Uptown Magazine: February 2010

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URBAN LIVING, SOUTHEND STYLE FROM $724/MONTH Choose from a variety of floor plans featuring ample sunlight and maximum livability equipped with gourmet kitchens, granite countertops, laminate wood floors and full size washer and dryers.

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AMENITIES

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• Pool gazebo featuring an area for grilling • Outdoor living room with fireplace

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• Fitness Center • Internet cafe • Sports Lounge with billiards 1/28/2010 11:20:57 AM

now oFFeRing UP To THRee MonTHs FRee FoR a liMiTeD TiMe onlY

Ashton mixes classic design with upbeat modernism. It’s an emerging “it” spot – the ideal locale for the urban sophisticate who thrives on energy and seeks out the unique and intriguing. Here, just south of Uptown Charlotte, South End’s distinguished galleries, shopping, entertainment and dining district is just outside your door.

SOCIAL SPACES

PRIVATE PL ACES

• Unparalleled views of Uptown Charlotte

• Dramatic living spaces with high ceilings, sleek-lined solar shades and custom-color accent walls

H I GH - R IS E L E A SA B LE L I V I N G

• Pedestrian access to South End’s galleries, boutiques and chic eateries • One block from the East/West Boulevard station with LYNX light rail and trolley service

• Open-concept gourmet kitchens with granite slab countertops, wine racks, custom European-style cabinetry and stainless steel appliances

• The Club with Wi-Fi Internet cafe and HDTV sports lounge with billiards

• Luxurious natural hardwood, travertine and Berber flooring

• Private HDTV screening room with surround-sound and leather club seating

• Spacious bedrooms that accommodate king-sized beds and feature extra-large walk-in closets

• Elevated outdoor terrace with conversational seating

• Upgraded fixtures and ceiling fans with decorative lighting

• Gourmet demonstration kitchen with private dining room • Oversized spa-inspired fitness club • Executive conference room and business center • 11th floor Sky Lounge with resort-style pool, aqua bar, sunning cabanas, firepit and grilling areas • Premier resident services such as valet dry cleaning, package delivery and complimentary fitness classes • Daily coffee and hot tea service

• Luxury bathrooms with custom framed mirrors, marble slab countertops, sumptuous soaking tubs and available frameless shower doors • Full-size washer and dryer in every residence • Oversized terraces, french balconies, street-level entries, studies, dry bars, built-in bookshelves and computer niches are available in select residences

• Multi-level private garage parking with controlled-access entry; storage rooms available • Pet friendly

now leasing // 888.890.3794 uptown www.uptownclt.com

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125 W. TremonT Avenue // ChArloTTe, nC 28203 // AshtonsE.com

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1/29/2010 10:44:07 AM

RUFF RUFF Translation: Big Savings

• Price Match We match all PetMed online pricing for flea/tick and heartworm medication • Additional Savings Often, there are other discounts or rebates from manufacturers that are offered only through a veterinary office; we will even process them for you • New Client Discount Only $20.00 for the first exam fee (New clients, first visit only) • Convenience Once an active client, you may order products at MixedPet.com with free shipping on orders over $40.00, or stop by the hospital

South End 704.632.8012

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we could have called it

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but you can say uptown in only one breath

covering in-town Charlotte since 2005 704.944.0551 6

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magazine

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3. CMC.JDP.UM.8.25x10.625.4cv2:UptownMag

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1/28/2010 11:21:02 AM

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1/28/2010 11:21:06 AM

the seen

pictures: catchlight studio

Local restaurateur Pierre Bader has opened his newest creation, Aria and Bar La Scala, in the Bank of America tower. Replica 1910 Edison light bulbs bathed many of the notables who attended the grand opening night, sampling the Italian comfort food that is featured on the menu.

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1/28/2010 2:26:08 PM

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the seen

pictures: nancy pierce

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art opened to much fanfare on January 2, 2010. A reception was held prior to the ribbon cutting and everyone involved attended, from Andreas Bechtler to the new mayor of Charlotte, Anthony Foxx.

Once the ribbon was cut, seemingly most of Charlotte rushed inside to view the Bechtler’s collection of mid-century modern masters.

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www.uptownclt.com

1/28/2010 2:28:03 PM

SOPHISTICATION

meets

FASCINATION live. work. play.

Try to keep it to a DULL ROAR.

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call (704) 333-1530 for specials.

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* Up-and-coming graphic designer Benjamin Gelnett contributes this month’s cover illustration. Along with poster exhibitions at the Art Institutes of Charlotte and Indianapolis, Ben was featured in Print Magazine’s Regional Design Annual in 2008. When he’s not organizing, promoting, or participating in local art and music events, he enjoys camping with his wife Kara and all his friends.Visit smackhound.com

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Shelly Shepard, an editor/writer, called The Charlotte Observer home for over 10 years, writing headlines and copy editing countless front-page stories.

Wanderlust has taken Shelly from teaching English in Prague, to living in a hut in Thailand.

If not working, chances are you’ll find her hiking.

Professionally, Shelly’s at home with a page of words in front of her, a mouse in hand and a deadline looming.

Deciding to move to Charlotte a few months ago was an easy decision for Jessica Bitner.

Tired of the heat and humidity in Orlando, she has now settled comfortably into the charming Plaza Midwood area. Working as an Account Executive for Uptown Magazine, Jessica is quickly learning about all the unique characteristics of the Queen City.

During race season, you’ll find her hanging at the local tracks promoting her clothing line for female race fans.

Ryan Sumner is both Creative Director and Owner of Fenix Fotography, a full-service photo studio located in Plaza-Midwood that’s dedicated to creating compelling and artful images for corporate, advertising, fashion, and weddings. The studio also offers onsite studio work for executive headshots.

Ryan’s photographs appear in the fashion section of this month’s issue. Click to fenixfoto.com to find out more about Ryan.

Charlotte native Matt Kokenes is no stranger to the media-sales business in the Queen City. He has been selling both print and television for almost seven years.

Through perseverance and intestinal fortitude, Matt has shown he has the toughness to succeed in this business.

A man about town with his camera, George Lanis of Catch Light Studio has been photographing people in his native Charlotte for years. From friends’ weddings to parties to family photos for the holidays, his work is creative and diverse, and he’s always looking to show you in the best light. Check out catchlightonline.com for more.

www.uptownclt.com

1/28/2010 11:21:26 AM

say more

with your smile!

A native Charlottean, Jennifer Misenheimer is a hair stylist and artistic creator with a discerning eye for style. When she’s not doing hair at Escape Hair and Skin Studio, in Dilworth, or styling fashion shoots, Jennifer finds outlet for her creative passion through painting, personal styling, and designing one-of-a-kind custom costumes.

This month, Jennifer styled our fashion layout.

Peter Reinhart is the Chef on Assignment at Johnson & Wales University, which means he does whatever they ask him to do and goes wherever they send him. He’s written seven books on bread, pizza, food and culture. In partnership with Pierre Bader, he opened Pie Town, an artisan pizzeria on Trade Street.

And AS if he weren’t busy enough, Peter is also Uptown’s Contributing Food Editor.

At one time a dancer, choreographer and aspiring writer, one day Amanda Pagliarini woke up to find herself in a cubicle. Since relocating from D.C. two years ago, she has found happiness in Charlotte and is currently pursuing her dream of writing full time. In the offhours you can find her trotting around Uptown with her boxer JJ.

CHELSEA COOLEY- Miss U.S.A. 2005 Dentistry by Dr. Shapiro “I cannot tell you how very impressed we are with Dr. Shapiro and his entire staff!” - Kate T. “Thank you for all that you do! Your office and staff is the best in the Carolina’s - I always look forward to my visits and you always make me smile!” - Matt K. “I absolutely loved the experience and you made me feel like a family member. I was nervous, but it was over with right away.” - John B.

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North Carolina native Hannah Mitchell wrote for daily newspapers, including The Charlotte Observer, for 16 years.

She relishes stories about ideas and people, taking readers beyond surface details to show what her subjects reveal about life and its complexities. When she’s not trying to figure things out, she enjoys singing in a bluegrass jam group, hiking and deep conversation.

And then there are life’s simple pleasures: hamburgers.

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name: Little Shiva species: mutant here for: the smell of ink on paper interests: juxtaposition, transformation, mystery, clarity, the process of becoming, image and design contributions to this issue: table of contents website: littleshiva.com

Originally from NY, Alessandra Salvatore has called Uptown Charlotte home for a year now. An avid writer of articles, reviews, and screenplays, Alessandra’s other addictions include interior decorating, red wine, and “swapping”—she recently created SwapSassy.com, a website where fashionistas can swap clothing. When not scoping the Charlotte scene, you can find her at home in the company of her husband, Greg, and her fat cat, Marcus.

Victoria Cherrie grew up overseas, studied journalism in Kansas and migrated to the N.C. coast. She spent nearly 20 years covering stories at newspapers across the state and now is a public relations consultant and freelance writer in Charlotte. Recently, her byline has appeared in The New York Times and she has reported for WFAE 90.7 FM. When she’s not writing from her Plaza-Midwood home, she’s shopping or relaxing on her sailboat with her dog.

Toccoa Switzer lives in Charlotte. Over the years, she has tried her hand in a number of professions including banking, tree farming and freelance writing.

She wants everyone to know she doesn’t usually jump on trains without buying a ticket first.

www.uptownclt.com

1/28/2010 11:21:30 AM

HELLO MODERN.

Actor’s Theatre, in association with Pride Communications, is pleased to present...

Black PearL Sings!

a play by Frank Higgins

Feb 10 - Mar 6 Previews: Feb 5 & 6

Powerful, honest and wryly funny!

INTRODUCING THE BECHTLER MUSEUM OF MODERN ART Explore one of Charlotte’s most exciting visual arts attractions and come face to face with works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Joan Miró, and Alexander Calder. Visit them and other European and American masters of 20th-century modernism at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. HELLO MODERN.

Amidst the Great Depression, a “song collector” for the Library of Congress comes across a jailed Pearl. A descendent of slaves, Pearl herself is a living library of folk songs. Each woman wants something the other has. How much are they willing to give to get what they want?

Don’t miss our Opening Night Celebration Wed, 2/10 featuring COMPLIMENTARY wine & beer... courtesy of Uptown Magazine!

More Info & Tix: 704.342.2251 or actorstheatrecharlotte.org Supported in part by:

420 S. TRYON ST. CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA 28202 TELEPHONE 704.353.9200 WWW.BECHTLER.ORG

www.uptownclt.com

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Letter from the editor

My father was raised in a privileged household in Lithuania. Privileged in the sense that he had everything materially he ever wanted, but as were the customs in those days he was raised by his nannies and saw little of his own father. He saw even less of him when his parents divorced in his pre-teen years, and then none at all when World War II tore his world into a thousand frayed and burning pieces.

His father stayed behind to cling to the remnants of his fortune while his dentist mother rounded up my dad and his brothers and used her doctorate to join the German army as an officer and slowly make their way across the European continent and eventually to the U.S. The Trimakases eventually settled in Marquette Park, a Lithuanian enclave of Chicago where they opened a small restaurant in the Cicero neighborhood.

This all happened before Dad was 16 years old.

Of course these events had to have shaped the person he would become. He learned at a very young age that regardless of his situation in life, things can and do happen that can affect his standing like an asteroid from outer space. Appearing from nowhere and leaving a massive fuming hole when it’s gone.

Because of this he was the most conservative person I have ever known, conservative in his appearance, thinking, investing and career.

When my Dad brought our family to Charlotte 20

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in the early ‘70s, he briefly worked for a printing company but quickly moved on to another company called Pneumafil. My dad flourished at Pneumafil and quickly became the chief financial officer. Pneumafil was a family-owned business and was overseen by the prodigal son here in town, a man named Andreas.

As a kid I remember going to company picnics and being invited to Andreas’ house on occasion, and the best of times were spent during the yearly “strategy meetings” in which all the executives’ families got to go to the beaches outside of Charleston for a week. Through these meetings everyone got to know one another and my hyperconservative dad became close friends with the “artsy” long-haired Andreas. They shared some commonalities, both European, and of a similar age, so they weren’t oil and water opposite, maybe more like oil and vinegar. But over the years and through so many shared experiences, they grew close.

Time passed, my dad grew older as did Andreas and his family, eventually tiring of the business that they owned, and ultimately deciding to sell. Among others, my dad helped Andreas and his family march through the labyrinth of accountants and lawyers they worked with to sell the business.

With the business sold, Andreas was able to fully dedicate himself to his passion of art, and my dad, being a trusted adviser, helped him along the way. Prior to the sale of Pneumafil, Andreas had a dream of an artist’s commune in the woods, which my dad helped build along Mountain Island Lake.

Andreas felt that his next step should be to create a museum to house his substantial collection of modern art. At the time, the museum was planned for the same plot of land along the lake, and famed architect Mario Botta, a friend of Andreas’ family, would design it.

Unfortunately, my dad was never able to see Andreas’ plans come to fruition. Just as my dad’s life had begun with chaos and turmoil, his life was taken by an unseen internal invader, and he died of cancer in 2001.

Fortunately, Andreas’ plans continued, and grew in magnitude until his dream was fulfilled.

His modern art is now housed in a museum fitting the collection and carrying his name, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. ~Todd Trimakas Publisher / Editor Todd@uptownclt.com

Editor/Publisher Todd Trimakas Advertising Jessica Bitner Matt Kokenes 704.944.0551 Executive Editor Shelly Shepard Contributing Editors Peter Reinhart (Food) Ryan Sumner (Fashion) Contributors George Lanis Jennifer Misenheimer Hannah Mitchell Amanda Pagliarini Alessandra Salvatore Little Shiva Victoria Cherrie Toccoa Switzer Photography Ryan Sumner Todd Trimakas George Lanis Cover Art Ben Gelnett Distribution Sean Chesney Office 1600 Fulton Ave., #140 Charlotte, NC 28205 Contact us at info@uptownclt.com Uptown Magazine is a trademark of Uptown Publishing inc., copyright 2009.

