Charlotte artists find a home in NoDa on Johnston YMCA campus
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Bojana Grujovska's studio. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Artists have a new place to find refuge in NoDa with Charlotte Studio Artists.
Why it matters: Studio space for artists is hard to find. CSA's founding members tell Axios they see their new home on the Johnston YMCA campus as a way to honor NoDa's history as an arts hub and give fellow artists a space to create community as well as work.
Context: CSA shares the building with a preschool, which resumes in the spring, and is next to the Johnston YMCA's larger building at 3045 N. Davidson St.
- Founding members Catherine Kanvik, Jodi Lynn McNeely and Walter Sanders began discussions with the YMCA in April and signed a contract in November. It runs through Oct. 31.
Driving the news: CSA's grand opening is Jan. 25 from 11am-3pm. It's free to attend, but registration is encouraged. You'll be able to see the exhibit, studio and workshop spaces.
- You can also chat with artists about their work, which will be for sale.
What to expect: CSA includes multiple intimate open studios, and a dedicated workshop space. Each dedicated area has a different name in honor of NoDa's history, such as Electric Park, Royal Truss, Colony and Mecklenburg Mill Village.
- Exhibits will rotate roughly every six weeks. They also plan to host workshops.
- Seven of the nine studios are spoken for. You can also rent wall space to display your work. Reach out to [email protected] for pricing.
Zoom in: Current artists with studio and/or display space at CSA include:
- Catherine Kanvik
- Jodi Lynn
- Walter Sanders
- Melissa Lee
- Trish Boyles
- Donna Heil
- Jerry McQuay
- Bojana Grujovska
- Ann Demitruk
- David Demitruk
- Sandy Faye Kreif
- Larry Lippi
- Stephanie Gainer
- Tanya Murphy
- Chalice Meikle
- Dionna Bright
What's next: After the grand opening, CSA will be open to the public on Saturdays from 10am-3pm. Entry is free and you'll check in at the front when you arrive. You can find future events on CSA's Instagram.
What they're saying: "We want to help foster the arts in NoDa by providing a space that inspires artists and brings the community together through art," Frances Lee, Johnston YMCA director, said in a statement.
What we're watching: YMCA officials had planned to close the beloved Y by the end of 2023, but instead opted to keep it open "for the foreseeable future."
- What potential changes at the Johnston YMCA could mean for CSA remains to be seen. Right now the founding members know they have a contract through the end of October and they want to provide a home for artists — like Melissa Lee.
- Lee recently left the corporate world to pursue art full-time. She has reached the point in her artistic journey where she needs to be around other artists to exchange ideas and receive feedback. She was having trouble finding people who could give the latter.
- Everywhere she looked was full and then she found CSA through Instagram and secured a studio space.
