Derby Days Heritage Edition – Young Affiliates of the Mint
The Young Affiliates of the Mint bring you to the 31st Annual Derby Days-Heritage Edition!
Derby Days brings together Charlotte’s young professionals to enjoy a day of live music, lawn games, signature cocktails including the classic mint julep, food trucks, Kentucky Derby raffle, and a viewing of the Kentucky Derby dubbed “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.”
This year’s event will be held at the Cooper Gardens in Charlotte and mixes in a bit of Derby Days heritage. Hillary Cooper, chief advancement officer at The Mint Museum, and her husband Fairfax Cooper, a member of the first Derby Days committee and former YAM President, have graciously opened their beautiful grounds to the YAMs for this year’s event.
Derby Days has been recognized by “Charlotte Agenda,” “Charlotte Magazine,” “Charlotte Style,” “Scoop Charlotte.” And “CharlotteFive” has ranked the Young Affiliates of the Mint as one of the Top 10 YP Organization in Charlotte.
Proceeds raised at the event will sponsor free tours at The Mint Museum for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools students to inspire a new generation of artists, art enthusiasts, and leaders.
Ticket Pricing:
Early Bird Pricing – March 18 – April 6
$45 member, $55 non-member
General Admission – April 6- May
$ 55 member, $ 65 nonmember
General Admission sales end on MIDNIGHT on Friday, May 6. Tickets will be limited so don’t delay!
Note: There is no street parking at the venue. Please consider using a ride share service.
Derby Days 2022: The Heritage Edition
Saturday, May 7 | 3-7 PM
The Cooper Gardens, 637 Hungerford Place, Charlotte
YAM 2021 Fall Ball: The Queen is Back
The Young Affiliates of the Mint are excited to invite you to our 2021 Fall Ball – The Queen Is Back Saturday, November 20 at the Mint Museum Uptown.
Fall Ball is a night of dancing, signature cocktails, delicious food, and a chance to enjoy a formal night out in Charlotte with your friends. Silent auction items will be up for grabs, as well as ways to give back throughout the night. Attire is formal.
All proceeds raised at the event help to sponsor free tours of The Mint Museum for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools students to inspire a new generation of artists, art enthusiasts, and leaders.
Early Bird Pricing: September 8-October 13
Member Pricing $85
Non Member Pricing: $95
General Admission: October 14-November 19
Member Pricing: $110
Nonmember Pricing: $120
Day Of Pricing:
General Admission: $125
If COVID guidelines change and a size limit is implemented, the YAMs will refund tickets based on purchase order. YAMS is aware of the COVID guidelines, and will be following all regulations set by the Governor and the City. Please note that attending Fall Ball is of your own choice and own risk.
Tickets
Fall Ball 2021 | The Queen is Back
Saturday, November 20 | 7 PM-Midnight
Mint Museum Uptown
Attire: Formal
This event is located at
Mint Museum Uptown
FALLBALL 2020 MaskQuerade : The Virtual Edition
2020 has looked different for all of us this year! Have no fear, the Young Affiliates of the Mint is here to bring you our annual fall ball to a couch near you. We cordially invite you to attend our gala this year from the comfort of your own home. Join us on Friday, November 13th for our 2020 YAM Fall Ball MASKquerade: The Virtual Edition!
Tune in for this special edition alongside your closest friends, date, or family. We are celebrating 31 years of fun, 31 years of incredible members, and 31 years of unforgettable fundraising events. Attend our virtual event dressed to impress or in your most comfortable attire for our 2020 MASKquerade Fall Ball: The Virtual Edition! Opt-in to include a cocktail kit with your ticket purchase!
Cocktails, Comedians, Silent Auction, and Lip Sinc Battles are just a few of the ingredients that will contribute to this virtual featured event of the season.
All proceeds from the event are committed to raising funds to offset the cost of free school tours of the Mint Museum for school-aged children in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. These tours inspire a new generation of artists and art enthusiasts who will make Charlotte a more vibrant community. We strive to make donations of tangible and intangible goods to the Mint Museum each year.
All tickets include: Full Access
Purchase TicketFall Ball MASKuerede 2020 * The Virtual Edition
Event Date: Friday, November 13th
Time: 7:30 PM-9:00 PM
Ticket Sales to Go LIVE: September 17th
General admission
Regular Pricing does NOT include any Cocktail Kits.
GA Member Pricing: $25
GA NonMember Pricing: $30
Group Ticket Pricing (8): $150
Kevin Cole studio tour with Young Affiliates of the Mint
Kevin Cole YAM’s Studio Tour
Young Affiliates of the Mint join Kevin Cole (virtually) for another studio tour. Cole was featured in the Young Affiliates juried show “Coined in the South” in 2019. His work is included in more than 3,600 public, private, and corporate collections throughout the United States and abroad (Michael Jordan owns one of his pieces!). Watch to hear about some of Kevin’s latest work and the inspiration behind some of his best known pieces.
The Mint Museum From Home is Sponsored by Chase.

Postponed: Annual Oyster Roast with Founders’ Circle
Please Note: The Annual Oyster Roast with Founders’ Circle has been postponed. We will update this page with new information at a later date.
Founders’ Circle will be hosting the sixth-annual Oyster Roast with a Lowcountry boil, oysters cooked in a 55-gallon drum barrel, gourmet s’mores, beer, and wine. Members use code OYSTER at check out to get $10 of your ticket price.
This event is located at
Mint Museum Randolph
YAM Holiday Party
Mark your calendars for our 2019 YAM Holiday Party, happening on Thursday, December 5 from 5:30-8:30 PM at Mint Museum Randolph. Read More
YAM Pearl Anniversary: Black & White Throwback Gala
We are commemorating the Young Affiliates of the Mint’s 30th year of philanthropic efforts to the Mint Museum! Come join us on Saturday, November 2nd for our YAM Pearl Anniversary: Black & White Throwback Gala!
Public Opening: Coined in the South
Join us for The Young Affiliates 4th Annual art show, Coined in the South, on the opening night: Thursday, October 10 at The Mint Museum Uptown.
Jasper Lee
Jasper Lee
birmingham, alabama
Instagram: @jasperlee.studio
Silver in the Churn
2019 Video (color, sound), full duration: 9:00
Courtesy of the artist
Silver in the Churn uses natural phenomena, bodily gestures and views of the Southern landscape to explore superstition, ritual and the sacred. Drawing from research into Southeastern superstitions, the abstract lyrical quality of this lore is woven into a hypnotic audio-visual song through repetition and juxtaposition.
Joyce Watkins King
Joyce Watkins King
raleigh, north carolina
Instagram: @jwkingartist

Familial Threads: Memory and Loss
2017, Mono-printed shirt collars on paper, thread
Courtesy of the artist
I grew up as a child of the South and a descendant
of Eli Whitney in the small town of Oxford, NC with a mom who sewed my clothes as did her mother before her. Learning to sew while I was in middle school was my introduction to soft sculpture, though I did not realize it until I was studying at the NC State University College of Design many years later.
As a lifelong artist and designer, I have worked in many media during my career but returned to my roots in ber, fabric, and sewing in 2005 during an artist’s residency at Vermont Studio Center. For me, textiles are part of a universal language that cuts across all cultures, providing beauty, utility, and symbols for special occasions: births, initiations and celebrations. Fabric itself is a metaphor for how many separate strands (fragile thread or yarn) are fashioned together to make something strong, lasting and beautiful.
In opposition to the escalating trend of consuming and rapidly disposing of cheaply made clothing without consideration for the devastating e ects on ber growers, laborers, consumers, and especially the environment, in my most recent body of work I reuse garments, fabric, and thread whenever possible.