One of the things that I enjoy most as a curator is discovering and learning about artists and works of art that are new to me, and then sharing what I’ve found with museum visitors. The exhibition Southern/Modern is the result of this curiosity.
Nell Choate Jones (1879-1981). Georgia Red Clay, 1946, oil on canvas. Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA. 1989.01094
While the South’s contributions to American literature and music during the first half of the 20th century have long been recognized, the region’s visual arts have remained underappreciated. A curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art famously scoffed in 1949, “little of artistic merit was made south of Baltimore.” To date there have been very few major exhibitions to survey the region’s art, and none that have focused on the modern period during which the South has traditionally been seen, as noted by The Met’s curator, as a kind of artistic backwater.
The inception of an exhibition
While the general public likely does not consider the time it takes to bring a special exhibition to life, the fact is that most are the product of years of behind-the-scenes work. This can involve visits to other museums and private collections, preparing grant applications, creating object checklists, drafting loan requests, working with authors and publishers, and more — and that’s all before the art even arrives in the building! A typical exhibition containing numerous loans like Southern/Modern likely takes a minimum of three to four years to develop. Southern/Modern, however, has been in the works for over a decade!
Elaine Kooning (1918-89). Black Mountain #6, 1948, enamel on paper mounted on canvas. The Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington, NY. Museum purchase. 1991.20.
I began thinking about this exhibition in 2008 as I got to know the Mint’s collection in depth in preparation for its reinstallation at the soon-to-open Mint Museum Uptown. As I dug into the Mint’s holdings and began to meet other colleagues at museums in the region, I found myself constantly surprised to encounter outstanding works of art by artists from the South who I had not heard of and who were not part of the mainstream history of American art. I thought that the best way to share this knowledge would be to organize an exhibition that brought together the best of this work, which had been studied and exhibited within the region but not benefitted from being brought together and seen as a whole.
To ensure that we were creating an inclusive and comprehensive survey, co-curator Martha Severens and I crowdsourced colleagues across the Southeast asking for feedback on our initial checklist to see what was missing. We also decided that while the majority of the artists in the exhibition lived, worked, and taught in the South, it also would be important to include the work of others from outside the region who created meaningful bodies of work based on their experiences and time in the South, such as Thomas Hart Benton, Jacob Lawrence, and Eldzier Cortor. We also included artists like Romare Bearden, who left the South at an early age but whose work consistently referred to his memories and experiences in the South. With many conversations and a great deal of research, Southern/Modern came together.
While some of the work in Southern/Modern shows artists engaging with modernism by pushing their works towards simplification of form, bold coloration, and ultimately abstraction, many of the artists focused on addressing topics relevant to the era. Their works were “modern” in the progressive sense of calling attention to contemporary issues and often advocating for social change. Race, gender, urban growth, industrial development, land use and the environment, religion, family, social change, class differences … all of these topics can be found throughout the exhibition.
The exhibition not only depicts life in the South then, but makes apparent how relevant these same issues in the South are today. It features 100 paintings, prints, and drawings, gathered from over 50 public and private collections, which are significant for both their artistic merit and subject matter. We hope that after visiting Southern/Modern you will have a better appreciation for the powerful art created in the South during the first half of the 20th century and be inspired to think more about your own relationship to the South and what it means to be a “modern” Southerner in 2024.
Southern/Modern is generously presented in Charlotte by Wells Fargo and the Dowd Foundation. Major support for the tour and exhibition catalogue are provided by the Henry Luce Foundation, the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Betsy and Alfred Brand Fund at The Mint Museum. Individual sponsorship is kindly provided by Julie Boldt and Dhruv Yadav, Lucy and Hooper Hardison, Posey and Mark Mealy, and Rocky and Curtis Trenkelbach.
Jonathan Stuhlman, PhD, is the senior curator of American Art at The Mint Museum.
This article originally appeared in the fall 2024 issue of Inspired magazine, the Mint’s member magazine.
The Mint Museum announces Southern/Modern, the first exhibition to present a comprehensive survey of works by artists working in the American South in the first half of the 20th century
Charlotte, North Carolina (June 25, 2024) — The Mint Museum is proud to present the exhibition Southern/Modern, opening October 26 at Mint Museum Uptown. The exhibition is the first to provide a comprehensive survey of progressive art created in the American South during the first half of the 20th century.