All rights reserved.

Uptown is printed monthly and subscriptions are $25 annually and can be purchased online at uptownclt.com.

www.uptownclt.com

1/28/2010 2:27:21 PM

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public

words: amanda pagliarini

O the life

n the heels of contemplating the relevance of art, yet another reason to care: Imagine our city as a girl in jeans and a white T-shirt. Unless she’s super hot (and sorry, but we’re not), this is a boring, uninspiring look. But throw on some funky jewelry, an embellished belt, a brightly colored handbag, and a sexy pair of heels and her jeans and T-shirt just became an outfit. The following is a list of my favorite public art “accessories” – some obvious, some overlooked, and some unintentional – that give our city some style.

Jesus Saves: If this is your motto, you would love the retro block-lettering signage that says just that atop an old, abandoned, asbestos-filled church just off West Trade in the Wesley Heights area.

Frazier Park Tunnel Mural: Every time my dog and I walk through the tunnel under Fourth Street, I feel I’m transported back to “The Wonder Years” era when the parks were filled with children and picnics, rather than the homeless and drug pushers. And the truth is, the latter is what I sometimes find along that path. But with a little

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paint and artsy vision, the floral mural that decorates the otherwise dark tunnel transforms the mood.

Wind Silos: Whoever said you couldn’t polish poop clearly hadn’t met Ned Kahn – the artist who was able to sex up a dull, unsightly parking garage on West Trade with a mirrored mosaic of metallic fabric that moves with the wind.

The Green: Maybe it’s just the writer in me, but this uniquely playful homage to the literary world is my sugar-free version of Willy Wonka’s factory. If you stop to read and admire the floating storybook pages or animated artwork, you might feel a sudden, inexplicable urge to pee, brought on by the audible walkway of water sounds.

Firebird: Seated outside the Bechtler Museum, it’s the latest edition to Tryon Street’s collection of commissioned art. The sparkly, glittery outdoor sculpture of mirrored and colored glass is a great departure from the bronze, aluminum, or granite blandness that decorates the other parts of Tryon. The Firebird adds a kooky joyfulness to our corporate city streets.

So next time you balk at a few extra dollars being spent on sexing up our city, just ask yourself – would you rather look at a girl in jeans and a T-shirt everyday? U

Reach Amanda at mandipagliarini@yahoo.com For more info go to www.uptownclt.com

www.uptownclt.com

1/28/2010 11:21:36 AM

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1/28/2010 11:21:39 AM

boudoir

words: amanda pagliarini

the life

A few sit-ups, two glasses of wine before noon, a makeup artist, and a photographer who knows his lighting as if he were a descendant of Thomas Edison, and you, too, can have a gift for the man in your life that will knock his socks – and pants – off.

In the name of sex, art, and Valentine’s Day gift giving, I visited photographer Jeremy Igo of charlotteboudoir.com to take part in the growing trend of boudoir photography (read: slutty, for-his-eyes-only photos, justifiable by the everyday lady for their artistic nature). While this type of photo shoot had always sounded like a fun idea, I never really understood what motivated women to take the leap and have such photos taken of themselves. I maintained the standard concerns: What if the recipient doesn’t react well to them? What if I look utterly horrifying and/or learn of cellulite I never knew existed? What if the photographer is a complete sleaze ball and/or publishes my photos on some seedy Internet site?

Despite arriving at Jeremy’s NoDa studio at 11 a.m. on a Monday, I was offered a cocktail after only a few minutes in hair and makeup artist Kymm’s chair. The mere offer, of which I readily accepted, made me relax and trust him immediately. The Zach Braff lookalike sat and chatted with me while I sipped wine and had my hair and makeup done, helping to make me comfortable so that an hour later when he told me to arch my back and put my ass in the air, I didn’t turn red.

I went in with strict guidelines of what I was and was not

comfortable with. After all, I’m a girl who feels as if my eyeballs are being doused with rubbing alcohol when I have to get a headshot taken, never mind standing around in my underwear. Once we got started, Jeremy eased my self-conscious trepidations with his charming direction, kind authenticity, and a little Dave Matthews pumped through the studio sound system. By the end of the shoot I was practically dancing around the studio naked – third glass of wine in hand, of course.

I learned that many women have one of these photography sessions for no one but themselves. It seemed a little self-indulgent to me prior to my shoot, but afterward, I could understand why. I left feeling giddy, playful, and a bit naughty – a frame of mind my boyfriend later told me was his favorite part of the whole gift. And even if I didn’t have anyone to give the photos to, they would serve as excellent motivations to keep my ass on a Stairmaster for the rest of my life.

But I did have someone to give my photos to. My photographer and new BFF sent me his two favorite shots later that same afternoon. I forwarded them to my boyfriend at work at 4:45. He was home by 5:03.

And from 5:04 on, it was Happy Valentine’s Day to me. U

To contact Jeremy Igo, visit www.charlotteboudoir.com. Find hair and makeup artist Kymm at www.whos-the-fairest.biz.

Reach Amanda at mandipagliarini@yahoo.com For more info go to www.uptownclt.com www.uptownclt.com

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art

words: amanda pagliarini

the life

Our once sterile uptown streets are coming alive with art. But the truth remains – most Charlotteans could not give a shit.

It’s an understandable reaction. Museums, galleries, even art itself can feel inaccessible, daunting, intimidating, or simply irrelevant. Why should people step into the Bechtler? If they do go, won’t the “I’m not sure I get it or give a damn” sign flashing above their heads be detectable by the artsy people? What can be gained from a trip to the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture that couldn’t be read in a book? Isn’t a dance performance just a dance performance, a musical performance just music? How does a static painting or object have any real affect on a person? Or on a city, for that matter?

These are all questions I’ve asked myself. And I like art. I spent my first 25 years of life in Washington, D.C., where there is a gallery or museum for every Starbucks. Twenty of those 25 years I spent in a dance studio. In college, when I wasn’t studying the art of language, I was cramming my feet into ballet shoes or learning the creative science behind choreography. And still, I can at times find myself among the masses in Charlotte who believe our city’s booming art world has nothing to do with me.

During her 2009 Oscar acceptance speech, Penelope Cruz addressed this question of relevance so divinely that it has since shifted my perspective. With trembling conviction, Cruz shared,

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“I always felt that this was, this ceremony was a moment of unity for the world because art, in any form, is and has been and will always be our universal language and we should do everything we can, everything we can, to protect its survival.”

Art is our universal language. It requires no translation, or level setting. Art doesn’t care where you came from. It is unconcerned with your background, education or economic status. It doesn’t demand that those who look at it be cultured or sophisticated.

Art doesn’t hold an expectation or required reaction. It just wants you to come and see it.

Experiencing art offers individuals a freedom they rarely find anywhere else in life. You can see what you want to see, feel what you want to feel, and no one can tell you that you’re wrong. Art allows two people to stand side by side and look at the exact same thing yet see it differently – and when they share their differing perspectives, rather than judge, defend or dismiss, they cock their heads and attempt to see what the other sees.

If art can imitate life, I simply don’t know of anything more relevant to us all. U Reach Amanda at mandipagliarini@yahoo.com For more info go to www.uptownclt.com

www.uptownclt.com

1/28/2010 11:21:43 AM

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words: switzer www.uptownclt.com 28 toccoa uptown pictures: todd trimakas

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park my car at the light rail station on Sharon Road West early on Saturday morning. Two people are talking on the platform, their breath visible in the distance. As I button up my coat against the cold, the words of my friend, an art buff, ring in my rapidly freezing ears. She told me to be sure to check out the art, some conspicuous, some so subtle you have to search for it.

Yep – that’s right. Sprinkled along the Lynx Blue Line, which runs between Interstate 485 and South Boulevard to Seventh Street uptown, is $1.9 million worth of public art. It features the work of 13 artists commissioned by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).

This is my first light rail trip, so I’m excited about the ride as well as the art.

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I walk toward the sidewalk where I stumble upon my first piece of art, a round concrete relief of two oak leaves, compliments of New York-based sculptor Alice Adams. On a scale of 1-10 on the “conspicuous” scale, this would be a 5. If I hadn’t had my head down to avoid the chilling wind, I might have missed it.

A recorded announcement blares: “The train is arriving in one minute.”

“Oh my gosh,” I say to myself. “I need to get a ticket.”

I scramble. I insert a $10 bill into the machine but the face of Alexander Hamilton doesn’t move. Probably because it’s an old, worn bill. I try again. Nothing. I panic. The train glides up to the station. The doors open. I grab the limp bill and jump on.

Now, I don’t advise riding the LYNX without a ticket. Not only is it dishonest, it can also be costly. The fine is $50 if you get caught. My plan is to buy a day pass at my first stop in the South End. Hopefully, I won’t be busted before then. I start to sweat. What will I say if I’m asked to show my ticket? That the machine wouldn’t take my money? That I was too cold to wait? Nobody’s going to buy it.

Meanwhile, I sink into my seat and try to relax. It’s not hard. The LYNX ride is as smooth as butter. No rocking or jerking.

It’s also void of that constant “tennis shoe in the dryer” sound prevalent on many older trains and subways. It’s so quiet I can practically hear the guy breathing three seats away.

The scenery isn’t bad, either. Each passing station takes on its on distinct personality. This was the intent of Leticia Huerta, the Texas-born artist who designed the pavers, mosaics and windscreen etchings for 11 of the 15 stations. Each stop features a different theme based on Huerta’s research of our community’s history. For instance, the Arrowood station pays tribute to the Catawba Indians with snake, arrow and feather designs while the Scaleybark station celebrates the area’s growing Latino population through its use of motifs based on Mexican Bingo cards.

Speaking of Scaleybark, the stop also showcases Thomas Sayre’s giant clay-colored sculptures along the median. On the “conspicuous” scale, these babies are a solid 10. Unless you’re asleep, you can’t miss them. The meaning behind these forms, however, is less apparent. And believe me, everyone has their own interpretation. In my case, I visualize prehistoric satellite dishes, the ones Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble would hoist to their rooftops with the help of a dinosaur.

According to Pallas Lombardi, program manager for CATS’ Art-in-Transit Program, Sayre’s pieces symbolize the harrow discs used to plow the fields in Scaleybark’s former farming community. His work speaks to the change in land use as well

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as to the movement of cars, trains and pedestrians. It all makes perfect sense, I think. Says Lombardi, “With contemporary art, our job is to educate people about what is original and extraordinary.”

And these disks truly are extraordinary. Constructed out of reinforced concrete, they also contain the red clay dirt used in the light rail excavation. Lombardi explains how Sayre set up a staging area across from the Scaleybark station and molded these 11-ton pieces using pure Carolina earth.

The focus on the local landscape continues with the design of the track fencing at the stations spanning from Woodlawn to the 7th Street station. British-born sculptor Shaun Cassidy took his inspiration from the leaves of four tree species – the Magnolia, the Pin Oak, the Sweetgum and the Cottonwood. He created 40 different metal leaves and welded them onto the standard fencing.

Each leaf appears to float along the top of the fence as if being blown by a gentle autumn breeze – not by a cold-winter blast like we’re getting today.

But the coolest part about these floating leaves lies within the web of intersecting bands of steel. Cassidy replaced the natural vein patterns of the leaves with lines of neighborhood street maps. Granted, reading the maps isn’t easy. Due to the leaves’ windswept angles, I find myself in some awkward positions, one that requires me to bend my head and body 90 degrees. It’s not quite like playing Twister, but it’s close.

Cassidy, who teaches at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., also designed the seating fabric and ceiling art in the 16 rail vehicles. Again, he incorporated the leaf image to highlight Charlotte’s well-known tree canopy as well as the changing seasons.

Alice Adams, the lead artist on the design team for the South Corridor Light Rail Project, used the tree canopy as the central theme. In the exhibition catalog of the SCLRP Artists’ Proposal, Adams said, “We have recognized trees and other plant material, not as backdrop, but as important visual players in the everyday comings and goings of the transit riders.”

Adams, who has served on design projects throughout the United States including the Downtown Seattle Transit Project and the St Louis MetroLink light rail system, also said that her goal was to enliven the experience of people in their everyday passage through public places.

So far, Lombardi says the feedback to the art has been very positive. “If you give people a beautiful, well-designed environment with art, your patrons or transit users are not only going to use the system but they are going to appreciate it and take care of it.”

“What about graffiti?” I ask. “Do you have any problems with that?” www.uptownclt.com

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“Believe it or not, most people do not graffiti art,” says Lombardi. “But if you put up a blank wall, they’ll have a field day.”

At Bland Street, I jump off to purchase my ticket. This time I insert my debit card. It works. Whew! Before I walk around South End, I admire one of Hoss Haley’s five rocklike sculptures.

These hand-polished steel and concrete pieces also serve as benches. Although they are boulder-sized, they remind me of the small, smooth rocks I might find in a North Carolina stream, the ones I used to slip on while learning to fly fish. It’s no surprise the Asheville artist labeled his work “River Rock.”

As I run my hand across the shiny dark surface, I notice some strange multicolored scratches. These marks aren’t graffiti but they definitely don’t belong here. It turns out the sculptures are magnets for skateboarders. Haley acknowledges the problem but says the scratches aren’t going to physically hurt the pieces. He says, “Skateboarding is just part of the urban landscape.”

On the other hand, Haley’s purpose was to bring a more natural element into a very industrial environment. He describes his art as a reaction to the whole ergonomic movement where everything has a specific function. Haley wanted a casual, less obvious seating arrangement, one where people could choose how they want to sit. He compares it to a big rock in the woods, where someone might rest during a hike. Says Haley, “My goal was to create a space where someone looks forward to spending a moment of his or her day.”

