Local Artists-in-Residence at Van Gogh Exhibit

Local Artists-in-Residence at Van Gogh Exhibit

By Shira Firestone (Charlotte Jewish News, Sept. 2021)

If you are one of the more than 200,000 visitors to the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit in Camp North End’s historic Ford Building, you may have noticed a special space designated for the artists-in-residence program between the café and merchandise tables. This space is designed for local artists to showcase their work in a unique environment with the inspirational backdrop of Vincent van Gogh.

Of the dozens of artists who applied for this honor, only 10 were chosen. Among them are two names familiar to the Jewish community: Mike Wirth and Tara Spil. Though each brings a unique style and perspective to their work, they share one thing in common: talking with them about their work is almost as immersive as the exhibit itself.

Mike is a tenured associate professor of graphic design at Queens University of Charlotte and leads his students in community mural projects using both traditional and digital tools. Over the past 20 years, Mike’s mural art, published illustrations, and interactive museum exhibits have made a significant impact in Charlotte and internationally.

“Currently, my work has been exploring my identity and role as a Jewish American artist living today in the New South city of Charlotte,” Mike says. “I’m out, proud, and on my journey of making creative mitzvot. My goal with the work is to elevate the beauty of Jewish culture and its peoples through still imagery, animation, and interactive art experiences. To address and dismantle antisemitism and colorism, inside and outside of the Jewish community. To stand with the social justice community to make real change. To lift up all Jewish stories, especially from voices of Jews of non-Ashkenazi origin; Jews of lots, little, or no faith; LGBTQIA Jews; rich or poor Jews; half, quarter, or sixteenth Jews; anyone who wishes to be Jewish. Simply, all Jews.”

Those familiar with Mike’s work, especially his nearly two dozen murals around town, will recognize the inspiration from Van Gogh in the signature flow fields found in both their works. Van Gogh's style gives elements of his paintings a shimmery, wavy look. Technically, flow fields are visuals based on a grid of vectors, but Mike more eloquently describes them as a way to “capture the magic of the ordinary.”

Tara is well-known in Charlotte for her leadership and service, having most recently served on the board of Charlotte Jewish Preschool and currently serving on the diversity and inclusion committee for the Foundation of Shalom Park.

During the pandemic, Tara shifted her focus from an active career in the nonprofit community to raising awareness and inspiring action for those same causes through her art. Much of her work is data-driven, transforming numbers, facts, and statistics into profound visual representations of the stories behind the data. In her piece “Foster Care,” 17,039 youths in foster care in North Carolina are represented by exactly 17,039 brush strokes.

As an artist-in-residence, Tara has the opportunity to work on her art onsite and interact with visitors. She is currently working on multiple pieces highlighting mental health issues. In one piece, she invites visitors to create with her by adding brush strokes, which she meticulously counts. For every four brush strokes of one color, she follows with one stroke of another color to represent the statistic that one in five adults experiences mental illness. She notes that Van Gogh was plagued by mental illness throughout his life, which ultimately led to his death.

Tara’s inspiration from Van Gogh is especially evident in her landscapes, which share technical elements of many of Van Gogh’s oil paintings, such as the application of paint with a palette knife, emphasis on primary colors, and impressionistic style.

Unbeknownst to each other, Mike and Tara both created pieces inspired by the epidemic of homelessness that couldn’t be ignored. Rows of tents creating a homeless encampment, or “tent city,” ran along 12th and College streets uptown until their removal in 2020. Mike’s mural, titled “The Promise,” began its rotation through the city at Camp North End but is currently in storage due to weather damage. Tara painted “Bankers’ Tent City” after being struck by the image of rows of homeless people in front of huge, empty bank buildings.

Both artists are driven by the need to give voice to those who are unheard and to lend their allyship to raise awareness and inspire action. “The Torah, the Talmud, the Zohar—our texts really provide a social justice blueprint,” Mike says. It’s a blueprint that both Mike and Tara follow, doing mitzvot through art and sharing a deep sense of caring for strangers and community. What could be more Jewish than that?

Though Mike’s residency was in July and August, you can purchase his prints at mikewirthart.com and follow him on Instagram @mikewirth, where he posts work created during the exhibit. Tara will be at the Van Gogh exhibit until September 22. You can follow her on Instagram @tspilart and visit her website at taraspil.com to see and purchase her work and read her blog.

Due to feedback and demand, Immersive Van Gogh is extending its run through October 31. A new block of tickets is on sale now at www.vangoghclt.com.