Created in collaboration with Georgia Museum of Art, the exhibition includes more than 100 paintings and works on paper by artists working in states below the Mason-Dixon line and as far west as those bordering the Mississippi River, as well as some artists living outside of the region who made significant bodies of work during visits.
Curated by the Mint’s Senior Curator of American Art Jonathan Stuhlman, PhD, and independent scholar Martha Severens, Southern/Modern takes a broad view of the South and is structured around key themes that traverse geographic regions, including time and place, race, family ties, and social struggles. It also takes a broad, inclusive view of the art of the region, incorporating the creativity and talent of women artists and artists of color across its various thematic sections to provide a fuller, richer, and more accurate overview of the artistic activity in the American South at the time.
“The vision for Southern/Modern to include works by artists working in the South in the early 20th century, including works by women and artists of color, opens the door for honest conversation about Southern culture during this period of time,” says Todd Herman, president and CEO at The Mint Museum. “This exhibition is a continuation of the Mint’s commitment to give space to artists with diverse backgrounds, stories, and talent that have been overshadowed in the past.”
Artists in the exhibition include Romare Bearden, John Biggers, Dusti Bonge, Carroll Cloar, Marie Hull, Jacob Lawrence, Blanche Lazzell, John McCrady, Will Henry Stevens, Hale Woodruff, “among many others both well-known and awaiting further discovery,” Stuhlman says.
“Southern/Modern began as an idea over a decade ago as I came to know our collection and other collections in the region and gained a deep appreciation for the art that I was discovering. It has truly been a pleasure and an enriching journey of discovery to bring this exhibition to life and I am both excited to share it with the public and deeply appreciative of all the private collectors and museums who generously lent their works to us,” Stuhlman says. “It was also a pleasure to work with the scholars who lent their time, talent, and insight to the informative and beautifully designed publication accompanying the show.”
Southern/Modern debuted at Georgia Museum of Art June 17-December 10, 2023 and traveled to the Frist Art Museum in Nashville, Tennessee in January 2024, then to Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee in July 2024 before opening October 26 at The Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, published by the University of North Carolina Press, containing more than 175 rich illustrations and a dozen essays by contributing curators and leading art scholars.
Southern/Modern in Charlotte is generously presented by Wells Fargo, with additional support from the Dowd Foundation. Lead grant support for the exhibition is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation with additional funding from the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Andrew Wyeth Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Betsy and Alfred Brand Fund at The Mint Museum.
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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.
Contacts: Clayton Sealey, senior director of marketing and communications clayton.sealey@mintmuseum.org | 704.534.0186 (c)
Whitfield Lovell(American, b. Bronx, NY). Deep River, 2013, fifty-six wooden discs, found objects, soil, video projections, sound, dimensions variable. Courtesy of American Federation of Arts, the artist, and DC Moore Gallery, New York.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Consisting of two monumental installations and approximately 30 additional works, Passages is the most comprehensive exhibition of artist Whitfield Lovell’s work to date
Charlotte, North Carolina (May 30, 2024) — Through intricate drawings, three-dimensional storytelling, compelling assemblages, and multisensory installations, Whitfield Lovell: Passages, presents lesser-discussed aspects of African American history that raise universal questions about identity, memory, and America’s collective heritage. The exhibition, organized by the American Federation of Arts in collaboration with artist Whitfield Lovell, will fill galleries on Level 3 and Level 4 of Mint Museum Uptown June 29–September 22, 2024. Museum admission will be free June 29 and 30 to celebrate the opening of the exhibition.
A 2007 MacArthur Foundation fellowship recipient, Whitfield Lovell is internationally renowned for his installations that incorporate masterful Conté crayon portraits of anonymous African Americans from the period between the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights Movement. Using vintage photography as his source, Lovell often pairs his subjects with found objects, evoking personal memories, ancestral connections, and the collective American past.
