The top 5 art events in January

(1) Reception for Ruth Ava Lyons, Bill Braun and Amanda Talley

Friday, January 8, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Hidell Brooks Gallery, 1910 South Boulevard

As part of the South End First Friday gallery crawl, Hidell Brooks will open a new exhibition with an evening reception for three artists we love. Bill Braun creates hyper-realist acrylic paintings that look like paper collages; Amanda Talley’s big, loopy abstract paintings are favorites for many of Charlotte’s interior designers; and Ruth Ava Lyons continues to explore tenuous environments in her beautifully colorful paintings with a recent focus on coral reefs. On view through February 27.

(2) Open Studio with Preston Drum

January 8, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
C3 Lab, 2525 Distribution Street

C3 Lab’s artist residency program continues with an Open Studio evening with artist and filmmaker Preston Drum. We aren’t sure what to expect, but he says: ‘”we will be screening my ‘deconstructed’ film, ‘A Saturday In the Summer’ at 8:00pm. A 15 min piece with audio recorded in a closet in MN and about 100 ink drawings on a wall.” Worth experiencing, we think!

(3) Opening of Wolf Kahn: Early Pastels

January 16
Jerald Melberg Gallery, 625 South Sharon Amity

Jerald Melberg Gallery will show a suite of very early pastels created by this color-loving artist, all made from the 1950s to the 1970s. Devoted fans will appreciate a different take on the same bright, mixed colors that Kahn still works with today. A solo show of paintings, drawings and prints by Ida Kohlmeyer will also be on view.

(4) Open House for New Artists 

January 22, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
McColl Center for Art + Innovation, 721 North Tryon Street

Beginning January 11, Carlos Alexis Cruz (Charlotte, NC), Heather Hart (Brooklyn, NY), Hollis Hammonds (Austin, TX), Carlos Estévez  (Miami, FL), will take residence at McColl Center for Art + Innovation for three months. Your first public opportunity to meet these artists, along with current Affiliate Artists-in-Residence Ivan Toth Depeña and Stephen Hayes, and Environmental Artist-in-Residence Mei-ling Hom (through Feb 1) will be during an Open House on January 22 from 6-9 p.m. The event is a great opportunity to talk with artists and witness their creative process firsthand. Free and open to the public.

(5) Opening of Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts

Friday, January 22 to Sunday, January 24
The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, 551 South Tryon Street

Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts, organized by Dance Theatre of Harlem, California African American Museum, and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC) features costumes, set pieces, historical photographs, tour posters, videos, and more celebrating the history of the iconic dance company. Don’t miss performances by the Dance Theatre of Harlem at the Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts, January 22-24. Advance tickets required for dance performance.

Cover photo via the Harvey B. Gantt Center Facebook page