By March 25, 2021
For one weekend only, 40 Charlotte artists will be on display for the LOCAL//STREET pop-up art exhibit at the historic Mint Museum Randolph. The local art-centric event– exhibiting photography, paintings, digital illustrations, and more– is the brainchild of multidisciplinary artist and teacher, Carla “King Carla” Aaron-Lopez.
Last year, the Charlotte native won a grant from the Arts & Science Council to develop her vision for a temporary exhibit that featured local artists of color and fellow street artists for Black liberation. According to the event’s website, the purpose of the exhibition is to “bring attention to as many local artists of color as possible, strengthening the relationship between them and the greater Charlotte community.”
Currently a Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools teacher and member of Black arts collective and event space BLKMRKT CLT, Aaron-Lopez has also made her artistic mark on the Queen City with her recent collection of murals. King Carla’s signature textual aesthetic is ideal for the street art genre, and the larger-than-life murals in places like Beatties Ford Rd and Charlotte’s “We Are Hip Hop” collaboration at Camp North End display her powerful works.
The LOCAL//STREET exhibit features an impressive list of artists from a range of genres, from BLKMRKT CLT co-owners Dammit Wesley and Sir Will to HNin Nie, Arko + Owl, Surf Mitchell, and many more.
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For Aaron-Lopez, justice and art go hand in hand, especially for Black and brown creatives. “Artists living and thriving in Charlotte bring so much color and imagination to our city’s identity. We must support local artists now before they seek opportunities in other cities across the United States,” said Aaron-Lopez in a press release. “If we want to retain the creatives we have, it is imperative that we seek to see them as more than artists, but as local small businesses, as well. The business of art goes well beyond beautiful images.
LOCAL//STREET is, among many other things, a larger statement to the people of Charlotte that artists of color matter and should be seen and appreciated beyond the latest tragedies.
The Mint Museum on Randolph Road has played an important part in creating this event, as well. North Carolina’s oldest art museum partnered with Aaron-Lopez for the formation of the LOCAL//STREET exhibit, “to address the reality that museums and artistic institutions are often seen as uninviting as well as unwelcoming to Black and indigenous people of color (BIPOC).”
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Opening night for the exhibition has sold out, but you can still buy tickets for Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28 through Mint Museum’s online admission portal. Aaron-Lopez designed LOCAL//STREET to be here one moment and gone the next, so you don’t want to miss out on this rare opportunity to celebrate local art.
Check out the full list of artists participating in the LOCAL//STREET exhibit at Mint Museum Randolph:
Alvin Jacobs, Arko, Bae Hart, Bianca Maradiaga, Bree Stallings, Carey King, Carla Aaron-Lopez, Chad Cartwright, Chris Taylor, Christian Duprez, Dakotah Aiyanna, Dammit Wesley, Dari Calamari, Fart.PDF, Frankie Zombie, Garrison Gist, Jalen Marlowe, James Marlowe, Janelle Dunlap, Josh Henderson, Kalin Renee Devone, Kevin Cooley, Kiana Mui, Kyle Mosher, Lady Payasa, Liz Ojeda, Lo’Vonia Parks, Makayla Binter, Marc Prosper, Marcia Jones, Mariana Maradiaga, Mark Doepker, Matt Moore, Michael Maxwell, Mike Wirth, Owl, Surf Mitchell, Will Jenkins, Windy O’Connor, Percy King, Brian Twitty, Cedric Umoja, Nani Lee, Zacchary McLean, and Ty.
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