Another place worth spending time is the 360-foot retaining wall along Camden Street at the East/West Boulevard station. Thomas Thoune, a local artist, pulled together a collection of donated and handmade materials such as recycled china, glass, pottery – even melted marbles – to create a mosaic frieze. In all, there are 33 scenes of Charlotte’s historical South End, including one of nearby Atherton Mill. These intricate wall sculptures look like jeweled jigsaw puzzles. Thoune chose circular “machine cog” shapes to represent the area’s early manufacturing history.

Like some of the other LYNX artists, Thoune worked on the project during a three-month residency at The McColl Center for Visual Arts. CATS and The McColl Center solicited the public for materials, resulting in an overwhelming response. Lombardi says there are interesting stories about each donation. The project includes turquoise tiles from a swimming pool, stained glass from a local church and glass beads from a cancer patient. One person even donated a teacup that had been smashed when a pecan tree branch fell through the owner’s dining room during 1989’s Hurricane Hugo. I’m not sure why someone would hold onto a smashed teacup all those years.

At the 3rd Street station, I see the work of Jody Pinto, one of the most well-known artists in the group. Having completed 32

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dozens of projects in the United States, Europe and Japan, Pinto knows how to transform an environment with color and light. Her fiberglass canopies remind me of cherry and lime Popsicles as they glisten in the January sun. On the “conspicuous” scale, Pinto’s luminous canopies are definitely neck and neck with Sayre’s earthlike disks.

About a block over, I run across the creations of another heavy hitter, Andrew Leicester, an internationally recognized public artist from Minneapolis who was born and educated in England.

Leicester uses the Carolina textile industry as his inspiration for the pavers and six columns supporting the bridge at the Charlotte Transportation Center/Arena station. Leicester says, “The columns are a bulbous, organic reference to the industry that made Charlotte prosperous.” He compares each column to a ripe cotton boll just as it splits open, releasing the natural fiber that eventually becomes part of a machine-made fabric. This abstract illustration works. The round swollen columns explode with yards and yards of texture, color and pattern.

But Leicester doesn’t stop there. He says, “Because the columns are globular and pendulous and hang off the beams of the bridge, they also allude to the ‘hornet’s nest,’ the nickname given Charlotte by British General George Cornwallis during the Revolutionary War.” Wait. Slow down. Art with a double meaning?

This guy really is a heavy hitter.

Heading back to the Sharon Road West station, I think about all the incredible art I’ve seen along the LYNX Blue Line.

But guess what? There’s more public art on the way. According to Lombardi, 23 new artists have been selected to work on the LYNX Blue Line Extension. The BLE is an 11-mile extension with 13 proposed stations, which includes stops at NoDa and UNC Charlotte.

Lombardi says there is a lot of enthusiasm about the extension. “The more culturally rich a city is, the more people will want to move here. There is a real intrinsic value to doing all of this.”

As I exit the train and head back to my car, I pass one of Nancy Blum’s drinking fountains. CATS commissioned the New York artist to create water fountains at 12 stations. Cast in bronze, these pieces feature the flower of one my favorite trees, the dogwood. It’s also North Carolina’s state flower.

I pause for a second. Maybe I’ll have a drink. But then a gust of wind nearly blows me down. I decide to pass. Hot tea on the couch sounds better. U Reach Toccoa at tswitzer@me.com For more info go to www.uptownclt.com

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Bodies o katherine blackwell

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words: hannah mitchell pictures: fenix fotography

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bryce lankard

of work In photography class at South Mecklenburg High School, Bryce Lankard’s teacher told him and his fellow students to challenge traditional notions.

Inspiring advice received in one’s formative years so often goes the way of teenage crushes and ambitious goals, tucked into long-term memory. But for Lankard, that piece of wisdom became a lingering reality. www.uptownclt.com uptown

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S Surveying his latest exhibition of fineart photographs at DOMA Gallery in Charlotte’s South End, Lankard talks about the ways he’s breaching boundaries. This particular show, “Bodies: Steel and Skin,” pairs his abstract nudes with a California photographer’s shots of classic car details.

That his subjects are nudes hardly defies artistic sensibilities; the human body has always been a favorite theme of artists. Lankard’s approach to shooting and developing, though, places the female form in an unconventional light.

Photographing models with vintage Speed Graphic cameras using Polaroid positive-negative film, and manipulating

the images on location, Lankard brings an artist’s touch to every stage of the process.

He frames their bodies in layers of visual texture by solarizing the negatives – or prematurely exposing them to light during developing – scratching them and, back home, leaving air bubbles in the wetscanning process. To add contrast with the film’s creamy texture and the models’ smooth curves, he shot them in sometimes harsh environments, such as deserts and caves.

Man Ray, the American-born artist who pushed lots of boundaries himself, photographed some of his nudes using solarization, but Lankard’s work

adds different dimensions. His careful experiments produce an arresting tableau of sepia-like tone, timeless place and dreamy mood, as though the viewer were peering into the past, present and future all at once, a female figure the one constant.

Shadows are brought into light, lines unnaturally defined and parts of the women’s faces and bodies looking like negative images. In another twist of convention, Lankard often caught his subjects in dynamic tension rather than reclining, giving the shots a sense of motion.

Each model exudes her own personality and sense of confidence in her body. Except for one woman with small breasts, the subjects fit traditional American ideals of female beauty, but Lankard says he most wanted to explore and celebrate the variety of that form.

“Women’s bodies are like snowflakes.

No two are alike,” he says as he surveys his photographs from a red leather couch in DOMA, a scarf tied around his neck. “It’s an endlessly interesting subject to me. I find that I’m drawn to subject matter that is foreign to me or different from me. I have shot some male nudes, but I’m familiar with the male body.”

The confidence of his subjects led Lankard to do the project in the first place.

As he worked in the early 1990s in New Orleans shooting portraits and fashion, female friends started asking whether he’d consider shooting them in the nude. The idea dovetailed with his interest in human subjects, so he agreed, at first trying a more traditional approach he had employed in his portraiture. This produced striking shots, but he says the results lacked distinction. Then he realized the vintage camera techniques he had used with other subjects would work perfectly for nudes because of the film’s malleable qualities.

He had bought several of the vintage cameras at yard sales and online auctions after playing with a friend’s camera because the idea of greater creative control appealed to him. He prefers big negatives, having abandoned 35 mm film around the time he started shooting nudes.

Lankard says his nude models, far tori in studio #15, b. lankard

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zoe at vasquez rocks #9, b. lankard

from posing passively, collaborated with him on the shoots, often suggesting an expression they wanted to communicate.

One of the women who posed for some of his earliest nudes recently approached him about shooting her again. She had ballooned to 200 pounds and wanted him to capture her in her new overweight state.

He says he likes the idea, again, because for him the photographs are about form, line, texture and the variety and beauty of the female body, regardless of size or age.

Due to Lankard’s methods, dating the photographs can be difficult, at least for an amateur viewer, and he wants it that way. For this reason he tries to avoid shooting tattoos or body piercings. For him, the organic methods he uses to produce the series represent a response to computerized photographic manipulation.

He prefers to trust the unpredictability of the process, and in that sense fits a more traditional mold.

He has shot the women over the years in locations across the country.

Though he still photographs nudes, he has

slowed down because he says the makers of the film he uses in the Speed Graphic cameras stopped producing it several years ago. He has a case of the film that he’s saving for his nudes series, which he calls “The Illuminated Shadow.”

Tall and amiable, Lankard, 46, grew up in Charlotte and spent most of his early career working in New Orleans and New York, returning to his hometown a year ago to take a break from the post-Hurricane Katrina stressors of New Orleans. He specializes in fine-art and documentary photography in film and digital, including social landscapes, and though he still takes commercial jobs, he hopes demand for his art pieces eventually will grow enough to allow him to work on those exclusively.

While living in New Orleans, Lankard freelanced and co-founded a magazine, where he served as creative director. He moved to New York City in 1997, serving as art director for a publisher, then returned to New Orleans in 2006. There he co-founded the nonprofit New Orleans Photo Alliance to promote photographic art in the Gulf South.

His pictures have shown in New Orleans alongside works by American photographer Andres Serrano, and in a 2007 show in Paris about New Orleans that included shots by one of his heroes, Henri Cartier-Bresson. The DOMA show marks his first North Carolina exhibition, but a group exhibit of documentary photographs that opened in January at The Light Factory

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quickly followed.

Lankard expected his stay in Charlotte to be temporary, but he says the city has embraced him much more than he anticipated, so he is considering making his hometown his new base.

The human form is also muse for Charlotte painter Katherine Blackwell, a 25-year-old Vermont native who moved here in high school.

Like Lankard, she finds bodies beautiful and fascinating because of the endless variations on the form, and she, too, depicts it in unexpected ways. The complexity and the challenge of rendering an accurate likeness keep her working on as many as four paintings at once as she funnels her energy into a surrealist series called “The Melty People.”

Blackwell says she conceived the concept by accident as she doodled in class to focus her mind. Her father, also an artist, had always encouraged her to explore her creativity. As early as 9, she sketched spider web-like designs and clothed human bodies on the edges of notebook pages, frequently arousing the suspicions of her teachers, who sometimes confiscated the notebooks to redirect her attention, they thought, to them. On a whim one day in her early teens, she erased a line from a web, then erased a leg of a body she’d drawn beside it.

“And it was like a whole new world popped open,” she says. “And I was like, ‘Oh! I can play with them! It doesn’t have to look just like them!’”

Blackwell began manipulating the human form in her drawings, stretching it into ethereal strands that arranged themselves in symbolic patterns and designs or that connected the figures to other people. At the time, she was 38

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practicing her skill, but she realized later that the figures she creates have meaning.

For her, they represent the emotional connections among people.

“We all have emotions, but we’re all connected,” says Blackwell, a softly smiling, bespectacled woman who looks less like the artist than the ravenous book reader she becomes in her down time. “You might cause somebody pain, but very rarely do you do it on your own.”

As Lankard’s nudes seem to move, so do the bald, naked women who people Blackwell’s creative universe. She paints only the color of flesh against glossy, black canvas, leaving the women bald for anonymity because she wants the viewer to fix on the feelings they symbolize and inspire.

One piece, titled “Navigating Your Way Into the Unknown,” shows a figure that appears to swim through a thicket of the fleshy strands emanating from her own body.

In another, “Pressures of the Nonblinking Third Eye,” a woman screams, her scalp contorted into a web of strands forming a tiny woman emerging from her host’s forehead. Blackwell says she painted this one after an unusual month of suspended painting activity. “I had to get the ideas out of my head and onto something.”

She paints only women because her husband draws the line at naked male models.

Blackwell started painting with oils after her boyfriend (now her husband) gave her a set for graduation from Charlotte’s Northwest School of the Arts. As Lankard favors the creamy texture of his vintage film, she prefers the creaminess of oils because it allows her to create realistic

representations, particularly skin’s luminescence, through dozens of layers of blended paint.

She taught herself to work with them because she says she learns more by messing up and starting over. Painting landscapes to develop technique, she soon became bored and switched to portraits of friends. Then three years ago she read about an artist who had returned to the same subject she drew as a child. Blackwell immediately thought of her melty people.

After working for a year on that theme, producing enough paintings for a show but not revealing her work to anyone until she finished, she had her first solo exhibit in 2007 at The ArtHouse gallery in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood. More than a dozen shows have followed across North Carolina, but she says she now sells most of her paintings through her Web site, many to customers in Spain, birthplace of famed surrealist painter Salvador Dali.

Lately, she also paints abstract pieces when she becomes frustrated with the details of painting people, though she incorporates her melty strands into these, too.

Some people find her pieces beautiful, while others recoil. “Which is good, because that’s some kind of reaction,” she says, “and the worst thing for an artist is for someone to just walk by without thinking anything.”

All who see the paintings seem to get some meaning from them, she says, and they make a point of sharing their insights with the artist. Regardless of how the public receives her pieces, Blackwell says the melty people fulfill her with their endless possibilities.

“I will never get bored.”

Lankard and Blackwell say they feel at home in Charlotte’s arts community, above: navigating your way into the unknown, k. blackwell

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but that they want the city to more fully embrace contemporary art.

Blackwell says she knows fellow local artists working in more traditional forms who easily support themselves from their pieces here, but that for contemporary artists like herself, most sales come from outside Charlotte. Still, she has a goal of

she says some people who inquired about renting the gallery for events expressed concern about pictures of naked women on the walls.

“This is the Bible Belt,” Larew says.

“Some people think that should never be depicted as art. But a lot of people said they reminded them of Greek sculpture.”

Both Lankard and Blackwell say they experience a hunger for art in Charlotte, and an arts community that’s trying to connect with that audience. They cite art crawl gallery tours, neighborhood arts districts such as NoDa and a public art walking tour, though Lankard chuckles at the idea of the latter, saying he can’t see a person practically walking from parts of the South End to NoDa. Lankard sees more activity in the central business district than he did growing up in Charlotte, but he says he’d

Lankard says he hopes to see Charlotte “engaging arts of all kinds, not just the kinds held in marbled halls.” making a living by her art in the next two years.

Lankard says he hopes to see Charlotte “engaging arts of all kinds, not just the kinds held in marbled halls.”

Visitors to the DOMA exhibit have reacted positively to Lankard’s unconventional nudes, says gallery owner Gabrielle Larew. In fact, women bought most of those sold through the show. But

like to see that spread across the city, with major art centers forming relationships with small galleries.

“I don’t think Charlotte is anywhere near where it could be,” he says. “But I definitely see great effort toward that. I’d like to be a part of that.” U Reach Hannah at hmitchell29@gmail.com For more info go to www.uptownclt.com Bryce Lankard Current Exhibits: “Bodies: Steel and Skin” at DOMA Gallery through February, 1310 S. Tryon St., and “The Romance of the Road: Photographs in Search of the Promised Land,” through April 11 at The Light Factory, 345 N. College St. Purchasing and information: Visit brycelankard.com or contact DOMA Gallery at 704.333.3420.

Katherine Blackwell Upcoming Exhibits: A solo show at Green Rice Gallery, 451 E. 36th St. in NoDa, April 2-30.