Passages references a central theme of Lovell’s work that explores the struggle for equality, physical migration, social progress, and self-sufficiency that have been part of the African American experience. Lovell’s work seeks to elicit a visceral response in viewers by tapping memories and emotions through sound, smell, and touch, as well as sight, says Jen Sudul Edwards, PhD, chief curator and curator of contemporary art at The Mint Museum.
“For Lovell, the design of the exhibition is integral to the experience he wants to transmit to his audiences,” Edwards says. “While this is a traveling show, Lovell and his team work closely with each institution, so each iteration best relays the intention of his work.”
The exhibition brings together for the first time two of Lovell’s experiential, immersive installations: Deep River (2013) and The Richmond Project (2001). Through a combination of video projections, sounds of lapping water and bird calls, a mound of soil, music, drawings, and everyday objects, Deep River documents the perilous journey freedom-seekers took by crossing the Tennessee River during the American Civil War.
The Richmond Project is a profound homage to the first major African American entrepreneurial community in Jackson Ward, Richmond, Virginia. Through a series of intimate domestic interior settings, the emotionally stirring installation pays tribute to the lives, names, and faces of the people who lived in this historic neighborhood.
The exhibition also includes works from Lovell’s past series, Kin (2008-2011), and his newest, The Reds (2021-2022). The Reds are presented alongside two operational telephones that, when their receivers are lifted, emit the familiar and galvanizing refrain of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The late 19th-century song conveys faith and freedom, allying exodus from enslavement to the Biblical concept of the promised land.
Charlotte is one of six stops for the national exhibition tour of Whitfield Lovell: Passages. The exhibition in Charlotte is generously presented by PNC. Individual support is kindly provided by Kelle and Len Botkin and Marshelette and Milton Prime. Major support for the national tour and exhibition catalog is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
“PNC’s support for Whitfield Lovell: Passages builds on our longstanding collaboration with The Mint Museum to deliver world-class art that both inspires and informs local audiences,” said Weston Andress, PNC regional president for Western Carolinas. “All of us at PNC look forward to helping The Mint Museum welcome visitors to this meaningful exhibit.”
UPCOMING PROGRAMMING
Artist Talk: Whitfield Lovell June 27, 7:15 PM
Mint Museum Uptown
Artist Whitfield Lovell joins Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art Jen Sudul Edwards, PhD, will discuss Whitfield Lovell: Passages and the process and motivations behind Lovell’s work. The event is free.
EXHIBITION CURATOR
Michèle Wije, PhD, is a former curator of exhibitions at the American Federation of Arts. She began her career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and has organized several exhibitions, including Sparkling Amazons: Abstract Expressionist Women of the 9th St. Show (2019) and Bisa Butler: Portraits (2020) for the Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, New York.
TICKET INFORMATION
The Mint Museum exhibition is free for members and youth ages 18 and younger; $15 for adults; $10 for seniors ages 65 and older and college students with ID. Admission is free 5-9 PM on Wednesdays. Purchase tickets at mintmuseum.org.
Museum admission will be free June 29 and 30 to celebrate the opening of the exhibition.
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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.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF ARTS
The American Federation of Arts is the leader in traveling exhibitions internationally. A nonprofit organization founded in 1909, the AFA is dedicated to enriching the public’s experience and understanding of the visual arts through organizing and touring art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishing exhibition catalogues featuring important scholarly research, and developing educational programs.
Artist Whitfield Lovell joins the Mint’s Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art Jen Sudul-Edwards, PhD, in conversation about his exhibition Whitfield Lovell: Passages that opens Saturday, June 29 at Mint Museum Uptown.
About the artist
Whitfield Lovell is internationally renowned for his masterful drawings and sensory-enveloping installations. With photographyas a source, he often pairs his subjects with found objects, evoking personal memories, ancestral connections, and the collective American past. Lovell’s work is held in the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art, High Museum of Art, and The Mint Museum. He has received numerous awards, including a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant,” an American Academy in Rome Residency, and a Joan Mitchell Foundation Award Grant.
Join a Mint Educator and Docent for a guided slow looking & mindfulness experience. Participants sketch a work of art and return to the group for discussion in the special exhibit Whitfield Lovell: Passages at Mint Uptown. Materials are provided. No sketching experience necessary.
