Photo by Charlotte SHOUT! |
We are in the midst of Charlotte SHOUT!, a three week festival celebrating food-art-music-ideas. People are on the streets. Conversations are happening. The creativity of the region is on display. Leadership from Charlotte Center City Partners, the work of many partners, and tens of thousands of residents and visitors, is bringing the festival to life.
In 2008, Charlotte Viewpoint published "Shaping a Vibrant Cultural Life for All" by Lee Keesler, then president of the Arts and Science Council. The ASC had just completed a new organizational roadmap in response to changing times. The Great Recession had begun. The corporate employee funding model had broken down. What would become of the arts in Charlotte? In his essay, Lee shared four questions that guided ASC's internal review: Who are we? Whose are we? What are we called to do? Where do we go from here? The ASC has had many starts and pauses since then. Has Charlotte grown beyond the need for a central arts authority?
We include a 2014 "Open Letter to Future ASC President" by Marc Gustafson, my successor as executive director of Charlotte Viewpoint, who shepherded the magazone between 2011-2016. The ASC had begun a search for a new president following the departure of Scott Provancher, who served between 2009 and 2013. (The ASC selected Robert Bush as president, who served between 2014-2019). We also include a 2016 review of ASC-funded public art in the Elizabeth neighborhood by Phillip Larrimore, who writes "Has a poem ever been the backbone of a public artwork in quite this way before?" And don't miss Michael J. Solender's story about intimacy and marriage and what is cut and left behind. We also showcase the art of Chris Cureton (who designed the very best owl logo in the world for The Charlotte Center). You'll see links to four of our PDF magazines from previous years that include lead columns from Peter Lehmuller, Jim Donnelly, Karen Geiger, and Mark Vitner.
To Charlotte becoming, Mark Peres
Charlotte Viewpoint Founder The Charlotte Center Founder & Executive Director |
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Photo by Charlotte SHOUT! |
Shaping a Vibrant Cultural Life for All |
As we celebrate our 50th year, ASC aspires to shape a vibrant cultural life for all. To do so, ASC must serve the growing population and changing demographics of this global hub of commerce that is home to nearly 900,000 citizens, nine Fortune 500 companies, an expanding center city, and six bustling suburban towns.
As the community has grown, so too has the cultural sector. The community and its leaders have built cultural institutions and facilities, financial resources, a model partnership between the public and private sectors, and ASC as a central leadership organization. Non-profit arts, science and history organizations provide nearly 5,000 local jobs, generate an economic impact of $158 million, and create almost four million customer experiences. Today’s sector provides a formidable base from which to develop true cultural vibrancy. Yet the sector, with its significant assets and strengths, can have a greater impact.
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From 2014:
Open Letter to Future ASC President |
For months, the Arts & Science Council (ASC) has been in search of a new President. Like all searches of this type, the search committee has likely identified candidates both inside and outside of Charlotte, and a new leader could be selected in the coming weeks. |
| From 2016:
Public Art Project Traces Memory |
Now Is Fireworks is an unusually subtle and original public art work commissioned for the Elizabeth neighborhood by the Arts & Science Council, developed by a team lead by the poet and visual artist Amy Bagwell and painter Graham Carew, and managed by the Arts and Sciences Council’s director of Public Arts Projects, Todd Stewart. |
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My absence of great knowledge manifests itself without discrimination. It was on display this morning while my wife was cutting my hair in our bathroom. Sitting naked on a step stool facing the mirror over the vanity, I feel vulnerable while she is quizzing me on polemics. |
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You all know Chris Cureton as our beloved and talented Image Editor here at Charlotte Viewpoint. He is also a brand and graphic design consultant, an illustrator, writer, and musician. This summer, he planned the inaugural SUM ART festival in NoDa, and there's no telling what he'll do next. |
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About Charlotte Viewpoint |
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Charlotte Viewpoint is a magazine about the city and culture of the Charlotte region that ran from 2003-2016. Charlotte Viewpoint published civic and cultural commentary and programmed events about Charlotte for engaged citizens to nurture creative capital, elevate civic discourse and promote intellectual and artistic excellence in the Charlotte region. |
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| Charlotte Viewpoint has been archived by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room for its historical significance. |
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