Purchasing and information: Visit khblackwellart.com or Artworks on Main, 165 N. Main St., Mooresville. www.uptownclt.com

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CONVERSATION

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words: victoria cherrie pictures: fenix fotography

Washington, D.C. ecades after working in Washington as an aspiring attorney in the U.S. Justice Department, Anthony Foxx recently returned to the nation’s capital as a leader.

Charlotte’s second African-American mayor – the first Democrat in two decades – shows up at the Capitol Hilton with a plastic folder full of agendas, notes and a Blackberry fixed to his rapidly scrolling thumbs. He’s a minorleaguer in many respects compared with his seasoned counterparts and powerful political figures attending the 78th Annual U.S. Mayors’ Conference.

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Y

et Foxx, 38, the youngest mayor ever elected in Charlotte, after just two terms on the City Council, works the room as though he’s never left the district. He networks his way into meetings with the U.S. secretaries of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and schedules back-to-back meetings with congressional delegates throughout the week.

On this trip, Foxx opens doors for Charlotte and a big one to the next chapter of his young political career. His connection to politics goes back to his boyhood and the influences of his grandparents, who helped raise him.

Foxx’s grandfather, James, was a high school principal in Charlotte and a heavy hitter in the Democratic Party. His grandmother taught junior high French. Together they taught Foxx the importance of

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community.

“Their mentality was: Do whatever it takes to help a kid to learn,” he recalls. “It was not unusual for students of theirs to come by the house and get an extra lesson or for my grandparents to visit the homes of students they had and talk to their parents.”

Foxx says that the examples set by his grandparents greatly dictated how he viewed and still views himself today.

“You know, I could be a minister, a teacher … I could be a doctor, I could be just about anything, but whatever I would have become, somehow it would have connected back to the community,” he says.

And he was destined to drift into politics under the wing of his granddaddy, who was a guru of all things political. Foxx says he got lassoed into many conversations by virtue of being a kid hanging around the house after his single mother moved away to further her education and work. He also was an extra pair of hands during election time and a cute half-pint-tag-a-long at the polls.

Foxx remembers putting out signs in support of Harvey Gantt, Charlotte’s first African-American mayor and close family friend.

“At the time I didn’t really know all about who Harvey Gantt was; I just knew my grandfather was supporting him so he pulled me in the car and we went out and I was doing what he was doing,” Foxx says. “I learned about that later.”

One of his most vivid memories of that time was when his grandfather – using a staple gun to affix campaign signs to wooden posts – stapled his thumb by accident.

“It looked like the most painful thing you could ever imagine, but he just stopped, pulled out the staple and kept going,” Foxx says. “I thought to myself right then that he was made out of something different than I would ever be made of … it just showed me how committed he was to what he was doing.”

Foxx graduated from West Charlotte High School and then Davidson College, where he was the school’s first black student body president. He later earned his law degree from New York University and returned briefly to Charlotte before going to clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Foxx then went on to work in the voting section of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department and was counsel for the House Judiciary Committee.

He returned to Charlotte in 2001 and worked as a litigator for Hunton & Williams for years until recently becoming general counsel at Design Line.

Foxx dropped jaws when he ran for an at-large City Council seat with no experience in 2005. That was seen as a far-reaching goal because, historically, the best launching pad for serving on the City Council has been district representation.

“You know, one of my basic philosophies of life is not to complicate the simple,” he says. “I had a desire to represent the entire city in the same way in which I saw it represented when I was a kid, which was leadership that understood all of the push-pull in the community, that took it all into account but dug down deep to make decisions and to communicate those decisions to the public in a way in which everyone felt fairly treated.”

With all of Charlotte’s rapid growth, some people in the community feel like our politics have gotten lost, Foxx says.

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city council meeting room

“I felt a deep obligation to try to do what I could to restore it,” the Charlotte mayor says.

Foxx was re-elected in 2007 and says he can’t really pinpoint when he decided to run for mayor.

“Did you ever think to yourself, ‘I want to be mayor one day’?” I ask.

“No,” he says.

I try to dig into his thought process a little more. He doesn’t indulge.

“I guess something misfired,” he says, laughing.

But the ball seemed to be rolling long before 2009.

Chatter whirled as early as 2007 while former Mayor Pat McCrory was making headlines for wielding his powers while assigning council members to committees. Democrats – including Foxx – billed the assignments as politically motivated, questioning the qualifications of some of McCrory’s choices. The Republicans, including John Lassiter, who ran against Foxx for mayor, criticized Foxx and other Democrats behind the scenes – chiding them for stirring unnecessary debate.

Speaking above the hiss of espresso machines at a Starbucks near the Hilton, Foxx says he prefers to see himself as bringing others together on issues, even though he strongly argues his own points.

“I’d like to think I was able to get some good things done,” he says. “The role of mayor is much different. As a council member what I saw was a lot of missed opportunities to engage the community in important discussions about our future – something as specific as the 2006 vote on our budget that allowed us to make substantially more

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police hires – I didn’t think the City Council dialogue about that was as honest as it should have been.”

Foxx apologizes for seemingly talking in code and tries again.

“I’m … confident that in the next couple of years there are going to be positions I take that may be in the variance of the (largely Democratic) council in place now. But what will happen is that dialogue will be honest dialogue and not based on a power struggle. It’ll be based on the issue of the moment; I think we owe that to the people of Charlotte.”

Foxx is willing to give a lot to residents and proved it during his campaign, according to numerous volunteers, who say the mayor lived on Diet Coke and water and dropped a good 30 pounds while darting from events to neighborhoods to speaking engagements.

The same way Foxx tagged along with his grandfather to political events as a child, his children, Hillary, 5, and Zachary, 3, were often in tow on his campaign trail. In fact, the mayor’s insistence on dropping off the kids in the morning and picking them up every afternoon sometimes caused staffers to grumble because they felt the time could have been used for campaign appearances or interviews.

But being a father, and husband to wife Samara, always comes first, which is among the many reasons volunteers and supporters respect him, they say.

“Anthony is to public service what Michael Jordan is to basketball,” said Jill Santuccio, his press secretary. “There is just a natural gift that he has. I don’t think you can teach the stuff that’s in his soul, the fabric of who he is.”

Foxx defeated Lassiter with 51.5% percent of the vote, ending an arduous campaign that drew hundreds of volunteers and comparisons to Barrack Obama’s presidential victory in 2008.

In fact, Foxx has surrounded himself with some of the president’s own men. His campaign manager, Bruce Clark, a D.C. insider, was deputy regional field director of Obama for America. Kevin Monroe – a close adviser – ran both of Foxx’s City Council campaigns. He served as the state political director for Obama ’08 before climbing aboard the Foxx ’09 train.

The campaign’s success caught enough buzz that others are seeking advice.

Ambling up a staircase to the Hilton’s second floor, Alvin Brown stops when he sees Foxx on his descent back to the lobby. He offers a hearty handshake and asks whether the mayor received his texts and whether he could squeeze Brown in during his D.C. visit.

Brown, the former White House senior adviser for urban policy under President Clinton, plans to enter the 2011 race for mayor of Jacksonville, Fla. He said he hopes to gain insight from Foxx’s campaign successes on the advice of U.S. Rep. Mel Watt, a Charlotte Democrat and confidant of Foxx’s. Foxx was Watt’s campaign manager in 2004. Foxx also relies on insight from numerous others, including famous jazz artist Wynton Marsalis.

Marsalis couldn’t break free from writing a composition for the Berlin Philharmonic to be interviewed for this story. But he is a friend to Foxx – performing at a fundraiser concert during one of his council campaigns and always offering a unique perspective.

“I feel like it’s important to have a variety of people around you

BRADFORD L. PICOT, DDS PA

Free Wi-Fi, Internet Bar, Juice Bar, Massage Chairs, Art Gallery & Patient TVs. Bradford L. Picot, DDS PA 1520 South Blvd., Suite 110 • Charlotte, N.C. 28203 Conveniently located in the Park Avenue Bldg. behind Carrabba's, on South Blvd. Free parking garage available. Walking distance from Bland Street light rail station. Minutes from Uptown.

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IT’S THE EXPERIENCE who bring different perspectives,” Foxx says. “An artist just opens your mind at different ways of looking at things.”

Today, many times, though, he still relies on the advice of his grandfather.

“I can’t say enough about how razor sharp his antenna was, and having had the benefit of growing up in his household and having many, many, many conversations into the wee hours of the morning about various things political – there’s a lot I still draw just from that,” he says.

Foxx pauses a moment to take a call from a city lobbyist as he pulls a crumpled sheet with 13 bullet items highlighting accomplishments in his first 30 days. He points for me to read as he talks. Among them: 2,200 jobs announced; bidding for Charlotte to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention; and working with state leaders to accelerate the completion of the Interstate-485 project.

He’s in a rush now to make his afternoon meetings so we wrap up but not before quickly discussing perhaps his biggest accomplishment: becoming Charlotte’s youngest and second African-American mayor.

“My personal background, my racial background is something that is certainly part of who I am, but it isn’t the only thing that I am,” he says. “I think maybe when I’m much older and I’m looking back, the historical significance from the standpoint of being an African-American mayor in Charlotte may be something I reflect on, but right now there are too many things in front of me to deal with.” U Reach Victoria at sailorgirl39@gmail.com For more info go to www.uptownclt.com www.uptownclt.com

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//////////////GUIDETOTHEGALLERIES

W

hen I was asked to take on the assignment of the gallery guide for this month’s issue of Uptown, I have to admit that I was hesitant. I have always had a great appreciation for the arts, but I’ve never quite considered myself the “gallery” type.

It’s a world that I have yet to delve into and, no offense to those immersed in it, the cloud of “snootiness” that I perceived to envelope it seemed too thick to penetrate. But the opening of the Bechtler Museum and the general artsy buzz that has been circling around the QC lately has piqued my curiosity, and it suddenly seemed that the assignment was almost fitting. Although intimidating, in the end I’ve learned much more about the art world in general as well as the Charlotte art community.

After viewing the galleries and museums, I felt inspired, invigorated and much more connected, and it’s made me truly realize the beauty of art: It’s all in the interpretation.

Anyone can purchase a pricey picture and hang it on the wall, but it’s when you find the ones that speak to you, that strike a chord somewhere deep inside you and make you feel something, well, then you can appreciate what you are seeing. All of the following galleries are unique in their own way. I’ve had the opportunity to chat with gallery owners, artists, patrons; I’ve seen things I never thought I’d see. When my tour was over, I was taken aback that all of this had been under my nose for a year and a half and I’d never experienced it.

When speaking to the gallery owners, I noticed that they share a common thread: They all want to be part of a larger community. We are fortunate to have a taste of everything here in Charlotte: Art that is strictly for viewing, art that is strictly for sale; galleries that offer works of all media to those that concentrate on one or two specific media; galleries meant to be entered with energy and frivolity to galleries meant to be entered with quiet contemplation – the list goes on and on. It shattered the image of the art world that was in my mind. Each gallery is a piece of a larger puzzle, fitting in with the next to create the big picture known as the Charlotte art scene.

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uptown

www.uptownclt.com

words: alessandra salvatore

1/28/2010 11:22:55 AM

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture Uptown 551 S. Tryon St. 704.547.3700 Tuesday-Saturday 10-5, Sunday 1-5 www.ganttcenter.org The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture (formerly the Afro-American Cultural Center) has found its home in Charlotte, and we are lucky it has chosen us. The massive 46,500-square-foot center sits in the heart of Charlotte’s central business district in the area once occupied by the historic Brooklyn neighborhood, which was at one time the thriving center of the black community and home to the Myers Street School. The school bore a prominent exterior stair configuration that was often referred to by the biblical term “Jacobs Ladder” and signified the importance of education and advancement of African-Americans. The Gantt Center has done a wonderful job to pay this structure homage through its modern interpretation in the form of the stairs and escalators that carry visitors up to the main second-floor lobby from both ends of the building while framing the central glass atrium. Coming soon is the exhibition “Evolution: Five Decades of Printmaking by David C. Driskell,” which opens on February 12.

Driskell is a renowned Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Art at the University of Maryland and is an artist, art historian, collector and curator, and is one of the most recognized and respected names in the world of African-American art and culture. You can meet Driskell at the center from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on February 12. gantt center

Hodges Taylor Gallery Uptown 401 N. Tryon St., Suite 108 704.334.3709 Tuesday through Saturday 11-3, Monday by appointment www.hodgestaylor.com Many readers may already be aware that Hodges Taylor Gallery is the oldest gallery in Charlotte, making its debut in uptown in 1981. While focusing on art and artists in the Southeast, Christie Taylor and Dorothy Hodges have educated Charlotteans on contemporary art through paintings and works on paper, sculpture and fiber, ceramics and photography, among others. The gallery also offers consulting to corporate clients as well as individuals. Coming soon is the exhibition “Wayne McDowell: The Artist’s Process,” February 2 – March 31, which will focus on the process of creating art and will show how the “thinking” changes through the process over the life of a career, even though the artist may use the same devices. The work featured in the exhibition will span the past decade (2000-2010). Bookmark February 17 when Wilmington native McDowell will discuss his own thinking process using his artwork and processes in conjunction with the exhibit.

bechtler museum

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Uptown 420 S. Tryon St. 704.376.1101 Monday and Wednesday-Saturday, 10-5; Sunday 12-5; closed Tuesday www.bechtler.org It is no secret that the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art has generated quite the buzz in Charlotte, whether you consider yourself part of the art community or not. Having officially opened its doors to the public on January 2, it is only the second museum in this country designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta. It seems a perfect fit. The museum’s current collection includes works by the most important and influential artists of the mid-20th century including Miró, Giacometti, Picasso, Calder, Hepworth, Nicholson, Warhol, Tinguely, Ernst, Le Corbusier, Chillida and many others, and Charlotteans are privileged in that only a handful of these amazing artworks have been on public view in the United States. Between the magnificent architecture, the history, the sense of community the museum brings, the location, and of course, the artwork that is housed inside, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is something to be experienced by the local community as well as the global community. Expect big things from the Bechtler.

www.uptownclt.com

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light factory // “ghost of tom joad” pamela springsteen

Uptown 200 E. Seventh St. 704.333.1887 Monday-Saturday 10-5, Sunday 12-5 www.museumofthenewsouth.org For newcomers to Charlotte, a visit to the Levine Museum of the New South should be a mandatory reward for the dreaded DMV visit for a new license and license plates.

