McColl Center

Have you experienced the Milestone – the iconic Charlotte club that has hosted bands like R.E.M., Nirvana, and the Ramones over its 50+ year history? The Contemporaries, McColl Center’s art collecting community, recently enjoyed a private event there, featuring artist Katrina Sanchez. Like the Milestone, McColl Center is a place where artists get their start and grow their careers.? Katrina Sanchez is one of four commissioned artists for the inaugural year of the Contemporaries. Kat’s large scale, soft sculptures feature brightly colored knitted noodles that play with the concepts of healing, security, and connection. She also creates social sculpture experiences through an interactive, community process. Our members had great fun and made two pieces together! Kat’s works can be seen around Charlotte, NC in places like the corporate offices of Lowe's Companies, Inc. and TIAA.? If you are interested in art and collecting, you can join the Contemporaries as a member as we celebrate creativity and community, commission unique artworks, host studio visits, workshops, and collector talks. There will be three more events in the inaugural year of the Contemporaries. Year Two will start in Fall 2025. Details coming soon!?? Many thanks to Sharon Dowell for her vision, Katrina Sanchez for her magical community-building experience and fantastic artwork, and to the Milestone for opening its doors!????

McColl Center is proud to partner with Bank of America to provide studio and lab space, where local artists develop skills, build community, and create. For 25 years, McColl Center has nurtured artistic growth in both the Charlotte region and around the globe. Come see creativity in action on Open Studio Saturday! On November 23, artists will open their studios from 12-6 pm. Get an exclusive look at works in progress, view three stunning exhibitions, and check out live demos in our Printmaking, 3D, and Sculpture Labs. Exhibitions include: - Ties That Bind by Mitchell Kearney - The Audacity - Fall 2024 Artist-in-Residence Showcase Artists Cathy McClure, Melissa Stutts, Madison Foss, Melanee Hamilton, Erin Svitko, and Doris Kapner will be in their studios starting at 12pm. Demos begin at 1pm. Mitchell Kearney will be on-site from 2-4pm to talk about our newest exhibition Ties That Bind.

McColl Center is thrilled to announce Asa Jackson as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 6, 2025. Jackson, a multidisciplinary artist and accomplished arts leader, emerged as the top candidate after a nationwide search conducted by McColl Center's Board of Directors in partnership with Nexus Search Partners. Thank you to all involved in the process. As a McColl Center artist-in-residence alum,?Jackson brings a deep connection to McColl Center’s mission, along with a wealth of experience in nonprofit arts leadership. He co-founded and served as Executive Director of the Contemporary Arts Network (CAN) Foundation, a thriving arts nonprofit in Newport News, Virginia, dedicated to building sustainable careers for artists through community-focused initiatives, professional development, and strategic partnerships. "Asa Jackson’s dedication to fostering artistic talent, paired with his experience as a nonprofit leader, makes him an extraordinary choice for McColl Center’s future," said Vicki Block, Chair of McColl Center’s Board of Directors. "We’re excited to see him carry forward our mission and deepen our impact in the arts community." As an artist, Jackson has exhibited widely, with recent showings at prominent venues such as MoCA Arlington, the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center in Charlotte. His works are also part of prestigious collections, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Capital One Corporate Collection, The Rockwell Museum, and the Hascoe Collection. His leadership experience extends beyond the studio; Jackson served on the board of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, where he acted as Chair for the 2022 fiscal year, advocating for public funding and policy that strengthens the arts sector. Read the full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/en2iS5rC

Recently, Artist Ivan Depe?a and designer Natalie Papier came together for a fascinating conversation with moderator and muralist Sharon Dowell for members of the Contemporaries – McColl Center’s new art collecting community. Previously, the duo collaborated on a curated art experience at Ello House, a luxury apartment building in Charlotte’s South End. Hosted at Depe?a’s studio, Ivan and Natalie shared details about their backgrounds, processes, inspirations, and current projects. Their scientific and emotional approaches to color made for a thoughtful and varied discussion. Ivan Toth Depe?a is a Hispanic-American artist currently based in Charlotte, NC. Depe?a began as an architecture student, with a graduate degree from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. After living in New York, NY and Miami, FL, Depe?a came to Charlotte, as an artist-in-residence at McColl Center. His work is informed by his experience in art, architecture, technology and design and encompasses a wide variety of media.?? ? Natalie Papier is a designer, artist, and the founder of Home Ec, an interior design company. A lifelong love of eclectic and colorful things informs her work, whether it be in residential homes, a luxury apartment building, writing her recent book Start with the Art, or as the lead designer on Artfully Designed, a Magnolia Network show. An artist herself, Natalie believes deeply in supporting local artists and much of her design centers around the character of art pieces.????