Jessica Macks and her band perform songs from around the world in response to Craft Across Continents. Performance begins at 6:45 PM.
Free museum admission, cash bar. Galleries open late!
Wednesday Night Live is presented by Bank of America.
Senior Curator of American Art Jonathan Stuhlman, PhD, will moderate a discussion with the local artists about their works featured in the installation Echoes: Artists Respond to Carolina Shout. Museum admission is free, cash bar. Galleries are open until 9 PM.
Panelists include:
Carla-Aaron Lopez
Susan Brenner
Tom Delaney
Juan Logan
Malik J. Norman
Beverly Smith
Dammit Wesley
Liliya Zalevskaya
Legendary songwriter, producer, rapper, and MC Mad Skillz (Shaqwan Lewis) has now added another professional credential to his resume: filmmaker. See the documentary, “Mad Skillz and the 90s Girl Brunch” (2024) that chronicles the artist’s experience building a community of music lovers via the Internet during Covid.
Skillz has long been recognized as a pioneer in the hip-hop world, from his early days as an emerging rapper signed to Timbaland’s label, to touring with icons like Missy Elliott and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Further, Skillz’s recognition of music as a tool to convene diverse communities has been a mainstay. In addition to his own music (he has seven studio albums), the songs he has penned or produced for others, including names like Diddy and Will Smith, his creation of the show Hip Hop Confessions, and his role as an instructor at the University of Richmond, he is always innovating while preserving the legacy of Black music and culture.
“My hope is that people come away from this film realizing that music can still bring us together and not only bring us together, but keep us together,” Skillz says. When asked to explain the unique phenomenon of the “90s Girl Brunch,” which had followers tuning in religiously for a dose of sonic salvation, Skillz notes, “Your imagination can take you places that travel can’t.”
Viewers of the film will see how a weekly online DJ set became much more–building friendships that were planted online but bloomed in real life.
The film will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Amy Carleton, professor (MIT), writer, and co-creator of the Black Notes Project. The screening is presented in conjunction with Black Notes Project.
Artist Rowland Ricketts will discuss his work, including growing, processing, and dyeing with indigo within the context of the dye’s materiality and global history. Special emphasis will be placed on recent works that make palpable the invisible aspects of the color’s creation, as well as the invisible histories and forces that lie below the surface of this globally revered dye.
Rickett’s work Untitled, Noren is on view in the exhibition Craft Across Continents on Level 3 at Mint Museum Uptown.
About the artist
Rowland Ricketts utilizes natural dyes and historical processes to create contemporary textiles that span art and design. Trained in indigo farming and dyeing in Japan, Rowland received his master’s of fine art from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2005 and is a professor in Indiana University’s Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design. His work has been exhibited at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum Renwick Gallery. Ricketts is a recipient of a United States Artists Fellowship and a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship.
Artist Paul Briggs joins us this Sunday, March 3, to discuss his practice and process, including his work Whorl on view in the exhibition Craft Across Continents at Mint Museum Uptown.
Briggs employs a unique pinching technique to extract natural leaf-like forms from classic ceramic vessels, resulting in work characterized by balance and precision. His guiding principle, “Nature makes no aesthetic mistakes,” underscores his endeavor to defy convention and constraints. Among his notable pieces, The Impact of Incarceration on Black Lives, features 25 ceramic black boxes, scaled to jail cell dimensions, with twisted, coiled bars protruding.
Celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon with a lion dance performance, presented in partnership with Manera Foundation, followed by Casa de la Cultura Afro Latin/x dance and narrative, tributes to Black American Music, including salutes to Aretha Franklin, Celia Cruz, and Others with DJ Carlos Lebron, and group dance lessons at 9 PM with Rumbao Latin Dance Company. Enjoy live painting by local artists throughout the night. Cash bar, complimentary favors.
$10.50 Mint members; $14 nonmembers. ($1 discount before 9 PM).
Free admission 7-7:30 PM.