In the heart of uptown sits this hands-on educational museum full of interactive exhibits brimming with information about the New South, a term that refers to the post-Civil War period from 1865 to today.

The end of slavery brought about a need for re-invention on all levels, and the Levine Museum captures these times beautifully.

For a brief but thorough introduction, duck into the small theater showing the 10-minute video “Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers” to kickstart your tour. Enjoy the exhibit “Changing Places: From Black and White to Technicolor,” which focuses on culture, storytelling and exploring traditions of new and longtime residents. Within the exhibit, visitors will find a new technology known as “video-talkback,” where visitors can record their responses to questions and the exhibit’s themes. The exhibit will become an ongoing and everchanging conversation – newcomers and longtime residents trading stories.

The Light Factory Uptown 345 N. College St. 704.333.9755 Monday-Saturday 9-6, Sunday 1-6 www.lightfactory.org The Light Factory proclaims that the content of its exhibits is meant to “stimulate(s) dialogue, challenge(s) audiences and encourage(s) artists to test new ideas,” and after paying a visit, I think it certainly lives up to these standards. A museum dedicated to photography, film and related light-generated media, The Light Factory also offers education and outreach programs designed to teach people of all ages to communicate using the photo and film media and to be able to interpret the messages behind the images they see in the museum and in mass media.

If promoting “media literacy” is the goal of The Light Factory, it most definitely achieves it. Part of the exhibition “The Ties That Bind” was photographed by Preston Gannaway and chronicled a family coping with a parent’s terminal illness. It was raw, heart-wrenching, real-life, without fluff, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. It is no wonder he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his feature photography.

While this exhibit ended on January 10, be sure to visit The Light Factory for its next exhibit, “The Romance of the Road: In Search of the Promised Land,” which will run until April 11. This exhibit will use still and video images that document the artists’ personal experiences, relationships and discoveries – both good and bad – that have unfolded on the open road.

Levine Museum of the New South

Coffey & Thompson Gallery Uptown 109 W Morehead St. 704.375.7232 Monday-Friday 9-5:30, Saturday 10-2 www.coffeyandthompson.com Tucked away on East Fourth Street, Coffee & Thompson Gallery is far more than simply another art gallery on Charlotte’s map. Inside you can find originals, prints, sculptures and carvings.

Popular themes on display include the Civil War, military and aviation art, and Western subjects, and friendly people work behind the counter. Know that regardless of your art background or what you are looking for, you will be welcomed and treated with respect at this gallery. Check out its “Wild Life Gallery,” full of statues, carvings and other artifacts from North America, Africa and elsewhere, and see the special section: Audubon’s “Birds of America” (Amsterdam Edition).

What really made Coffee & Thompson interesting to me is its focus on restoration and framing.

While it does, of course, restore paintings, paper art and frames, it takes great pride in the preservation of heirlooms and sentimental items in memory boxes. It has “framed everything from pigtails to fishing rods,” and it’s great to see a gallery that handles its customers’ personal items with such care. After all, not all great art is done by “true” artists – some of the greatest work comes from within our own family.

coffee and thompson

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1/28/2010 11:23:17 AM

mccoll center

McColl Center for Visual Art

Mint Museum of Craft + Design

Uptown 721 N. Tryon St. 704.332.5535 Tuesday-Saturday 11-4 www.mccollcenter.org I walked right past the McColl Center for Visual Art before I realized I had gone too far on Tryon. That can’t be, I thought. All that’s here is that big beautiful church. And then I realized that’s exactly where I needed to be. I probably didn’t choose the best time to stop by, considering it was switching out the exhibitions and what art it did have out wasn’t exactly displayed for viewing. Leave it to me to have the best timing. But I sauntered in anyway and was told I was free to roam, and that I could make my way up to the second and third floors to check things out. The vibe of what feels like (and is essentially) a nearempty church with little to no movement or sound was slightly creepy, so I tiptoed up to the second floor to poke around, treading ever so lightly. Suddenly the door to a studio flung open and an artist poked his head out, spilling light and life into the desolate hallway. “Hey! I wasn’t expecting visitors, but come on in!”

The artist was Shaun El C. Leonardo, from Queens, N.Y., who is at the McColl Center for a residency along with several other artists.

Shaun’s mixed-media works blend personal narrative and pop-cultural iconography from his childhood within self-portraiture. He has received several grants and accolades both nationally and internationally, and after seeing a piece of his work – a superhero crafted out of plywood with intricate detail and design – his success is no surprise. Check out Leonardo’s work, as well as other artists at the McColl on residency, from now through March 20 on the second and third floors.

Uptown 220 N. Tryon St. Tuesday-Saturday 10-5, Third Thursday 10-8

Mint Museum of Art Eastover 2730 Randolph Road Tuesday 10-9, Wednesday-Saturday 10-5 704.337.2000 www.mintmuseum.org There are plenty of changes in store for the Mint Museum in 2010. For starters, the Mint Museum of Craft + Design is closing temporarily beginning February 7 as it prepares to pack and move the collections to the new Mint Museum Uptown, which will open in October. The new location will feature the Mint Museum of Craft + Design collections, as well as American art, contemporary art and a selection of European art, and will be part of the new Wells Fargo Cultural Campus at the corner of First and South Tryon Streets in the heart of Charlotte’s business district. Mint’s new uptown digs will also be home to painting and clay studios, a Family Gallery, where children can engage with artwork through hands-on activities and educational opportunities, and a specialevents room on the fifth floor with an outdoor terrace boasting fabulous views of the city.

The historic Mint Museum of Art on Randolph will maintain its location in Eastover, and will reinstall its collections following the Mint Uptown’s grand opening. Join the Mint Museum Craft + Design for its “Last Look Friday” on March 5 from 6 to 10 p.m., and enjoy an evening of live entertainment, refreshments, hands-on art activities, artist demos and more as you look back at the Craft + Design’s first decade and look forward to the additions to come at the Mint Museum Uptown. You can also check out the current exhibits at the Randolph Road location, which include “The Heights of Fashion: Platform Shoes Then and Now” (through May 30), “Loïs Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color” (through February 27), and “North Carolina Pottery: Diversity and Traditions” (through December 31).

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mint museum craft + design

1/28/2010 11:23:31 AM

Bank of America Galleries

Ross Gallery

Uptown 114 N. Tryon (Hearst Tower) 100 N. Tryon (Bank of America Building) Monday-Friday 9-8, Saturday 10-5 The Bank of America Collection of art is one of the largest and most important corporate art collections in the world, and we are very fortunate to be able to experience the works from this collection here in Charlotte. Upon arriving at the Bank of America Building exhibit, I began wondering why I couldn’t remember seeing the art here when I’ve walked through in the past.

I entered the building and was directed by the security guard toward a small nook near an entrance. The nook is home to the “Holy Cow” exhibit, a small selection of artwork featuring animals in various settings. It is so small that it is easy to walk right by without noticing, though once you’ve entered the nook you’ll be happy you ducked in. As with all art, the exhibit can be interpreted several ways, but the main focus of the works is our relationships with our pets as well as capturing images of wild animals in several settings. Being an animal lover, I was excited that this was the main focus for the current exhibit, and between here and the Hearst Tower selection I was not disappointed. One of my favorite pictures was titled “Soldier’s Leisure, Murmansk,” 1944, taken by Evgeny Khaldey, and was of a group of soldiers playing and sharing their food with a tiny dog. The Hearst Tower has a more extensive collection to view, and the largest piece here is “Bas Met Dekonijnenpootjes,” by Maarten Wetsema, whose subjects are dogs (and one cat), all photographed separately on different pieces of furniture.

Uptown Elizabeth Avenue & Kings Drive (Overcash Performing Arts Center) 704.330.6211 Monday-Thursday 10-2 www.cpcc.edu/arts_gallery I went into the Overcash Performing Arts Center searching for the Ross Gallery and was instantly inspired by the hustle and bustle of students. It was just after 2 p.m. and the gallery was closed, so I was directed to the visual arts instructor, Peggy Rivers.

I found Rivers totally in her element: in the painting studio, interacting with her students, exuding light and encouragement. She was 100 percent in the moment and having a blast, and even so, she was quick to accommodate me and offer a tour. We headed over to the Ross Gallery first. The current exhibit here is called “Installation Work,” and it forces the viewer to take an entirely different approach to art. This is not the kind of work that you stand back and admire from afar, like a photo or painting on the wall, or even a sculpture.

Instead, the work here is meant to be very minimalist, yet it lures you into it so that you become a part of the work. Much of it consists of everyday, “familiar” objects arranged and constructed in a way that is unfamiliar to us, encouraging different angles of perception of objects. It is also meant to bring about awareness in the viewer. The artists are Austin Ballard and Josiah Blevins, who have had the assistance of artist Paige Cochran.

While the art here is a must-see, I have to warn those of you who have a sensitive gag reflex: Several pieces of art are crafted out of a giant collection of human hair.

Pease Gallery Uptown Central Piedmont Community College Elizabeth Avenue and Pease Lane 704.330.6237 Monday-Thursday 10-2 www.cpcc.edu/arts_gallery Once finished with the Ross Gallery, Rivers brought me over to the Pease Gallery to view its current exhibit titled “Silent Songs.” The collection was much larger and showcased the work of several artists, and the Summer Arts program they attended at Airy Knoll in Virginia inspired much of the work. Here you can expect to find work of all different media, colorful and eccentric, featuring a wide variety of subject matter. Come celebrate with the artists at the closing reception for this exhibit, which will be February 19 from 6 to 8:30 p.m., and look out for the “Sensoria” celebration of the arts at CPCC April 12-17. CPCC is excited to host an art exhibition juried by Barbara Schreiber, which will be at 10 a.m. on April 12. Schreiber is a well-known and respected artist who has had her works featured in numerous collections both private and public, and has been exhibited at several galleries and museums.

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Picture House Gallery Uptown 1520 E. Fourth St. 704.333.8235 Monday-Friday 10-4, Saturday 10-3 www.picturehousegallery.com While gallery-hopping uptown, be sure to stop over at Picture House Gallery. It’s an intimate gallery chock-full of art and is a great place for someone who enjoys several styles of work. Among the artists’ work displayed here is that of Frederick Hart, who has created stunning sculptures of busts out of acrylic and bronze; Dennis Campay, who has crafted intricate mixed-media work on panel; and Jamali, the internationally renowned artist whose style fuses contemporary and ancient, the end result often being creations that possess an almost mystical air.

McColl Fine Art South End 208 East Blvd.

704.333.5983 / www.mccollfineart.com Tuesday-Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-3, and by appointment McColl Fine Art specializes in fine American and European paintings, with a primary focus on select works of art from the 19th and early 20th centuries. It offers works of exceptional quality from periods that include the Barbizon School, the Hudson River School, Academic painting, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism in a very private and sophisticated setting.

1/28/2010 11:23:38 AM

Charlotte Art League

Elder Gallery

South End 1517 Camden Road 704.376.2787 www.charlotteartleague.org Charlotte Art League makes a big impression on its visitors as they walk in, and the interactive environment is both exciting and inviting. Robert, the man at the front door who I later learned is also a resident artist, filled me in on the nature of the gallery and encouraged me to check it out and enjoy myself. I tend to be partial to the galleries that are filled with studios where the artists work; where you are free to roam and come up with your own interpretations without feeling watched or pressured. The artists’ studios emanate a buzz of energy, even when they are still and the artists are nowhere near them. It is great to be able to peek inside their world and see their inspirations, and this makes the pieces they produce that much more intriguing. Among the several gorgeous works found here, I was drawn to the works of Stefan Duncan, who has created a collection of tree-inspired paintings that are fiery, elegant and wild. I also loved the mixed-media works from Sheila Carpenter. Be sure to check out the beautiful, intricate painting titled “Cherry Blossom” by Robert Bursik, and if you have a room large enough to house it you may want to scoop it up before someone else does. The Charlotte Art League is a part of the South End Gallery Crawls, which are on the first Friday evening of every month. Look out for the exciting “RHYTHM!” exhibition during the month of February, which will demonstrate the “explorations of pulse and motion in art.”

South End 1427 S. Blvd., Suite 101 704.370.6337 www.elderart.com I picked this location at random as my first gallery to visit, and there couldn’t have been a better place to start. Larry Elder, gallery owner, was more than accommodating and generous with information on the works he carried as well as the art world in Charlotte.

He welcomes his patrons with open arms and explained that his approach to art isn’t about social clicks or driving people away.

He carries beautiful works of great value but conveys the message that they are, in fact, accessible and, if you fall in love with a particular piece, he will work to make it attainable. His goal is to carry art that will inspire people from all ages and all walks of life. It is worth mentioning that Elder Gallery is the exclusive retailer for Leon Makielski, an early-American Impressionist who was an accomplished portrait painter and painted many leaders of government and industry, among other works of art. Currently showing at Elder Gallery are the works of Martha Armstrong, a Massachusetts artist who creates serene paintings whose topics include the Mediterranean coast, indoor still life and woods. The exhibition will run through the month of February.

