance is up and there is the potential to make great sales at this event!”
Lori Warren, Jewelry-Precious, Stanley, NC

“I want to do your Charlotte Fine Art Show™ because you are an experienced, concerned and energetic organizer who works hard to put together a good show for the artists. I want to do Charlotte because it is a promising market where, in spite of the overall poor economy, I was found by some sophisticated knowledgeable buyers. Let’s also consider the added comfort of an indoor show; and one that is still affordable is to be cherished and supported!
Kathleen Weir-West, Fiber, Hendersonville, NC

“I’ve done several Hot Works shows – each one has improved upon the other – and they get substantially better than the others even “under difficult times”.  She brings the people out and they buy.  I love the way Patty runs her shows; she is getting a great reputation as a hard working promoter that cares about the artists.”
Jonathon G. Stopper, Jewelry, Sarasota, FL

A Floating Garden of Salt to Take Shape at Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte, NC

The public is invited to take part in an unprecedented event at Mint Museum Uptown as internationally renowned artist Motoi Yamamoto visits to create a temporary large-scale work from Feb. 18 through Mar. 2, 2013, then help dismantle it on Mar. 3, 2013.

Motoi, who calls his native Japan home, will be in the Robert Haywood Morrison Atrium creating his saltwork, to be entitled “Floating Garden” and the public is invited to watch him at work during regular museum hours. Atrium access is free, although visitors must pay admission to experience the saltwork from higher vantage points within the five-story space. The museum is normally closed on Mondays but will also grant free public access to the atrium level on Feb. 18 and 25 (no other areas of the museum will be open those days). The museum will also continue to grant free access to all levels each Tuesday from 5-9pm, the Mint’s normally scheduled free hours. The work will be celebrated at a “First Look Friday” on Mar. 1 at 6:30pm, remain on view Mar. 2, and then be dismantled on Mar. 3.

“Japanese installation artist Motoi Yamamoto’s residency here in Charlotte is another opportunity for the Mint to present to our community innovative works by an international roster of artists,” said Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint.

“In Japan, salt is a symbol of purification and is also used in funeral ceremonies. Motoi’s remarkable body of work was born out his grief following the death of his young sister in 1994 from brain cancer. It was at that point Motoi adopted salt as his primary medium and for almost twenty years, he has developed a unique artistic expression that celebrates both life and remembrance,” said Brad Thomas, the Mint’s curator of modern & contemporary art. “It is not until you experience Motoi and his work in person that the true impact of his singular, yet universal, journey is felt.”

The “First Look Friday” from 6:30-11pm on Mar. 1 is free to Mint members and tickets are available to non-members for $15 per person. The night will also celebrate the openings of two other special exhibitions at Mint Museum Uptown, “F.O.O.D.” (Food, Objects, Objectives, Design) and “Sociales: Débora Arango Arrives Today,” as well as including a multicultural “Mint to Move” dance party (more details on all exhibitions and events available at www.mintmuseum.org).

The community is also invited to help dismantle the saltwork at a special ceremony on Mar. 3 at 1:30pm. Visitors may collect salt in specially designed containers to be released back into a body of water so that it may re-enter the natural cycle. Participants are encouraged to document their own personal ceremonies and upload images to Motoi’s website at (www.motoi.biz), and the Mint’s Facebook page, (www.facebook.com/mintmuseum).

Motoi Yamamoto was born in Onomichi, Hiroshima, in 1966 and received his BA from Kanazawa College of Art in 1995. He has exhibited his award-winning creations in such cities as Athens, Cologne, Jerusalem, Mexico City, Seoul, Tokyo, and Toulouse. He was awarded the Philip Morris Art Award in 2002 as well as the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 2003.

The saltwork’s creation leads up to the opening of the exhibition “Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto”, which will be on view in the Modern & Contemporary galleries of Mint Museum Uptown from Mar. 2 through May 26, 2013. The exhibition features a smaller saltwork along with a series of recent works on paper, mixed media works, a video about the artist, and a 170-page color catalogue documenting twelve years of the artist’s saltworks around the world. The catalogue includes essays by Mark Sloan, director and senior curator of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at College of Charleston School of the Arts, and Mark Kurlansky, author of the “New York Times” best seller “Salt: A World History”.

“Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto” is presented to the community with generous support from Sapporo USA Inc. and Tryon Distributing. Organized by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston School of the Arts. Learning and engagement programming for the exhibition is generously underwritten by the Mint Museum Auxiliary.

For more information, visit (www.mintmuseum.org).

Proposed Art for LYNX Blue Line Extension Highlights Winthrop University Professors – Tom Stanley and Shaun Cassidy

Two Winthrop University professors were selected out of hundreds to integrate public art into the LYNX Blue Line Extension Project in Charlotte, NC. Now through March 30, their proposed art will be on display as a part of the LYNX Blue Line Extension Art Exhibition.

The exhibition, which opened Jan. 14, features art from Tom Stanley, chair of the Department of Fine Arts and Shaun Cassidy, associate professor of fine arts. The exhibition is on view in the Storrs Building Gallery at UNC-Charlotte, located at 9201 University City Boulevard.

Cassidy said the application process was very competitive. He and Stanley, along with 14 other artists, were chosen to design integrated public art that would be included in the light rail stations and system. The exhibition will be the public’s first glance at the proposed art. The Blue Line Extension will begin at 9th Street in Center City, continue through the North Davidson neighborhood and end at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte Campus.

This opportunity arose through an ongoing collaboration with Cassidy, Stanley explained. The two began collaborating in 2006 and applied for the CATS project in 2009.

“Though we originally applied for the Blue Line Extension as a team, we are now working on two separate stations,” he said. “We divided stations so they each have distinct features.”

Cassidy is working on the McCullough station while Stanley is working on the Tom Hunter station. Stanley worked with students at Hidden Valley Elementary School and Martin Luther King Middle School in Charlotte, and he said their ideas will be a significant part of the art at his station.

The exhibit will remain at the Storrs Building until Feb. 28, when it will move to the Innovation Institute at McColl Center for Visual Art from March 8-30.

The exhibition is sponsored by the CATS Art-in-Transit program with support from the Innovation Institute, McColl Center for Visual Art and the UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture.

For further information call 803/323-2236 or e-mail to (smithne@winthrop.edu).

The Charlotte (NC) Fine Art Show™ by Patty Narozny and Hot Work™ Fine Art and Craft Shows, Takes Place – May 10-12, 2013

The Charlotte (NC) Fine Art Show™ by Patty Narozny and Hot Work™ Fine Art and Craft Shows, will take place over 3 days, May 10-12, 2013, Friday, 11am to 7pm; Saturday, 10am to 5pm; and Sunday, 10am to 5pm.

The 5th Annual Charlotte Fine Art Show™will take place in Uptown (downtown) Charlotte at the Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College – regardless of weather outside, it’s beautiful inside!

A Show Director with a National Standing and Reputation

Extensive media support behind the event, including broadcast TV, Radio, Print, and more!

And the best news yet…It’s a Hot Works show and promises to be a Patty Narozny signature event!

Please join us for our 5th Annual Charlotte Fine Art Show™

Deadline for professional artists to apply is December 3, 2012

Applications accepted via “manual” ($20) at (www.HotWorks.org) OR electronically via (www.Zapplication.org) ($30)

Booth fees: 10’x10’ $725; 10’x15’ $1,025; 10’x20’ $1,325; $100 corner; $85 electric

Please contact Patty Narozny with any questions at (patty@hotworks.org) or call 248/684-2613.

This is your opportunity to get in on an important regional event and art fair.

We hope to see you in Charlotte May 10-12, 2013!