When you think about area arts groups, what comes to mind? If you’re like most folks, some of the larger and more well-known organizations and museums might be at the forefront: the Blumenthal, The Mint Museum, the McColl Center and the Arts and Science Council, among others.
Throughout the city, however, one can find a bevy of counter culture artistic creativity to immerse themselves in and enjoy the richness under the radar arts groups can provide.
Artists are doing more than just entertaining. They’re providing safe spaces, mitigating trauma, beautifying neighborhoods, building bridges and bringing joy. Charlotte is ripe with undiscovered and underexposed artists and arts groups. Qnotes is eager to share some of them with you.
The VAPA Center is a non-profit organization, established in 2021 by 12 anchor arts organizations to create a much-needed space for artists to create, practice, exhibit, and perform their respective arts. According to their mission statement, the center’s goal is “To Cultivate accessible exhibition and creative work spaces to inspire and nurture the relationship between artists and the community.” The center meets these goals with a commitment to providing affordable studios and exhibition spaces by raising funds through grants, individual donors, fundraising productions and festivals, arts market days, and sponsorships from local companies. Many local area artists have utilized this space and found a safe haven for their art and inspiration from neighboring artists.
For those with a palate for music, food and an atmosphere welcoming to canines, there’s Goldies, which provides space to experience music DJs, local musicians and to be a featured artist. The establishment offers live music enthusiasts and those who prefer to hear their sounds mixed by a DJ an opportunity to dance, eat and drink while being entertained by local artists. Local groups and bands interested in performing can throw their proverbial mics in the ring by signing up for booking on the company website. Located in Charlotte’s lower south end area, Goldies also boasts a dog friendly front and back patio and a menu of various pizzas, big weiners (i.e. large hot dogs with mounds of various toppings), drinks (a full bar for grown up; soft drinks for kids and nondrinkers) and a savory mix of American fair and bar food. They even have a kid’s menu for those venturing out for some family fun with local artists. After all, what better time to get arts exposure than while we’re young, open to new experiences and haven’t yet become so fixated with our likes and dislikes? https://www.vapacenter.com/
Art has the capacity to heal and build bridges. Locally, if any group is aware of these facts and how to leverage art against adversity, it’s the folks at The Arts Empowerment Project. The mission of The Arts Empowerment Project is “To break the cycles of violence and trauma through arts opportunities that ignite change in vulnerable youth.” The project, funded in part by a grant from South Arts and in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, blends high-quality art instruction with essential life skills. Through multiple programs and activities, this program fosters positive self-expression, personal growth and empowerment. With activities that include performing arts, culinary programs, dance, music, visual arts and more, skills involving communication, self-esteem, decision-making, personal branding, leadership, goal setting, visual literacy and the exploration of social and racial justice are honed in a way that makes lifetime impact for participants and communities.
A quick visit to their website makes it all quite apparent how valuable this program’s efforts are. Visitors to The Arts Empowerment Project’s website can view video clips of enthusiastic former students and program instructors exposing the program’s impact. We spoke with local poet Jah Smalls (featured in one of the site’s YouTube videos) who expressed why he feels the program has such merit. Smalls stated, “Most grown adults in our communities have yet to address their childhood traumas, which contributes to having a community full of broken adults trying to manage life, hiding every scar they’ve encountered. Teaching young people that it’s normal to have emotions and speak about them is the first step towards healing and preparing young people for adulthood.” For Small, poetry, his gift and life love is the perfect conduit to creating a needed salve for trauma-based feelings. https://theartsempowermentproject.org/
The KUUMBA Academy, founded by local artist and playwright Jermaine Nakia Lee, offers a creative fellowship program designed to provide artistic and professional development for visual, literary and performing artists of color in the Charlotte area. This tuition-free program equips fellows with skills in media relations, grant writing, social media, marketing, production, collaboration and more. The initiative is supported by a 2022 ASC Cultural Vision Grant awarded to Lee, along with funding from the Knight Foundation. The organization continues to expand and grow with a new institutional partnership between KUUMBA Academy and Johnson C. Smith University’s Cultural Studies Program.
“Beginning with the Class of 2025/26, KUUMBA Academy will reserve 8-10 of its 20 annual fellowships exclusively for talented JCSU students,” Lee explained. The partnership will re-imagine the academy as a fellowship that blends creative students with artists and entrepreneurs from across the creative sector. Monthly sessions and other related programming will take place at JCSU – further enriching the already bustling cultural prowess on campus. https://www.facebook.com/KuumbaAcademyNC/
BOOM Charlotte is yet another progressive arts experience for both artists and enthusiasts (with the exception of youth being their focus). “BOOM is an artist-led performance and visual arts showcase of contemporary and experimental works created on the fringes of popular culture.”
This annual (three day) arts festival is designed to be an arts experience built on the belief that art has the explosive power to unite and transform communities. In nurturing this belief art becomes a bridge across divides, sparking creativity and collaboration among diverse artists, performers and audiences. To achieve this mission, BOOM convenes artists, volunteers, nonprofits, businesses and neighborhood organizations to form a dynamic coalition reshaping how arts and culture are created and shared in Charlotte. This past April, BOOM Charlotte took place in the University City Area and hosted a well-mixed group of performances that included vocal and music groups, poets, dancers, visual artists and storytellers. https://boomcharlotte.org/
If you haven’t already gotten the idea, the Queen City is bursting with arts groups and programs just ready to welcome and embrace artists and arts enthusiasts on multiple levels. While we struggle for print space to share it all, know that there certainly isn’t any shortage of creativity in Charlotte nor in any of our neighboring towns not mentioned this go-round.