Ciel Gallery South End 1519 Camden Road 704.577.1254 www.cielcharlotte.com After you’ve gotten your fix of art from the Charlotte Art League, pop into Ciel Gallery next door. Ciel opened its doors in the summer of 2008 thanks to mosaic artist Pam Pardue Goode as a venue for both the exhibition and creation of art without boundaries. It offers classes to children and adults of all levels and all media, and coordinates shows that feature the works of the students. It even takes suggestions for future classes, so get creative. Now’s your chance to have a shot at learning how to make couch pillowcases out of your 1980s hair band T-shirts, like you’ve always wanted. (Note: I said “shot.”) Also at Ciel is the Community Mosaic Project, founded by members of the Charlotte Art League, which is open to participation from any and all community members regardless of age or experience (upcoming open sessions will be listed on its Web site). Look out for its next exhibition, “Flights of Fancy,” which will run April 2-May 29, and it will put the emphasis on the “whimsy” of any medium. Join Ciel free of charge for the opening reception on April 2.

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Hidell Brooks Gallery South End 1910 South Blvd.

704.334.7302 Tuesday-Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-3 www.hidellbrooks.com While keeping up with the Charlotte scene by carrying works from regional artists, the women behind Hidell Brooks Gallery continue to stay true to their goal, which is to exhibit original works from American artists who have rarely been shown in the Southeast. Kathleen Hidell and Rebecca Brooks take great pride in not only the artists they carry, but also in the constant process of art education and the unique process of developing a client’s particular focus of interest. Among my favorite artists at HB are the graceful works of David Arms, featuring delicate birds and thought-provoking phrases; the perfectly messy still-life work from Katherine Ace, featuring crumpled newspapers and bold colors; and the peaceful, serene works of Tony Hernandez.

The gallery rotates solo and group exhibitions every six to eight weeks.

elder gallery

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Beet New South, a Joie Lassiter Gallery South End 1430 S. Mint St. 704.373.1464 Tuesday-Friday 10-5:30, Saturday 11-4 www.lassitergallery.com Nestled in the upcoming art and design district of South End, the Joie Lassiter Gallery seems to have settled into its new home quite nicely. Having been in business for 14 years, the gallery brings together regional, national and international artists and offers a wide range of artwork that introduces new aesthetics to the Southeast. Among the featured works here are from artist Leslie Walker Noelle, from Asheville, who has created gorgeous, statement-making trees from steel, cut branches and graphite, which are clustered and kept at the artist’s height to give the effect of walking through a grove of young trees; and from Willie Little, a multimedia artist/ storyteller originally from rural North Carolina who has created a grouping of 6-foot “walking sticks” that hang from the ceiling, hovering above the ground, and are wrapped, jeweled and adorned in prickly burs. Joie Lassiter Gallery participates in the First Friday SouthEnd Gallery Crawl; the next one takes place on Feb. 5 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Doma Gallery South End 1310 S. Tryon St., No. 106 704.333.3420 // www.domaart.com Monday-Friday 9-5, and by appointment Doma Gallery is fairly new on the art scene, having opened just two years ago this past January, and is quickly making a name for itself. It is particularly unique in that it is the only gallery in the area displaying strictly photography and video art. I should note that I didn’t notice anything lacking, and it wasn’t until the owner, Gabrielle, pointed this out to me that I realized there were no paintings or other works of art, and even then I didn’t miss them. The space seems a perfect home for the contemporary photography it is filled with: high ceilings and huge windows, bright and spacious, with a loft area upstairs. The photographs here speak for themselves, and they speak loudly. Gabrielle has quite the eye for gorgeous, statement-making snapshots – the kind that you can hang or lean on a wall and add nothing else to the room, and nothing would be missed. Exhibited here are works from photographers represented in collections found at major museums as well as emerging photographers from North Carolina. At Doma you can expect to find a wide variety of subject matter and style, and work that is unafraid to push the envelope.

Current featured artists include Daniel Stein, Bryce Lankard, Tim Buchman, Christopher Lee, Mike Smith, Christian Cravo, Derno Ricci, Wayne Bartlett and Matthew Montieth, and the closing reception of the “Bodies: Steel and Skin” exhibit will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on February 16.

doma

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NoDa 3202 N. Davidson St. 704.334.3558 // www.beetonline.com Tuesday- Friday 11-5, Saturday 12-5, by appointment, and 6-9 on the first and third Friday of each month during the NoDa Gallery Crawls Beet Gallery is much bigger than it looks from the outside, and maybe that’s part of what makes it so charming and approachable.

I noticed how relaxed Beet felt from the moment I walked inside. The front of the gallery has the feel of a funky shop with great gifts such as pottery and jewelry, the kind of place you can grab a cup of coffee and browse around for an hour or two, uninterrupted and without pressure. Beet carries a great selection of contemporary works of art from various media, crafted by emerging and wellestablished artists, with a special emphasis on artists from our region. Here you will find bold works of art painted on various surfaces, such as car doors, for example, and you will also find soft-spoken gems with serious charm, like the baking dish made by Robin Beckett, a local potter, who included the recipe for “Sticky Buns” inside of it. Pop in through February and March to see the works of Scott Harris, the artist known for his attentiongrabbing art painted on the lustrous surfaces of aluminum.

Hart Witzen Noda 136 E. 36th St. 704.334.1177 // www.hartwitzengallery.com Open to the public for special events or by appointment With its 19 private studios ranging from 250-9,000 square feet and its 5,000 square foot multi-functional gallery, which hosts exhibits, events and receptions, Hart Witzen Gallery is certainly serious about its artists and community. This privately owned and self-sustaining venue is supported through the rental of the gallery and studios. Although only open to the public by appointment, Hart Witzen comes to life when featuring theater events such as plays, dance, music, comedy, performance art, movie screenings and more.

During its downtime it serves as a creative sanctuary for artists, conducive to creativity and expression.

1/28/2010 11:23:58 AM

Green Rice Gallery NoDa 451 E. 36th St. 704.344.0300 Wednesday-Friday 11-6, Saturday 12-6, Sunday 12-4 Gallery Crawls first and third Friday of every month www.green-rice.com When I walked through the door of the Green Rice Gallery everything seemed to come alive and jump out at me. If you are in the market to decorate your urban condo or swanky home, a visit to Green Rice is a must, and while there are of course pricey pieces here, it offers several that won’t send you plummeting into debt. The works here – from the pottery, mixed media, mosaics, sculpture and many more – seemed to call to me from all angles, and I felt immediately at home. Even more gems were tucked away inside the artists’ studios around the gallery, which are open to anyone who’d like to take a peek, and they recently expanded from seven studios to 12 as of this past July. Every area of the 3,000-square-foot space is chock-full of works from local artists. February’s exhibit here is called “North to South: 1st Annual Juried Artwork Competition,” and will feature the work of artists throughout North and South Carolina. The Awards Presentation and Opening Reception will take place on February 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. Green Rice also offers in-business complimentary consultations, which are great for busy executives who can’t find time to eat lunch, never mind leave the office. On display through March are the featured works from Eric Hurtgen, and for all you brides with an edge, go check out the Bridal Show here on March 14 from 12 to 3 p.m.

lark & key // “place of steadiness” duy huynh

Dialect Design NoDa 3204-C N. Davidson St. 704.763.0506 Monday-Friday 9-5 www.dialectdesign.com Just upstairs from Center of the Earth Gallery sits an artistic lair manned by two of the coolest guys to step foot on the art scene. The gallery is perhaps known best for hosting the monthly “Dialect Night,” which takes place on the second Friday of every month. Dialect night is an evening dedicated to a local artist or groups of artists, and has been known to include pictorial art, sculptures, a jazz concert, a poetry jam, a political forum, art benefits and the like. The guys at Dialect don’t take commission. The artists receive all proceeds from sales, either from the “Dialect Night” event, or the subsequent month of representation. Artists represented here range from distinguished Charlottean creatives, professors of art from Winthrop and UNCC, as well as young and emerging talents. The gallery space also functions as a studio for the owners’ works as designers and builders of modern and artful architecture (check them out at www.coolmodernhouseplans.com). Dialect is totally free of the “you’re-wrong-I’m-rightlet’s-fight” attitude, and instead encourages artistic and personal growth through community interaction. Check your ego at the door, and prepare yourself for some colorful conversation.

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Lark & Key NoDa / / South End 453-B E. 36th St. (NoDa) and 128 E. Park Ave. Ste. B (South End) 704.379.1826 and 704.334.4616 Wednesday-Saturday 11-6, Sunday 12-4 www.larkandkey.com Duy Huynh and Sandy Snead had dreamed for years about opening the creative endeavor that is now Lark & Key Gallery, and all of their time spent dreaming of and visualizing their opportunity was well worth the wait.

They opened their doors in NoDa in February 2008 and have clearly made a splash – they have already opened a second space in South End for exhibits and shows. L&K carries works from local and national artists of all different media, and you should most definitely look out for the new shows and exhibits lining up for 2010. Kicking off the lineup is “SURFACE,” a show that reflects our physical surroundings, primarily landscapes and how several artists express and relate to them. Featured in the exhibit will be works of various styles ranging from acrylics and fiber, to photography and mixed media, and even human hair. Participating artists include gallery co-owner Duy Huynh, Robin Luciano Beaty, Erika Diamond, Anna Jaap, Carl Linstrum, Jennifer Mecca, Dottie Moore and Linda Plaisted.

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Center of the Earth Gallery NoDa 3204 N. Davidson St. 704.375.5756 Monday by appointment, Tuesday-Friday 11-5, Saturday 12-7 www.centeroftheearth.com In 1985 artists Ruth Ava Lyons and J. Paul Sires had a vision when they laid their eyes on the old 1927 Lowder Building that is now Center of the Earth Gallery. Back then, the building was on an abandoned and forgotten street, but the couple embarked on a project that would be the core of what is now known as the NoDa arts district, and the gallery has become a force of gravity for the development of other flourishing artists and businesses ever since. The building provides the perfect backdrop for the art that fills it: It is inviting, cozy and peaceful, full of settled-in charm that invites you to browse and entices you to stay a while. Center of the Earth is home to works of painting, sculpture, glass and mixed media, from regional as well as national artists, and I was happy to see that much of the work it carries is attainable for those with an appreciation for art without beaucoup bucks to blow. The upcoming exhibit “TEN” will open on February 5 from 6 to 9 p.m. in conjunction with the NoDa Gallery Crawl, and will run through March 27. “TEN” will feature painting, collage and sculpture from an eclectic selection of 10 artists. The NoDa Gallery Crawls take place the first and third Friday of every month.

Sophia’s Gallery Dilworth 1528 East Blvd.

704.332.3443 Tuesday-Friday 11-4, Saturday 11-3 www.sophiasgalleries.com Take a walk to Sophia’s, an intimate gallery carrying original artwork from established and award-winning artists. The style here ranges from temporary to traditional, so be confident that you can find something here no matter what your taste may be. Join the gallery on February 18 for the beginning of its “Forest Through the Trees” exhibit, which will run through March. The works will come from artists Susan McAlister, Stewart Budd, Murray Parker, Blanche Harris, and new-to-Sophia’s artist Clayton Santiago. Extra points here for the bottled water and mini chocolates left out for the taking.

center of the earth

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center of the earth

RedSky Gallery Dilworth 1244 East Blvd.

704.377.6400 Monday-Saturday 10-6 www.redskygallery.com With three locations and over 500 regional and national artists represented, RedSky Gallery continues to be a major must-see while touring the Charlotte art scene. RedSky occupies a cozy space laid out like a home, and is spread among three floors. Expect to find lots of hidden treasures throughout, such as ceramics, glass, sculptures, works on paper, and even works on chairs. Although not my first time visiting, the current exhibition is by far my favorite: it is the works of the Starworks Glass Lab, including pieces by Nickolaus Fruin, Eddie Bernard, Suzanne Ririe and Stephen W. Protheroe. They have crafted words and images out of gorgeous colored glass, adorned with glass accents, such as “fall,” with delicate leaves to appear resting on it, and even landscapes with bonsai trees. These glass pieces extend out from a plank that can be easily mounted on any wall, adding character to any room. The exhibit (at the Dilworth location) will stay until February 9, overlapping slightly with the next exhibit, “Vibrancy: Anne Cunningham and Deb Karash,” which will run from February 5 to March 9. Cunningham’s works feature metals such as copper, brass and aluminum, creating large and small free-form shapes, while Karash creates jewelry from natural textures, fiber, stone and mixed-media paintings and sculptures.

1/28/2010 11:24:20 AM

renee george

Shain Gallery Myers Park 2823 Selwyn Ave. 704.334.7744 Monday-Saturday 10-5 www.shaingallery.com There is a special place in my heart for Shain Gallery. For starters, when I had called to see whether I could swing by, they were closing, but the owner, Gabrielle ShainBryson, reassured me that it would be no problem. “Just come on by and knock on the door! I’ll be setting up for an event.” I hadn’t even mentioned who I was or that I would be doing a write-up. I was hoping that the gallery would be as warm and inviting as the conversation I had with Shain-Bryson, and it exceeded all expectations. Having been in business in Charlotte for 12 years and having received Charlotte Magazine’s “Best Conservative Artwork” distinction award, the owner knows art. She mentions that she has even dabbled in painting herself. “Do you paint a lot?” my friend asked her. “I’ve painted enough to know that it’s very much worth it to pay for a great quality painting.”

Well said. Shain Gallery is known for being a fine provider of contemporary art with works from artists such as Jim Chapman, Perry Austin, Nicora Gangi and Darren Young, to name a few. I found myself drawn to the simplistic, stunning and intriguing works depicting corporate scenes, from Geoffrey Johnson, and the bold, fun and flirty works of Kim Schuessler, the artist whose work was chosen for the invitation and program for the congressional club luncheon honoring Laura Bush in Washington, D.C. Shain Gallery serves regional homeowners and corporations and represents over 20 nationally and regionally acclaimed artists. The gallery also doubles as a venue, free of charge, for charity events.

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Renee George Gallery Myers Park 2839 Selwyn Ave., Suite Z 704.332.3278 Tuesday-Friday 10-3, Saturday 11-4 www.reneegeorgegallery.com Just over a year ago, Renee George Gallery opened the doors of its new location on Selwyn Avenue, and upon walking into its new space I can’t imagine the gallery calling anywhere else home. George has created an atmosphere that showcases both her extensive knowledge of the arts and her spot-on intuition, offering up the perfect complement to the Dilworth art scene.