🚗‼️ PARKING INFO: Levine Center of the Arts parking garage will be CLOSED the night of Mint 2 Move, visitors are encouraged to park at The Green 📍435 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, just let the attendant know you are visiting the Mint for free parking. ‼️🚗
Celebre el Año Nuevo Lunar y el Año del Dragón con una presentación de danza del león, seguida de danza y narración afro-latina/x de la Casa de la Cultura, homenajes a la música negra estadounidense, incluidos saludos a Aretha Franklin, Celia Cruz y otros con DJ Carlos Lebron y clases de baile a las 9 PM con Rumbao Latin Dance Company. Disfrute de la pintura en vivo de artistas locales durante toda la noche. Bar en efectivo y obsequios de cortesía.
10.50 $ para miembros del Mint; 14 $ para no miembros. (Descuento de 1 $ antes de las 9 PM)
Entrada gratis de 7 a 7:30 PM
🚗‼️ INFORMACIÓN SOBRE EL APARCAMIENTO: El aparcamiento del Levine Center of the Arts permanecerá CERRADO la noche del Mint 2 Move, se recomienda a los visitantes que aparquen en The Green 📍435 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, sólo tienes que avisar al encargado de que estás visitando el Mint para aparcar gratis.‼️🚗
Members are invited to enjoy a discussion and walking tour with David Moritz in the awards-as-art exhibition Beyond the Red Carpet. David is the CEO and owner of Society Awards, the premier designer and manufacturer of luxury, custom, and limited edition awards. Beyond the Red Carpet delivers a captivating exploration of the intersection of art, branding, and the world of trophies. In this discussion, Moritz delves into how Society Awards has elevated the humble trophy into a work of art, as well as the reasons behind the creation of this remarkable exhibition and why embracing the arts can be a transformative strategy for brands with trophies as a prime example.
Not a member, join now.
6-6:30 PM: Discussion with David Moritz
6:30-7 PM: Impromptu conversations/walking tour in the gallery with David Moritz
7-9 PM – Beyond the Red Carpet exhibition open for visit
Franklin Fifth Helena is an architectural installation within the Contemporary Gallery at Mint Museum Uptown comprised of sand-painted wall panels that create a fantastical imaging of the real-life intertwined lives of the movie icon Marilyn Monroe and her psychoanalyst Dr. Ralph Greenson.
Franklin Fifth Helena
‘A FANTASTICAL IMAGING OF THE INTERTWINED LIVES OF MOVIE ICON MARILYN MONROE AND HER PSYCHOANALYST DR. RALPH GREENSON’
By Jen Sudul Edwards
On November 4, 2022, Mint Museum Uptown opened a new major acquisition to the collection: Franklin Fifth Helena by Brooklyn-based artist Cynthia Talmadge.
An 8-by-11-foot room built within the gallery, the installation is comprised of sand-painted wall panels and a ceiling that create a fantastical imaging of the intertwined lives of the movie icon Marilyn Monroe and her psychoanalyst Dr. Ralph Greenson. The result is mesmerizing and surprising in every way: the sand — intricately mixed by hand and meticulously applied to the surface with fine paintbrushes— mimics the precise color studies of 19th-century Impressionists and Pointillists while utilizing a simple commercial material (Talmadge often buys her sand in bulk from wedding supply companies).
The recognizable objects layer and interact to create an imagined narrative about the relationship between Monroe and Greenson, who treated Monroe at the end of her life. While very specific in her references, Talmadge also explores the complicated ramifications of the cult of personality, the patient-doctor relationship, and how all of these affect the limited power and agency granted to women in this country.
Talmadge’s gallery, 56 Henry, arranged for outside donors to support the acquisition of the work by The Mint Museum, but the on-site build was extensive and complicated. The Mint’s architect-of-record, Aubrey Springer, oversaw the construction and permit process, which required additional lights and sprinkler systems to be installed to meet code, as well as extensive coordination with the Mint’s building staff, the Collections and Exhibitions team, 56 Henry, and Talmadge — who came to Charlotte for a week in October to help with the installation.
Learn more Talmadge and her fascinating and complicated process in the video below, generously underwritten by Aaron and Marie Ligon who are helping the Mint further build a competitive and compelling contemporary art collection.
Jen Sudul Edwards, PhD, is chief curator and curator of contemporary art.
