ART + Architecture
Charlotte to work with residents of Brightwalk, an emerging mixed-income village. They will design and install original works of art that address an identified environmental challenge in the community and provide safe, inviting outdoor gathering spaces.” Art associated with Brightwalk might be an innovative take on a bus stop pavilion or a playground design or a community garden mosaic. This art will be collaborative and community-focused but it will not be capable of being collected. It will not be bought, sold or exhibited in traditional gallery/museum constructs. In sponsoring the Brightwalk Project, the Center has moved into the realm of engineering social advancement. The Center’s mission appears to be headed, full throttle, towards Social Practice. In a recent New York times article, Social Practice was described as a type of art which “freely blurs the lines among object making, performance, political activism, community organizing and environmentalism, creating a deeply participatory art that often flourishes outside the gallery and museum system.” Social Practice, by its very nature, defies the parameters which define the art museum, as it is rarely conceived with an exhibition in mind. Social Practice involves art that, like BrightWalk, is often run by collaboratives and may be
made over the course of months or even years. The Center is also supporting other efforts, such as the Fundred Dollar Bill Project which is raising awareness about hidden lead contamination in our residential environments. Such forays into Social Practice are putting the Center on the map as a leader in supporting the creation of this community based form of art. Taken together, the Mint, the Bechtler, and the McColl Center are varied and impressive venues in which to view contemporary art. Perhaps more significantly, prior to the burgeoning interest in contemporary art in Charlotte many felt the arts scene in Charlotte had a polarizing effect on the community at large, while recently one can observe the flip side of this phenomenon—with art now serving as a catalyst to bring the community together. Editor’s note: Brad Thomas is currently the Director of Residencies and Exhibitions at the McColl Center for Visual Art. n
Mint Museum at Levine Center for the Arts 500 South Tryon Street, 704-337-2000 Bechtler Museum of Modern Art 420 South Tryon Street, 704-353-9200 McColl Center for Visual Art 721 North Tryon Street, 704-332-5535
September 2013
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