You can tell that George listens to the wants and needs of her clients and possesses a passion and appreciation for all levels of the art world, from artist to client. The work that she displays is arranged in a clean, cohesive setting and is placed with much care and thought, allowing the client to fully enjoy each piece. Artists featured are husband and wife Michelle Heglund and Chris Reilly, offering nature-inspired works; Rein DeLege, an artist from Barcelona who paints detailed faces with his fingers; and Marta Moreu, also from Barcelona, who crafts people and animals in often elegant poses in all forms of balance out of bronze. Also especially exciting at Renee George Gallery are the works of Sarah Atkinson, a local artist who creates stunning mixed media on panel pieces.

shain gallery // “figures between buildings” geoffrey johnson

Providence Gallery Myers Park 601-A Providence Road 704.333.4535 Monday-Friday 9-5, Saturday 10-2 www.providencegallery.net Having been open for 30 years, Providence Gallery has earned its reputation as a Charlotte landmark known for offering an extensive combination of fine art and custom framing of the highest caliber. While its newly expanded space is inviting to those new to the art scene as well as seasoned collectors, it is clear that Providence Gallery has earned an established and loyal clientele.

In a calm and soothing environment, it offers works from over 35 prominent artists of all styles and genres, and offers a wide selection of landscape, seascape, figurative, still life, abstract, and mixed-media works.

Showcased are paintings by local, regional and national artists in every price range. Join Providence Gallery for the opening reception of “Southern Memoirs,” featuring new works

by Robert Brown and Paula B. Holtzclaw, on March 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. The work will be on display through the month of March.

1/28/2010 11:24:30 AM

fire jane sheath dress: black halo open toe boots: tony shoes bomber jacket: bebe pearls and swarovski pearl necklace: roland ashley

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www.uptownclt.com

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pictures: fenix fotography | fenixfoto.com fashion styling: jennifer misenheimer hair: jennifer misenheimer | escape hair and skin studio makeup: jackie greene murphy featured boutiques: luis machicao couture | luismachicao.com coplons | coplons.com roland ashley designs shoes: step by sloan | stepbysloan.com earth angel | earthangelnc.com necklaces: roland ashley designs model: cindy holiday | modelmayhem.com/holiday

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stud poker cardigan: bailey 44 front zip mini: hustler studded cincher: below the belt

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washed leather jacket: yigal azrouel oakland pant: trina turk vernice stiletto: giuseppe zanotti citrine and pearl necklace: roland ashley

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dress: luis machicao shoes: pleaser

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fishtail skirt: luis machicao studded cincher: below the belt metalic snakeskin pump: dolce vita rosary: roland ashley

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jackie-o off the shoulder dress: black halo double buckle belt: oscar de la renta

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embellished straplessdress: bailey 44

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Dining and Nightlife Guide AMERICAN Alexander Michael’s – $ 401 W. 9th St. 704.332.6789 BlackFinn – $$ 210 E. Trade St. 704.971.4440 Camilles – $ 1518 E. 3rd St. 704.342.4606 Cedar Street Tavern – $ 120 N. Cedar St. 704.333.3448 Champions – $ 100 W. Trade St. - Marriott Hotel 704.333.9000 Comet Grill – $ 2224 Park Rd. 704.371.4300 Cosmos Cafe – $ 300 N. College St. 704.372.3553 Dogwood Cafe – $ 138 Brevard Court 704.376.8353 East Boulevard Grill – $ 1601 East Blvd.

704.332.2414 Ember Grille – $$$ 601 S. College St. WestinHotel 704.335.2064 Fenwick’s – $ 511 Providence Rd. 704.333.2750 Fox and Hound – $ 330 N. Tryon St. 704.333.4113 French Quarter – $ 321 S. Church St. 704.377.7415 John’s Country Kitchen – $ 1524 East Blvd.

704.370.1177 Lebowski’s Grill & Pub - $ 1518 Central Ave. 704.333.9551 Nix – $ 201 N. Tryon St. 704.347.2739 Pike’s Soda Shop – $ 1930 Camden Rd. 704.372.0097 Presto Bar and Grill – $ 445 W. Trade St. 704.334.7088 Providence Café – $ $ 829 Providence R d.

704.376.2008 Providence Road Sundries – $ 1522 Providence Rd. 704.366.4467 Rock Bottom – $ 401 N. Tryon St. 704.334.2739 Selwyn Pub – $ 2801 Selwyn Ave. 704.333.3443 Simmons Fourth Ward Restaurant – $ 516 N. Graham St. 704.334.6640 Something Classic Café – $ 715 Providence Rd. 704.347.3666 South 21 – $ 3101 E. Independence Blvd. 704.377.4509 Stool Pigeons – $ 214 N. Church St. 704.358.3788 The Gin Mill South End – $ 1411 S. Tryon St. 704.373.0782 The Graduate – $ 123 W. Trade St. 704.358.3024 The Penguin – $ 1921 Commonwealth Ave. 704.375.6959 The Philosopher’s Stone – $ 1958 E. Seventh St. 704.350.1331 The Pub – $ 710 West Trade St. 704.333.9818 Thomas Street Tavern – $ 1218 Thomas Ave. 704.376.1622 Tic Toc Coffeeshop – $ 512 N. Tryon St. 704.375.5750 Union Grille – $ 222 E 3rd St. – Hilton Towers 704.331.4360 Vinnie’s Sardine – $ 1714 South Blvd.

704-332-0006 Wild Wings - $ 210 E. Trade St. 704.716.9464 Zack’s Hamburgers – $ 4009 South Blvd.

704.525.1720

AMERICAN MODERN 131 Main – $$ 1315 East Blvd.

300 East – $$ 300 East Blvd.

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704.343.0131 704.332.6507

Bentley’s on 27 – $$$ 201 S. College St. Fl. 27 704.343.9201 (Charlotte Plaza Building) BLT Steak – $$$ 201 E. Trade St. 704.547.2244 Bonterra Restaurant – $$$ 1829 Cleveland Ave. 704.333.9463 Carpe Diem – $$$ 1535 Elizabeth Ave. 704.377.7976 Coastal Kitchen & Bar – $$$ 222 E. 3rd St. 704.331.4360 Custom Shop – $$$ 1601 Elizabeth Ave. 704.333.3396 Fig Tree – $$$ 1601 E. Seventh St. 704.332.3322 Lulu – $$ 1911 Central Ave. 704.376.2242 McNinch House – $$$ 511 N. Church St. 704.332.6159 Mimosa Grill – $$ 301 S. Tryon St. 704.343.0700 Monticello – $$ 235 N. Tryon St. – Dunhill Hotel 704.342.1193 Pewter Rose Bistro – $$ 1820 South Blvd.

704.332.8149 Ratcliffe on the Green – $$ 435 S. Tryon St. 704.358.9898 Zink – $$ 201 N. Tryon St. 704.444.9001

ASIAN 88 China Bistro – $ 1620 E. 4th St. 704.335.0288 Basil Thai – $ 210 N. Church St. 704.332.7212 China King – $ 128 Brevard Ct. 704.334-7770 China Queen Buffet – $ 127 N. Tryon St. Ste 3 704.377.1928 China Saute – $ 2214 Park Rd 704.333.1116 Creation – $ 1221-A The Plaza 704.372.2561 Cuisine Malaya – $ 1411 Elizabeth Ave. 704.372.0766 Dim Sum – $ 2920 Central Ave. 704.569.1128 Eggroll King – $ 8907 Steelechase Dr. 704.372.6401 Emperor Chinese – $ 337 S. Kings Dr. 704.333.2688 Fortune Cookie – $ 208 East Independence Blvd. 704.377.1388 Fujiyama – $ 320 S. Tryon St. 704.334.5158 Fuse Box – $ 227 W. Trade St. 704.376.8885 Ginbu 401 – $ 401 Providence Rd. 704.372.2288 Great Wok – $ 718 W Trade St. Ste M 704.333.0080 Hong Kong – $ 1713 Central Ave. 704.376.6818 Indochine Asian Tapas Lounge - $ 210 E. Trade St. 704.688.0078 Koko – $ 6609 Elfreda Rd. 704.338.6869 Monsoon Thai Cuisine – $ 2801 South Blvd.

704.523.6778 Orient Express – $ 3200 N Graham St. 704.332.6255 Pho An Hoa – $ 4832 Central Ave. 704.537.2595 Pho Hoa – $ 3000 Central Ave. 704.536.7110 SOHO Bistro – $ 214 N Tryon St. 704.333.5189 Thai Taste – $ 324 East Blvd.

704.332.0001 Taipei Express – $ 731 Providence Rd. 704.334.2288 Tin Tin Box & Noodles – $ 101 N. Tryon St. 704.377.3223

Zen Asian Fusion – $ 1716 Kenilworth Ave.

704.358.9688

BAKERY Cloud 9 Confections – $ 201 S. College St. Suite 270 Great Harvest Bread – $ 901 S. Kings Dr. Amelie’s Bakery – $ 2424 N. Davidson St. Nova’s Bakery – $ 1511 Central Ave. Panera Bread – $ 601 Providence Rd.

704.334.7554 704.333.0431 704.376-1781 704.333.5566 704.374.0581

BARBEQUE Art’s Barbecue – $ 900 E. Morehead St. 704.334.9424 Jolina Tex Mex & BBQ – $ 500 S. College St. 704.375.0994 Mac’s Speed Shop – $ 2511 South Blvd.

704.522.6227 Rib Palace – $ 1300 Central Ave. 704.333.8841

BREAKFAST Art’s Barbecue – $ 900 E. Morehead St. 704.334.9424 Coffee Cup – $ 914 S. Clarkson St. 704.375.8855 Einstein Brothers – $ 201 S. Tryon St. 704.332.4015 Einstein Brothers – $ 1501 South Blvd.

704.333.4370 IHOP – $ 2715 E. Independence Blvd. 704.334.9502 Monticello – $$ 235 N. Tryon St. – Dunhill Hotel 704.342.1193 Owen’s Bagel & Deli – $ 2041 South Blvd.

704.333.5385 Tic Toc Coffeeshop – $ 512 N. Tryon St. 704.375.5750

BRITISH Big Ben’s Pub – $ 801 Providence R d.

704.334.6338

CAJUN & CREOLE Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen – $ 501 E. 36th St. 704.331.9898 Cajun Queen – $$ 1800 E 7th St. 704.377.9017

C A R I B B E A N Anntony’s Caribbean Cafe – $ 2001 E. 7th St. 704.342.0749 Austin’s Caribbean Cuisine – $ 345 S. Kings Dr. 704.331.8778

CHINESE 88 China Bistro – $ 1620 E. 4th St. 704.335.0288 Vanloi Chinese Barbecue – $ 3101 Central Ave. 704.566.8808 Wok Express – $

601 S. Kings Dr. 704.375.1122

COFFEE SHOPS

Einstein Brothers – $ $ - 201 S. Tryon St. 704.332.4015 Einstein Brothers – $ 1501 South Blvd.

704.333.4370 Java Passage – $ 101 W. Worthington 704.277.6558 Jump N Joe’s Java Joint – $ 105 E. Morehead St. 704.372.3217 La Tea Da’s – $ 1942 E. 7th St. 704.372.9599 Nova’s Bakery – $ 1511 Central Ave. 704.333.5566 PJ’s Coffee & Lounge - $ 210 E. Trade St. (Epicentre) 704.688.0366 Port City Java – $ 214 N. Tryon St. (Hearst) 704.335.3335 SK Netcafe – $ 1425 Elizabeth Ave. 704.334.1523 Starbucks – $ 545 Providence Rd. 704.372.1591 Starbucks – $ 101 S. Tryon St. 704.374.9519 Tic Toc Coffee shop – $ 512 N. Tryon St. 704.375.5750

DELI Adams 7th Street Market – $ 401 Hawthorne Ln. 704.334.0001 Art’s Barbecue – $ 900 E. Morehead St.

704.334.9424 Blynk – $ 200 S. Tryon 704.522.3750 Common Market – $ 2007 Commonwealth Ave. 704.334-6209 Dikadee’s Deli – $ 1419 East Blvd.

704.333.3354 Dogwood Cafe – $ 138 Brevard Court 704.376.8353 Fresco Cafe & Deli – $ 3642 Moultrie St. 704.376.5777 Grand Central Deli – $ 101 N. Tryon St. 704.348.7032 Great Harvest Bread Co. – $ 901 S. Kings Dr. 704.333.0431 Groucho’s Deli – $ 201 N. Tryon St. 704.342.0030 Halfpenny’s – $ 30 Two First Union Ctr. 704.342.9697 Jason’s Deli – $ 210 E. Trade (Epicentre) 704.688.1004 Jersey Mike’s Subs – $ 128 S. Tryon St. 704.343.0006 Jersey Mikes Subs – $ 2001 E. 7th St. 704.375.1985 Jump N Joe’s Java Joint – $ 105 E. Morehead St. 704.372.3217 Laurel Market South – $ 1515 South Blvd.

704.334.2185 Leo’s Delicatessen – $ 1421 Elizabeth Ave. 704.375.2400 Li’l Dino – $ 401 S. Tryon St. 704.342.0560 Matt’s Chicago Dog – $ 425 S. Tryon St. 704.333.3650 Owen’s Bagel & Deli – $ 2041 South Blvd.

704.333.5385 Philadelphia Deli – $ 1025 S. Kings Dr. 704.333.4489 Phil’s Tavern – $ 105 E. Fifth St. 704.347.0035 Rainbow Café – $ 400 South Tryon 704.332.8918 Reid’s – $ 225 E. 7th St. 704.377.1312 Ri-Ra Irish Pub – $ 208 N. Tryon St 704.333.5554 Salvador Deli – $ N. Davidson St. 704.334.2344 Sammy’s Deli – $ 1113 Pecan Ave. 704.376.1956

Caribou Coffee – $ 100 N. Tryon St. 704.372.5507 Dilworth Coffee – $ 1235 East Blvd # B, 704.358.8003 330 S Tryon St, 704.334.4575 Dilworth Playhouse Cafe – $ 1427 South Blvd.