24 Hours in the Life of Mike Wirth
By Page Leggett
Mike Wirth, associate professor of graphic design at Queens University of Charlotte, is probably best known locally for his murals. He is a founding member of the Talking Walls Festival, Charlotte’s first annual, citywide mural and public art festival. He’s known way beyond the city limits, too. His art has been exhibited in New York, Miami, Croatia, Poland and Germany. Social justice is a frequent Wirth theme, as is his identity as a Southern, Jewish American. He participated — virtually — in Contemporary Art Week in Paris during the last week in October 2022 where he exhibited with a group called Jada Art (jadaart.org), or Jewish Dada. “They’re creating platforms and international art spaces for Jewish artists, which is amazing,” Wirth said. “I was part of their digital exhibition. It was great to be selected from among international applicants.”
He is one of 15 local artists participating in The Mint Museum’s Picasso mural project. It’s a local tie-in for the Mint’s blockbuster exhibition, Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds, organized by the American Federation of Arts Wirth’s mural is a landscape scene from Freedom Park. “I chose it because every Yom Kippur, hundreds from the Jewish community come out for a ritual called tashlich,” he says. “You toss bread into the water and speak your transgressions at the same time. That’s how you release sin.” When Wirth is in a creative or emotional low, he’ll wander. “I just go for a walk with no agenda. I don’t have any destination in mind. I’ll just throw myself to chance. And I find that it’s a tremendous way to reset when the need arises.” He’s a “girl dad” whose oldest daughter, a student at North-west School of the Arts, is already a budding artist and wants to be an illustrator. His youngest also loves to draw. Artistic talent runs in this family. Wirth’s days revolve around his daughters, his students, and his art.
5 OR 5:30 AM I wake up on my own — no need for an alarm. That’s when my internal body clock dictates that I get up. I say my morning prayers, and have a bagel and coffee.
5:30–6 AM I spend a little time every morning reading on my couch or my porch. I love Jewish folklore and the daily lessons I can take from it. I’ll get some wisdom from the Oracle, so to speak. All these stories are allegories, so they unpack a lot for me. If I can spend 30 minutes reading in the morning, it’s a miracle. But that’s what I aim for.
6 OR 6:30 AM I wake my daughters up — they’re 13 and 10 — and make them breakfast and get them ready for school. We have to be at the bus stop by 7 AM.
7:15 AM I drive to campus where I teach in the graphic design department — illustration, typography, ideation, animation, and web design. I’ve taught at Queens University for 14 years. When I’m not teaching, I have office hours. The seniors working on their capstone projects often need to consult with me then. During the day, I try to carve out a little time for my scholarship. As a professor, I have an obligation to stay current in my field and to accrue a certain amount of scholastic achievements. I’m either applying for shows or hunting for the next opportunities and conferences.
4:30 PM I meet the kids at the school bus, get them home and settled with a snack and help them get started on their homework.
5:30ish PM Dinnertime. I’m a one-pot-meal type of cook. My kids know my famous chickens, vegetables and rice dish — one of my go-to’s. Once the kids are fed, clean and educated, we all have our free time. AFTER DINNER I head to my studio, which is in our garage. Art projects have a way of expanding, and I can’t currently get my car in the garage. When the weather’s colder, I have to scale back the amount of space I have dedicated to art so I can use my garage for its intended purpose. I turn on some music; get a cold beverage. My cat, Garfield, will come hang out with me. I digitally paint, illustrate, and animate and make my interactive projects. I’ve been concocting a giant interactive installation that explores the “big bang” moment in the Jewish creation story as described in the Zohar — The Book of Radiance. The story describes the moment HaShem (God) poured their essence into a series of glass spheres that then shattered due to being overwhelmed with power. The broken shards of glass then spread across the universe. My vision is that viewers will enter a room filled with panoramic wall and floor video projections of shards of broken glass that, over many minutes, will spread outward from a center point in the room and then rewind back into a singular sphere. Viewers can interact with the shards while exploring the space.