Mitchell Kearney started his photography career in the 1970’s photographing rock icons like Lou Reed, the Ramones, Iggy Pop, Pater Gabriel, and Debbie Harry. In 1999, Suzanne Fetscher, founding president of McColl Center?and an artist herself, asked Kearney to photograph the working artists of the recently launched urban artist’s colony artist in uptown Charlotte. His charge – to offer a glimpse into how art is made, and to show a place that connects community to the artist at work, not just the finished artwork. As we celebrate 25 years of McColl Center, it is only fitting to showcase the artists who were in residence in our early years through the photos of Kearney.? 'Ties that Bind: Portraits by Mitchell Kearney of the Artists at McColl Center 1999-2008' opens November 14, 2024. Through this exhibition, we gain insight into the early artists-in-residence, their moments of creative energy, and the beauty of the historic building in which it happened. The opening reception is Thursday, November 14 from 6-8 pm. Join us to witness this foundational history. Images: - Mitchell Kearney, headshot courtesy of the artist. - Debbie Harry of Blondie performs at Max’s Kansas City in New York, 1977. Shot by Mitchell Kearney. - Alum Sara Hughes, 2008. Shot by Mitchell Kearney.

We love the extraordinary events that others put on in our building. Our space is versatile and creative! Recently, we’ve had a rock video recorded, a fashion show, a community forum with a nationally acclaimed author, workshops for teacher training, and fundraising events, not to mention a host of holiday parties, and many, many wedding receptions. If you are interested in an artful space for your event, contact James Minton at [email protected] Elevation Church, Daltile, Wiley Cash, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Moore & Van Allen PLLC?

Welcome to artists Chakaia Booker and Phil Sanders who join McColl Center as Catalyst Artists-in-Residence this month. Booker is an internationally renowned and widely collected American sculptor. Sanders is a master printer, educator, author, artist, and arts business consultant. Together they will make use of McColl Center’s printmaking lab and equipment to explore their latest creative endeavor. Our Catalyst Residency program invites nationally acclaimed artists in advanced stages of their careers to complete specific short-term projects. This program is part of the spectrum of creative development available to artists at McColl Center. ?

It is an honor to welcome McColl Center artists-in-residence Claire Kiester, Andrew Leventis, and Cathy McClure! Claire and Andrew are Charlotte-based artists and Cathy joins us from Seattle. These artists specialize in realism, fiber, and metal materials. They will spend the next fourteen weeks immersing themselves in their creative processes and pushing the boundaries of their respective mediums.? They get all the amenities of a McColl Center residency – a generous stipend, complimentary housing, a private studio, access to all our artmaking labs, curator visits, and much more.? Our fall residencies are generously supported by Atrium Health, the The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Windgate Foundation.??

McColl Center’s Contemporaries members recently enjoyed an exciting art reveal of commissioned works by artist Matthew Steele. Many thanks to Hodges Taylor Art Consultancy for hosting the event in their extraordinary space in South End, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery for providing great beer, and Sharon Dowell for being the creative spirit behind the Contemporaries. ? The next Contemporaries’ event in October is an intimate conversation about color theory with Natalie Papier of Home Ec and a tour of McColl Center alumni artist Ivan Depe?a’s studio.? The Contemporaries is a new art collecting community poised to revolutionize the Charlotte art scene. Members receive commissioned artworks and participate in artist studio visits, workshops, and collector talks. The events are scattered across the city in interesting and eclectic settings. Collector memberships are sold out, but a few supporters memberships are available here: https://lnkd.in/e7QV_5yW

McColl Center celebrates 25 years! In the late 1990s, city leaders recognized Charlotte’s need for greater support of artists and the arts. Studio space for artists was an important element. From those discussions came the vision for an artists’ center. In 1999, McColl Center (then Tryon Center for Visual Arts) opened its doors to nine artists who set up their studios and got to work, exploring ideas, building artistic practices, and making art. Since then, McColl Center’s residency program has provided space, resources, and community to nearly 500 contemporary artists from around the world and around the block.? We are deeply grateful to Hugh McColl, for his vision and support, the team of art lovers, artists, and Charlotte champions that turned an idea for an urban art colony into a reality, to FMK Architects and Rodgers Builders, Inc. for their creative redesign and build of the burned-out church, and to Suzanne Fetscher and Alli Celebron-Brown for their visionary leadership over the past 25 years.? Let the celebration begin!?Learn more at mccollcenter.org/25 Images: - McColl Center after renovations in the late 90s - The burned down church pre-renovation - Brittney Leeanne Williams in her studio (2019) - Dan Allegrucci in the Printmaking Lab (2010-2011) - Sara Hughes on the 3rd floor (2008) - Hongsock Lee in the Metalworking Lab (2008)