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Dining and Nightlife Guide

Crave the Dessert Bar – $ 501 W. 5th St. 704.277.9993 Dairy Queen – $ 1431 Central Ave. 704.377.4294 Dolce Ristorante – $$ 1710 Kenilworth Ave. 704.332.7525 Luce Ristorante – $$ 214 N. Tryon St. – Hearst Plaza 704.344.9222 Monticello – $$ 235 N. Tryon St.– Dunhill Hotel 704.342.1193

Open Kitchen – $ 1318 W. Morehead St. 704.375.7449 Pasta & Provisions – $ 1528 Providence Rd. 704.364.2622 Portofino’s Italian – $$ 3124 Eastway Dr. 704.568.7933 Primo Ristorante – $$ 116 Middleton Dr. 704.334.3346 Cafe Siena – $$ 230 N. College St. 704.602.2750 Salute Ristorante – $$ 613 Providence Rd 704.342.9767 Terra – $$ 545-B Providence Rd. 704.332.1886 Villa Francesca 321 Caldwell St. 704.333.7447 Volare – $$ 1523 Elizabeth Ave. 704.370.0208 Zio Authentic Italian – $$ 116 Middleton Dr. 704.344.0100

ECLECTIC

L AT I N

The Melting Pot – $$$ 901 S. Kings Dr. Stuite 140-B 704.334.4400 Therapy Cafe – $ 401 N. Tryon St. 704.333.1353 The Fig Tree – $$ 1601 E. 7th St. 704.332.3322

Havana – $ 145 Brevard Ct.

Sandwich Club – $ 525 N. Tryon St. Sandwich Club – $ 435 S. Tryon St. Substation II - $ 1601 South Blvd 1941 E. 7th St.

704.334.0133 704.344.1975 704-332-3100 704-358-8100

DESSERT

FRENCH Terra – $$ 545-B Providence Rd.

704.332.1886

GREEK Greek Isles – $$ 200 E. Bland St. Little Village Grill – $ 710-G W. Trade St. Showmars – $ 214 N. Tryon St.

704.347.2184 704.333.5833

704.333.0063 704.370.2824

Cabo Fish Taco – $ 3201 N. Davidson St. Johnny Burrito – $ 301 S. Tryon St. La Paz – $$ 1910 South Blvd.

Phat Burrito – $ 1537 Camden Rd. Salsarita’s – $ 101 S. Tryon St. Taqueria La Unica – $ 2801 Central Ave.

704.332.8868 704.371.4448 704.372.4168 704.332.7428 704.342.0950 704.347.5115

MIDDLE EASTERN

Carrabba’s Italian Grill – $$ 1520 South Blvd.

704.377.2458 Coco Osteria – $$ 214 N. Tryon St.–Hearst Plaza 704.344.8878 Dolce Ristorante – $$ 1710 Kenilworth Ave. 704.332.7525 Fig Tree – $$$ 1601 E. 7th St. 704.332.3322 Hawthorne’s NY Pizza – $ 1701 E. 7th St. 704.358.9339 Intermezzo Pizzeria & Café – $ 1427 E. 10th St.

704.347.2626 Luce Ristorante & Bar – $$$ 214 N. Tryon St. – Hearst Plaza 704.344.9222 Mama Ricotta’s – $$ 601 S. Kings Dr. 704.343.0148

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Dish – $ 1220 Thomas Ave. 704.344.0343 Mert’s Heart & Soul – $ 214 N. College St. 704.342.4222 Blue – $$$ 214 N. Tryon St. 704.927.2583 Intermezzo Pizzeria & Café – $ 1427 E. 10th Street 704.347.2626

MEXICAN

I TA L I A N

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704.444.9000

INDIAN Copper – $$ 311 East Blvd.

Maharani – $ 901 S. Kings Dr.

704.342.4700

uptown

Kabob Grill – $ 1235-B East Blvd.

704.371.8984

OUTDOOR DINING Big Ben’s Pub – $$ 801 Providence Rd. 704.334.6338 Cans Bar – $ 500 W. 5th St. 704.940.0200 East Boulevard Grill – $ 1601 East Blvd.

704.332.2414 Ember Grille – $$$ 601 S. College St. - Westin Hotel 704.335.2064 Ri-Ra Irish Pub – $ 208 N. Tryon St 704.333.5554

Sullivan’s – $$$ 1928 South Blvd.

The Corner Pub – $ 335 N. Graham St.

704.335.8228 704.376.2720

PIZZA Brixx – $ 225 East 6th St. 704.347.2749 Donato’s Pizza - $ 718-A West Trade St 704.714.4743 Domino’s Pizza – $ 343 S. Kings Dr. 704.331.9847 Fuel Pizza – $ 214 N. Tryon St. 704.350.1680 Fuel Pizza – $ 1501 Central Ave. 704.376.3835 Hawthorne’s NY 1701 E. 7th St. 704.358.9339 Latta Pizza – $ 320 S. Tryon St. 704.333.4015 Papa John’s Pizza – $ 1620 E. 4th St. 704.375.7272 Picasso’s – $ 214 N. Church St. 704.331.0133 Pie Town – $$ 710 W. Trade St. 704.379.7555 Pizza Hut – $ 901 S. Kings Dr. 704.377.7006 Rudino’s Pizza & Grinders – $ 2000 South Blvd. - Atherton Mill 704.333.3124 UNO Chicago Grill – $ 401 S. Tryon St. 704.373.0085 Villa Francesca 321 Caldwell St. 704.333.7447 Zio Authentic Italian – $ 116 Middleton Dr. 704.344.0100

Quiznos Sub – $ 127 N. Tryon St. 704.374.9921 Quizno’s – $ 320 S. Tryon St. – Latta Arcade 704.372.8922 Roly Poly Sandwiches – $ 317 S. Church St. 704.332.6375 Sbarro – $ 101 S. Tryon St. 704.332.5005 Simply Subs – $ 212 S. Tryon St. 704.333.0503 Smoothie King – $ Epicentre - 210 Trade St. 704.979.6911 Smoothie King – $ One Wachovia Center 704.374.0200 Spoons – $ 415 Hawthorne Ln. 704.376.0874 Woody’s Chicago Style – $ 320 S. Tryon St. - Latta Arcade 704.334.0010 Zack’s Hamburgers – $ 4009 South Blvd.

704.525.1720

S E A F O O D Aquavina – $$$ 435 S. Tryon St. 704.377.9911 Cabo Fish Taco – $ 3201 N. Davidson St. 704.332.8868 Capital Grille – $$$ 201 N. Tryon St. 704.348.1400 Fig Tree –$$$ 1601 E. Seventh St. 704.332.3322 LaVecchia’s – $$$ 225 E. 6th St. 704.370.6776 McCormick & Schmick’s – $$$ 200 South Tryon St. 704.377.0201 Outback Steakhouse – $$ 1412 East Blvd.

704.333.0505

QUICK BITES

SOUTHERN & SOUL

Bojangles’ – $ 310 E Trade St. 704.335.1804 Boston Market – $ 829 Providence Rd. 704.344.0016 Burger King – $ 310 E. Trade St. 704.334.3312 Chick-fil-A – $ 101 S. Tryon St. 704.344.0222 Chicks Restaurant – $ 320 S. Tryon St. – Latta Arcade 704.358.8212 Church’s – $ 1735 W. Trade St. 704.332.2438 Dairy Queen – $ 1431 Central Ave. 704.377.4294 Domino’s Pizza – $ 343 S. Kings Dr. 704.331.9847 Fuel Pizza – $ 214 N. Tryon St. 704.350.1680 Fuel Pizza – $ 1501 Central Ave. 704.376.3835 Green’s Lunch – $ 309 W. 4th St. 704.332.1786 Mr. K’s – $ 2107 South Blvd.

704.375.4318 Papa John’s Pizza – $ 1620 E. 4th St 704.375.7272 Pasta & Provisions – $ 1528 Providence Rd. 704.364.2622 Pita Pit – $ 214 N. Tryon St. 704.333.5856

Lupie’s Cafe – $ 2718 Monroe Rd. 704.374.1232 Mert’s Heart and Soul – $ 214 N. College St 704.342.4222 Price’s Chicken Coop – $ 1614 Camden Rd. 704.333.9866 Savannah Red – $$ 100 W. Trade St. 704.333.9000 Marriott City Center

S P A N I S H Sole Spanish Grille – $$$ 1608 East blvd..

704.343.9890

S T E A K H O U S E Beef & Bottle – $$$ 4538 South Blvd.

704.523.9977 Capital Grille – $$$ 201 N. Tryon St. 704.348.1400 Chima – $$$ 139 S. Tryon St. 980.225.5000 Flemings - $$$ 210 E. Trade St. 704.333.4266 LaVecchia’s – $$$ 225 E. 6th St. 704.370.6776 Longhorn Steakhouse – $$ 700 E. Morehead St. 704.332.2300

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Dining and Nightlife Guide Morton’s – $$$ 227 W.Trade St.- Carillon bldg. 704.333.2602 Outback Steakhouse – $$ 1412 East Blvd.

704.333.2602 Ruth’s Chris – $$$ 222 S. Tryon St. 704.338.9444 Sullivan’s – $$$ 1928 South Blvd.

704.335.8228

S U S H I Cosmos Cafe – $$ 300 N. College St. Enso – $$ 210 E. Trade St. Fujo Uptown Bistro – $$ 301 S. College St KO Sushi – $$ 230 S. Tryon St. Nikko – $$ 1300-F South Blvd.

Room 112 – $$ 112 S. Tryon St. Ru-San’s Sushi – $$ 2440 Park Rd.

704.372.3553 704.716.3676 704.954.0087 704.372.7757 704.370.0100 704.335.7112 704.374.0008

T A P A S Arpa Tapas – $$$ 121 W. Trade St. Cosmos Cafe – $$ 300 N. College St.

704.372.7792 704.372.3553

V E G E T A R I A N Blynk – $ 200 S. Tryon 704.522.3750 Dish – $ 1220 Thomas Ave. 704.344.0343 Something Classic Café – $ 715 Providence Rd. 704.347.3666

V I E T N A M E S E Pho An Hoa – $ 4832 Central Ave.

704.537.2595

B A R S Amos SouthEnd – $ 1423 S. Tryon St. 704.377.6874 Apostrophe Lounge – $$ 1400 S. Tryon St. 704.371.7079 BAR Charlotte – $ 300 N. College St. 704.342.2557 Big Ben’s Pub – $$ 801 Providence Rd. 704.334.6338 Buckhead Saloon – $ 201 E. 5th St. 704.370.0687 Cans Bar – $ 500 W. 5th St. 704.940.0200 Cedar Street Tavern – $ 120 N. Cedar St. 704.333.3448 Connolly’s on 5th – $ 115 E. 5th St. 704.358.9070 Cosmos – $$ 300 N. College St. 704.375.8765 Coyote Ugly – $ 521 N. College St. 704.347.6869 Crave the Dessert Bar – $ 501 W. 5th St. 704.277.9993 Dilworth Bar & Grille 911 E. Morehead St. 704.377.3808

Dilworth Billiards 300 E. Tremont Ave. 704.333.3021 Dixie’s Tavern 301 E. 7th St. 704.374.1700 DoubleDoor Inn 218 E. Independence Blvd. 704.376.1446 Ed’s Tavern 2200 Park Rd. 704.335.0033 Evening Muse 3227 N. Davidson St. 704.376.3737 Fox and Hound – $ 330 N. Tryon St. 704.333.4113 Hartigans Pub – $ 601 S. Ceder St. 704.347.1841 Hawthorne’s NY Pizza – $ 1701 E. 7th St. 704.358.9339 Howl at the Moon – $ 210 E. Trade St. 704.936.4695 Jillian’s SouthEnd – $ 300 E. Bland Street 704.376.4386 Loft 1523 – $$ 1523 Elizabeth Ave. 704.333.5898 Madison’s – $$ 115 Fifth St. 704.299.0580 Morehead Tavern – $ 300 East Morehead St. 704.334.2655 Mortimers -$ 210 E. Trade St. 704.334.2655 Phil’s Tavern – $ 105 E. Fifth St. 704.347.0035 Picasso’s – $ 214 N. Church St. 704.331.0133 Pravda – $$ 300 N. College St. 704.375.8765 Presto Bar and Grill – $

445 W. Trade St. 704.334.7088 Ri-Ra Irish Pub – $ 208 N. Tryon St 704.333.5554 Selwyn Pub – $ 2801 Selwyn Ave. 704.333.3443 Stool Pigeons – $ 214 N. Church St. 704.358.3788 Suite – $ 210 E. Trade St. 704.999.7934 The Attic – $ 200 N. Tryon St. 704.358.4244 The Corner Pub – $ 335 N. Graham St. 704.376.2720 The Forum – $$ 704.375.8765 300 N. College St. The Gin Mill – $ 1411 S. Tryon St. 704.373.0782 The Penguin – $ 1921 Commonwealth Ave. 704.375.6959 The Pub – $ 710 West Trade St. 704.333.9818 Thomas Street Tavern – $ 1218 Thomas St. 704.376.1622 Tilt – $$ 127 W. Trade St. 704.347.4870 Town Tavern – $ 200 N. Tryon Tremont Music Hall – $ 400 W Tremont Ave. 704.343.9494 Tutto Mondo – $ 1820 South Blvd.

704.332.8149 Tyber Creek Pub – $ 1933 South Blvd.

704.343.2727 Vinnie’s Sardine – $ 1714 South Blvd.

704.332.0006 Whiskey River – $ 210 E. Trade St. 704.749.1097 Wild Wings - $ 210 E. Trade St. 704.716.9464

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