I don’t have a home yet for that interactive installation. It requires funding because it needs projection, sensors and a larger space. I also get commissions from individuals or institutions. I’ve been creating a lot of custom hamsas. Those are hand forms that originated in the ancient Middle East. Once the client has commissioned me, we’ll talk through their wants and needs, the purpose of it — is it purely for aesthetics, or is there a spiritual purpose to it? Then, I’ll send them a mockup and we’ll proceed after they give me the OK. I design each one digitally and then paint the final version with acrylic, spray paint or paint markers. My girls and I aren’t big TV watchers, and we definitely try to avoid it on the Sabbath, but we will occasionally watch a show together. We also like playing image-based board games. Usually, free time lasts until it’s bedtime for everybody. 8:30 PM Bedtime for all of us. I’m not very exciting.
Page Leggett is a Charlotte-based freelance writer. Her stories have appeared in The Charlotte Observer, The Biscuit, Charlotte magazine and many other regional publications.
Just before the release of her tour documentary Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, we are painting The Mint Museum metallic to celebrate Queen Bey. Complete with imaginative decor, curated cocktails, and loads of entertainment, it’ll be “such a mess” for you to miss this.
What to expect:
Kiki ballroom competitions
Curated cocktails inspired by Beyoncé’s tracks
Food
Dazzling decor
DJs + more
A general admission ticket is $40 for nonmembers | $20 for Mint members using the code MINTMUSEUM.
Mint members are invited to enjoy a special tour with Annie Carlano, senior curator of Craft, Design, and Fashion, as well as a chance to meet the collectors, Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro.
Craft Across Continents features more than 50 objects from the Lassiter/Ferraro private collection and is presented in a domestic-like setting to underscore the theme of enjoying life through living with art. The exhibition includes glass, ceramics, bamboo, and textile contemporary objects by artists from around the globe.
Free for members.
Celebrate the opening of Local/Street 2023, the final installation of the Local Street series curated by Charlotte-based artist and teacher Carla Aaron-Lopez. Expect a live DJ, spoken word by de’angelo DIA and a performance by Marcia Jones, plus works by 60 local artists. Free museum admission.
Craft Across Continents features more than 50 objects from the private collection of Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro. The exhibition will be presented in a domestic-like setting to underscore the theme of enjoying life through living with art.
See designs and completed fashions created by students taking classes at Woven Fashion Incubator, and inspired by the Mint’s Fashion Reimagined exhibition.
Tara Davis, Woven Fashion Incubator program founder and former design instructor, will narrate and share about the students’ sketches, designs, and aspirations in this fashion design initiative.
Woven Fashion Incubator is a co-workspace with fashion design and apparel manufacturing classes for underserved students, entrepreneurs, and fashion careerists.
Mint members can enjoy a guided meditation before the museum opens to the public. Calm your mind and body, and deepen your connection with the art, yourself, and our community at this 30-minute session held in front of Foragers in the Morrison Atrium. The session is led by Diane Lowry, certified mindfulness and meditation guide, a Mint docent, and Mint staff member.
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
All ages are invited to celebrate Día de las Velitas (Day of the Little Candles) with a special candle-lighting ceremony, music by special guest La Orquesta Mayor, hot chocolate and holiday beverage station, plus dancing and holiday cheer.
Free admission before 9 PM. $10 general admission, $7.50 members after 9 PM. Purchase tickets.
Mint 2 Move is sponsored by Arts & Science Council.
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Es una época maravillosa en el Mint Museum. Únete a nosotros para celebrar las fiestas y el Día de los Velitas, con una edición especial de Mint 2 Move Cultural Dance Night, el Sábado, 2 de Diciembre, 7–11:30 PM.
Chocolate caliente con malvaviscos para los niños y bebidas navideñas especiales, no alcohólicas incluidas, en la estación de bebidas navideñas.
Invitados especiales ¡La Orquesta Mayor!
Entrada gratuita hasta las 9 pm para el Día de Las Velitas.$10 entrada general admission, $7.50 miembros después 9 PM.
Mint 2 Move is sponsored by Arts & Science Council.
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 The Art of Seating: 200 Years of Design.
Wednesday Night Live is presented by Bank of America.
6:30 PM performance. Museum admission is free, cash bar. Galleries open late.
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.
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.
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.
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 enjoy a mindful sketching session of the Brushstroke Chair in the Art of Seating exhibition.
