15 women you should know in the Charlotte arts
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(This content was co-created with the Mint Museum.)
Founded by women and led by women, The Mint Museum has dubbed this ‘The Year of the Woman,” in honor of their 80 anniversary.
This is definitely something we can get behind.
Happy 80th Anniversary to #themintmuseum. Media preview day! #80years #yearofthewoman
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From CEOs to gallery directors, women are basically the backbone of the Charlotte arts community.
While we help the Mint celebrate 80 years, here are 15 women who embody exactly what the ‘The Year of the Woman’ is all about.
Make sure to check out the Women of Abstract Impressionism exhibit at the Mint before it ends January 22. Love art and cocktails? Snag tickets for the museum’s Creatively Crafted, Artfully Distilled event on January 18th. It will feature tastings and specialty cocktails from Doc Porter’s as well as hors d’eouvres from Evoke Restaurant.
(1) Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of The Mint Museum
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For almost 7 years, Kathleen has served as the innovative leader behind this two-site art institution. She’s been recognized for cultivating a dynamic exhibition program and has shown a strong commitment to community engagement. Since stepping in, she’s more than doubled the museum’s operating budget and increased community outreach. *handclap emoji*
(2) Catherine Wilson Horne, President & CEO at Discovery Place
Love Science on the Rocks? Wouldn’t have started without this lady right here. She’s also overseen the launch of the new Discovery Place Education Studio, which is a program that provides STEM focused training for educators. No one has made science this cool since Bill Nye the Science Guy.
(3) Jessica Gaynelle Moss, Creative Director at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture
#dammitfannie 📸: @simplisticphobia
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Jessica is the creative force behind all of the museum’s amazing exhibitions. When she’s not busy curating perfection, she’s creating her own art. Check out some of her work here.
(4) Hope Muir, the new Charlotte Ballet Artistic Director
Currently the assistant artistic director of the Scottish Ballet in Glasgow, Hope will assume the position of artistic director for the Charlotte Ballet in July of this year. Her international connections will give the city exposure to new, exciting choreographers.
(5) Margaret and Ellen Hinrichs, Co-Founders of Geoflora Jewelry
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If you don’t think jewelry is art, you haven’t seen the creations of the Hinrichs sisters. The duo, educated in metalsmithing, hand make each piece in their home studio here in Charlotte. One of their pieces was featured in Beyonce’s Lemonade…so they are pretty legit.
(6) Sandy Snead, Co-Owner of Lark and Key Gallery and Boutique
In charge of day-to-day operations, Sandy owns this South End gallery with her husband. Stop by on the first Friday night of the month during the South End Gallery crawl to check out one-of-a-kind pieces.
(7) HannaH Jean Crowell, Exhibition Designer at the Mint Museum
HannaH plays a huge role in the execution of the Mint’s exhibitions, installations and gallery rotations. Yes, she spells her first name with two capital ‘H’s because she’s that cool.
(8) Hannah Blanton, Owner and Director of Sozo Gallery
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In addition to running Sozo Gallery, Hannah chairs the Carolina Art Soiree, an annual fundraiser that has exhibited the work of over 50 regional artists. She also happens to be a yoga instructor, nbd.
(9) Jennifer Edwards, Curator of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
Named the museum’s curator in 2015, Edwards happens to be a leading expert on Niki de Saint Phalle, the creator of the “Firebird” sculpture in front of the Bechtler.
(10) Suzanne Fetscher, President & CEO of McColl Center for Art + Innovation
Suzanne has been holding it down as president of the McColl Center ever since they opened their doors in 1999. Throughout her time as president she’s remained dedicated to empowering local artists through community engagement.
(11) Annie Carlano, Curator for Craft, Design, & Fashion at the Mint Museum
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Annie is an internationally known scholar who got her master’s degree in art history in Florence, Italy. She was responsible for amazing exhibits like VIVA MOSCHINO! and Body Embellishment.
(12) Irina Toshkova, Gallery Director at the New Gallery of Modern Art
NGMA offers one of the largest collections of contemporary and modern art in the Southeast. Irina is in charge of the gallery’s beautiful and unique collections.
(13) Nora Orton, Co-Founder of Charlotte Storytellers
After performing with a storytelling troupe at Brown University, Nora helped bring storytelling workshops to the Queen City through Charlotte Storytellers. The group meets every Monday at The Third Place in Elizabeth.
(14) Chandra Johnson, Founder of SOCO Gallery
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It started as a pop-up gallery inside Mint Museum Uptown and now it’s an art-gallery-meets-bookstore in Eastover. Chandra consistently brings in amazing contemporary artists.
(15) Carla Hanzal, Vice President of Public Art for the Arts & Science Council
Formerly the curator for Modern & Contemporary and Art at The Mint Museum, Carla now bring cool public art to the city of Charlotte through the Arts & Science Council.
(This content was co-created with The Mint Museum.)