Public is invited to join our grand re-opening and exciting fall lineup

Following a five-week closure for floor refinishing and other improvements, Mint Museum Uptown will re-open its doors to the public Wednesday August 15, and is inviting the public to join a jam-packed lineup of special events in the coming weeks to celebrate its grand-reopening; welcome its new President & CEO, Todd A. Herman PhD; and enjoy a new fall lineup of exhibitions, as well as new features in its permanent collection galleries. Upcoming events include:

Fall exhibition lineup ahead

In the permanent collection galleries, visitors will encounter new frames on signature works of art, as well as newly installed works in the Schiff-Bresler Family Fiber Art Gallery on Level 3. Following the September events, the community is invited to mark its calendars for the Mint’s spectacular fall exhibition lineup, which includes:

African-Print Fashion Now! A Story of Taste, Globalization, & Style : October 7, 2018-April 28, 2019 at Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road; Mint member-only hours Friday October 5, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday October 6, 1-5 p.m.; two fashion designers, Titi Ademola and Alexis Temomanin, speak at 2 p.m. on Sunday October 7. This exhibition introduces visitors to a dynamic and diverse dress tradition and the increasingly interconnected fashion worlds that it inhabits: “popular” garments created by local seamstresses and tailors across the continent; international runway fashions designed by Africa’s newest generation of couturiers; and boundary-breaking, transnational and youth styles favored in Africa’s urban centers. All feature the colorful, boldly designed, manufactured cotton textiles that have come to be known as “African-print cloth.” The exhibition is organized by the Fowler Museum at UCLA in association with Vlisco Netherlands B.V. It is guest curated by Suzanne Gott with Kristyne S. Loughran, Betsy D. Quick, and Leslie W. Rabine. Major funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts with the additional support of R.L. Shep, DutchCulture, and the Pasadena Art Alliance. It is presented in Charlotte by PNC Financial Services, with additional support by Wells Fargo Private Bank.

Michael Sherrill Retrospective : October 27, 2018-April 7, 2019 at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street; Mint member-only hours 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. on Friday October 26; Sherrill gives a free public talk 11 a.m. Saturday October 27. In his delicately rendered sculptures Michael Sherrill seeks to elicit a sense of wonder from viewers, and to make them see things fresh. Working with clay, glass, and metal, his exquisite floral forms have the allure of Martin Johnson Heade’s passion flower and orchid paintings and the botanical engravings of John James Audubon, at the same time they are remarkably new. This retrospective will illustrate the artist’s evolution over his more than 40-year career and highlight his contributions to contemporary art, craft, and design. Primarily a self-taught artist, Sherrill moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to the Western North Carolina mountains in 1974. His early influences came from the North Carolina folk pottery tradition and the community surrounding Penland School of Crafts and the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild. Exhibition organized by The Mint Museum. Generous support for the exhibition catalogue and tour provided by the Windgate Foundation; additional funding from the Founders’ Circle Ltd. and Bank of America.

Under Construction: Postwar Collage at The Mint Museum : December 1, 2018-Aug. 18, 2019 at Mint Museum Uptown. This is The Mint Museum’s first large-scale exhibition to explore the dynamic medium of collage. Mint member-only hours 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday November 30. Although this artistic technique, in which materials are cut, torn, and layered to create new meanings and narratives, gained acclaim in the early twentieth century through the groundbreaking work of such artists as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Kurt Schwitters, and Jean Arp, it experienced a renaissance (particularly in America) after World War II. Charlotte native Romare Bearden is widely credited with rejuvenating and reinvigorating the technique. His work, which has long been a highlight of The Mint Museum’s collection, serves as the point of departure for this fascinating exhibition featuring more than 50 international artists and more than 100 works of art.

Visitors, staff will focus on Mint Museum Randolph during interval

Mint Museum Uptown, a soaring architectural marvel in the heart of Levine Center for the Arts, must close its doors to the public from July 9 through approximately August 17, 2018. The closure is necessary to refinish the building’s heavily-visited hardwood floors for the first time since the building opened to the public in 2010.

UPDATED: The interval falls during the highly anticipated exhibition The Glamour and Romance of Oscar de la Renta , which will be on view at Mint Museum Randolph April 29 through its recently extended closing date of August 19. “With this exhibition serving as a significant draw, along with our popular permanent collections of Decorative Arts, Ancient American, European, and African art on view at Mint Museum Randolph, we expect the Mint will continue to be a strong force for visitors and tourism during the summer,” said Hillary Cooper, Director of Advancement & Communications for the Mint.

A committee representing the City of Charlotte (which owns the Mint’s two buildings), Mint staff, and other stakeholders determined the temporary closure of the 175,000 square foot uptown location is necessary to protect the public, staff, and art collection while the project is underway. Mint staff will either relocate to offices at the Randolph location or work remotely during the interval. The Mint Museum Uptown Shop and Halcyon, Flavors from the Earth restaurant will experience a briefer impact, with closing anticipated between July 25 and August 1.

Some dates may be subject to change, and the Mint will use its website, eblasts, and social media to keep the public informed throughout the project.

“The public will be invited to a grand re-opening celebration soon after we re-open,” said Cooper. “We expect this improvement to keep Mint Museum Uptown’s role as a premier center city destination secure for many years to come.” NOTE: Festivities are now planned for the weekend of September 14-15, 2018; keep an eye on mintmuseum.org/happenings for details.

NEW: During the closure, Mint Museum members will receive FREE admission to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture . Not yet a member? Visit mintmuseum.org/join . Additionally, Mint members receive a 10 percent discount in the Bechtler shop! All museums rely on their members to support their access to the community; please consider also becoming a member of the Bechtler and the Gantt Center in addition to the Mint.

FREE MINT MEMBER YOGA: Offered by N.C. Yoga Bar each Wednesday evening will move to Mint Museum Randolph from July 18 through mid-August!