All materials provided. Limited capacity. RSVP here.
Noon-1 PM: Coffee, tea, and cookie bar in Queen’s Room Level 5.
1–2 PM: Japanese art expert Joe Earle 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.
2:15–3 PM and 3:30–4:15 PM: Join in an in-gallery conversation with Annie Carlano, senior curator of Craft + Design and Fashion at The Mint Museum, and collectors Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro. Brand Gallery Level 4. Please RSVP as space is limited.
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.
Participants will delve into the details of the Centripetal Spring Chair and others in The Art of Seating exhibition.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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 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:
Richard J. Powell, PhD, is the John Spencer Bassett Distinguished Professor of Art and Art History at Duke University, where he has taught since 1990. After completing his undergraduate studies at Morehouse College and earning an master’s degree in fine art from Howard University, Powell earned a master’s degree in African American Studies, as well as a master’s degree in philosophy and doctorate in history of art from Yale University.
A recognized authority on African American art and culture, Powell has organized numerous art exhibitions, most notably: The Blues Aesthetic: Black Culture and Modernism (1989); Rhapsodies in Black: Art of the Harlem Renaissance (1997); To Conserve A Legacy: American Art at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (1999); Back to Black: Art, Cinema, and the Racial Imaginary (2005); and Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist (2014).
Denise Murrell, PhD, holds the position of Merryl H. and James S. Tisch Curator-at-Large at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Murrell was previously the associate curator of 19th- and 20th-Century Art at the Met. Prior to that, she was the curator of the exhibition Posing Modernity: The Black Model from Manet and Matisse to Today (October 2018–February 2019) at Columbia University’s Wallach Art Gallery while serving as the Wallach’s Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Research Scholar (2014–19). She was a co-curator of the exhibition’s expansion at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, as Le Modèle Noir de Géricault à Matisse (March–July 2019) and a guest lecturer for its final tour as Le Modèle Noir de Géricault à Picasso at the Memorial ACTe, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (September–December 2019).
Diedra Harris-Kelley is co-director of the Romare Bearden Foundation, the nonprofit organization perpetuating the legacy of Romare Bearden. She offers a unique perspective on Bearden’s work being a formally trained painter, and niece of the artist’s late wife, Nanette Rohan Bearden. For the last 10 years, she has been part of the team leading the foundation through a successful run of exhibitions, publications, and educational and celebratory programs around the life and art of Bearden. She also acts as its chief researcher.
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
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:
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
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.
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,” Herman says.
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)
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 commemorating 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
Join a Mint educator for a 45-minute mindfulness session and discussion about the work ‘The Bull Fight’ in the exhibitionBearden/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.
Richard J. Powell, PhD, is the John Spencer Bassett Distinguished Professor of Art and Art History at Duke University, where he has taught since 1990. After completing his undergraduate studies at Morehouse College and earning an master’s degree in fine art from Howard University, Powell earned a master’s degree in African American Studies, as well as a master’s degree in philosophy and doctorate in history of art from Yale University.
Denise Murrell, PhD, holds the position of Merryl H. and James S. Tisch Curator-at-Large at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Murrell was previously the associate curator of 19th- and 20th-Century Art at the Met. Prior to that, she was the curator of the exhibition Posing Modernity: The Black Model from Manet and Matisse to Today (October 2018–February 2019) at Columbia University’s Wallach Art Gallery while serving as the Wallach’s Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Research Scholar (2014–19). She was a co-curator of the exhibition’s expansion at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, as Le Modèle Noir de Géricault à Matisse (March–July 2019) and a guest lecturer for its final tour as Le Modèle Noir de Géricault à Picasso at the Memorial ACTe, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (September–December 2019).
Diedra Harris-Kelley is co-director of the Romare Bearden Foundation, the nonprofit organization perpetuating the legacy of Romare Bearden. She offers a unique perspective on Bearden’s work being a formally trained painter, and niece of the artist’s late wife, Nanette Rohan Bearden. For the last 10 years, she has been part of the team leading the foundation through a successful run of exhibitions, publications, and educational and celebratory programs around the life and art of Bearden. She also acts as its chief researcher.
