The State of the Center Is Strong and Inspired
One month ago we launched the eleventh year of McColl Center for Visual Art. While it is never quiet here, this summer has given us time to reflect on the amazing accomplishments of our 10-year anniversary and look forward to creating more momentum this year.
I am happy to report that strong support by our fans and inspired leadership by our board, staff and growing corps of volunteers and interns continues to sustain us.
Thanks to generous donations by our ever-increasing abundance of people and institutions, including the Arts & Science Council, who want to keep great contemporary art alive in the Charlotte region, we finished the year with a balanced operating budget – no small feat in today’s volatile environment.
Our financial health and willingness to innovate allow us to do the things that are most important to our mission – bringing together contemporary artists from the Carolinas and around the nation and world to learn, grow and share their creativity with thousands of people who come in contact with the Center to be inspired. During our 10th year we:
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Hosted 13 artists-in-residence – from as near to us as right down the street and from far away as Cairo, Egypt. They worked with materials as diverse as paint, film, textiles, plants and more.
Offered four major gallery exhibitions: Decade, a retrospective of our first ten years, Collected, featuring 30 diverse works of alumni artists from private collections, Recall, the first Charlotte solo show for renowned craft artist, Joyce Scott and Fried, the return of San Antonio artist, Franco Mondini-Ruiz, in all of his inventive glory. These showings were complimented by the constantly updated and evolving displays of our three-month and 11-month artists outside our studios.
Engaged in hundreds of community partnerships including work with four hundred students at Smith Language Academy, United Family Services on domestic violence issues, Habitat for Humanity creating a mural at the group’s East Charlotte headquarters, the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund of the Foundation for the Carolinas on a public awareness project focused on gay identity issues in Charlotte, Charlotte Area Transit System to help create a community-inspired public art project at a local transit maintenance facility, Charlotte Nature Museum, Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation, Catawba Lands Conservancy and the Carolina Thread Trail to construct a beneficial environmental art installation that addresses run-off, soil erosion and purifies water before it enters a creek system at a local public park and St. Patrick’s School help students create a mosaic sculpture for their garden. These programs reached more than 14,000 children and adults. Overall, more than 22,000 people participated in Center events.
Continued to expand and develop our circles of influence through exclusive artist-in-residence partnerships with Carolinas Healthcare System, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. These relationships served as models to allow us to create the new Environmental Artist-In-Residence and Gantt Center Artist-In-Residence efforts.
Held numerous celebrations for supporters of all stripes to commemorate our 10 years including an opening reception and community day attended by 1,300 people, receptions at the beautiful homes of Zach and Emily Smith and Wesley Mancini and Bob Sheer, a reception for Joyce Scott hosted by our board and the board of Founders Circle of Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Bank of America Night of Nights, a dinner for 325 guests in artist-decorated studios that honored our founders, Hugh McColl, Jr, Ed Shelton and Stuart Dickson.
Invigorated the Center’s affiliate group, the Contemporaries, by working with them to create new bylaws and elect a slate of officers. The Contemporaries annual signature event, Palate to Palette, drew more than 200 people who enjoyed sampling pairings of wine and contemporary art. Thanks to efforts of the new board and enhanced digital media strategies, the following for their events continues to grow.
Continued to enhance and grow our Innovation Institute that brings together artists and corporate leaders to transform the way business gets done. II had more than 300 participants in 2010.
Transformed the Center’s brand, graphic identity, web site and digital media strategy with the help of our marketing partners at Wray Ward.
Welcomed the NC Secretaries of Cultural Resources and Commerce to the Center for their announcement of the creative industries impact study – the creative industry fuels 300,000 jobs and $40 billion in revenue (more than banking and transportation).
Created and announced the “Gabi Award” thanks to a grant from the Reemprise Fund at Foundation for the Carolinas. The award is named for the late Gabi Nikosi, an African artist who through her art helped people in her country confront ravages of poverty and AIDS. Gabi was an artist-in-residence at the Center in 2003. The first Gabi Award went to New York artist, Joan Bankemper. During her residency Joan created a community garden in Fourth Ward that united elderly public housing residents with their affluent neighborhood through gardening. The relationships created by Bankemper’s project are emblematic of creativity’s power to transform a neighborhood and society.
Forged a formal relationship with the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts+Culture that will enhance collaboration, education and outreach efforts at both institutions. McColl Center for Visual Art will host a Gantt Center artist-in-residence every residency session and joint education and outreach programs will bring together the constituents of both institutions mixing up audiences and community members.
Received amazing recognition from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in Miami and the Hearst Foundations in New York. In June, Knight awarded us $80,000 to add celebrated artists to our residency program to elevate the Center’s local, national and international standing. Hearst invested $50,000 in our education and outreach efforts.
As you can see, our strength continues to grow. We are convinced that contemporary art and artists hold important keys to innovation that will help our society prosper. If we use our imagination, anything is possible. Thank you for supporting us. We look forward to even greater accomplishments in the years to come.
Suzanne Fetscher
President & CEO