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McColl Center for Art + Innovation

Coordinates: 35°13′57″N 80°50′10″W / 35.232610°N 80.836020°W / 35.232610; -80.836020
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McColl Center
AbbreviationMcColl Center
Formation1999
TypeArtist residency
PurposeProvide a place where contemporary artists and an engaged public enhance their creative capacity through relevant, diverse, and accessible experiences.
HeadquartersCharlotte, North Carolina
President + CEO
Armando Bellmas (interim)
Websitemccollcenter.org

McColl Center (formerly McColl Center for Art + Innovation) is an artist residency and contemporary art space located at 721 North Tryon Street in Charlotte, North Carolina.[1][2] Residencies last from two months to eleven months and are available to visual artists as well as creative people in other disciplines. The mission of McColl Center is to encourage collaboration and interaction between artists and the community at large in an immersive atmosphere.[3]

McColl Center is a 501(c)(3) organization.[4]

Art space

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Opened in 1999, McColl Center contains nine individual artist studios, a large scale sculpture facility, many common-use areas, and more than 5,000 square feet of exhibition space.[5] In addition to studio space, McColl Center provides tools and materials for fiber arts, jewelry makingmetal fabrication, printmakingsculpture, painting, photography, ceramics, digital media and woodworking.[3][1]

The galleries are open on Fridays and Saturdays (other days of the week by appointment only). Admission is free. Numerous public events include residency openings, exhibitions, and other events for the community and artists to engage.[6]

History

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The building housing McColl Center was originally a Presbyterian Church built in 1926. The historic, brick and stone neo-Gothic structure was an active church until 1950 when the church's membership was dissolved.[3] The building stood empty for many years until November 14, 1984, when an accidental fire gutted the interior, leaving only an empty shell. In 1995, Bank of America bought the property intending to establish an artist residency. The bank, with the help of Charlotte's Arts & Science Council, redesigned and rebuilt the interior as a place for artists to live and work. The renovated structure was designed by FMK Architects[7] and was built by Rodgers Builders.[8][9] It opened on September 16, 1999, as the Tryon Center for Visual Art. Hugh McColl, Jr., former CEO of Bank of America, was the primary patron and in 2001, to honor him, the name was changed to McColl Center for Visual Art. A third name change occurred in 2014 when it became McColl Center for Art + Innovation. In 2021, the organization announced a renewed direction to put artists first and a new visual identity under the name McColl Center.

Alumni artists-in-residence

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The McColl Center has served as a working space and studio for over 400 artists including:[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b McColl Center for Art + Innovation Alliance of Artists Communities
  2. ^ a b McColl Center for Visual Art names Brad Thomas Director of Residencies and Exhibitions The Mint Museum: News, June 13, 2013
  3. ^ a b c Artists Communities: A Directory of Residences That Offer Time & Space Allworth Press, April 1, 2005, ISBN 1581154046
  4. ^ McColl Center for Art + Innovation Charity Navigator
  5. ^ Adaptive reuse of the neo-Gothic style church FMK Architects, 2019
  6. ^ 20th Anniversary Gala Share Charlotte, 2019
  7. ^ Architects at home by light-rail line The Charlotte Observer, August 30, 2008
  8. ^ McColl Center for Art + Innovation Rodgers Builders, 2019
  9. ^ Inside the McColl Center Transformation FMK Architects, 2019
  10. ^ 20 years of Artists-In-Residence McColl Center
  11. ^ Sharif Bey Archived 2018-08-22 at the Wayback Machine College of Visual and Performing Arts, Syracuse University
  12. ^ Mel Chin brings The Fundred Project to Charlotte John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, October 2, 2012 By Valerie Nahmad
  13. ^ Unraveling: An Artist's Take On The Confederate Flag WFAE charlotte, June 22, 2015
  14. ^ Prompt McColl Center: June 11-August 21, 2016
  15. ^ Elizabeth Turk Wins 2010 MacArthur Award The Mint Museum
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35°13′57″N 80°50′10″W / 35.232610°N 80.836020°W / 35.232610; -80.836020