THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Posted on Fri, Jul. 04, 2003
Comeback for contemporary art
New Mint Museum curator unveils exhibit of 6 Carolinas artists
RICHARD MASCHAL
Staff Writer
In November 2002, Carla Hanzal walked into the Mint Museum of Art with a mission uppermost in her mind: Revive the museum's contemporary art program.
But first, the new curator was given a more pressing assignment, to put together an exhibit of regional artists culled from a 2002 show titled "Celebrating the Legacy of Romare Bearden."
Hanzal managed to work on both tasks. She's got ideas about reviving contemporary art at the Mint. And the exhibit she was given to shape opens Saturday. "Passing," as it's called, features six artists -- one from South Carolina and five from North Carolina -- working in a variety of media, from painting to installation art.
"It was a good project to allow me to get out and make studio visits and meet some artists and dealers," said Hanzal.
"Passing" -- and Hanzal's hiring -- marks a turnaround for the Mint. It is the first contemporary exhibit in the main changing galleries in seven years. Three years ago, in a budget crunch, the Mint let go the curator who handled contemporary art.
Chief Curator Charles Mo said the Mint did not have the resources in recent years to mount contemporary exhibits. Over the last few years, focus groups and interviews with museum-goers revealed a hunger for contemporary art.
"Now, we've got a number of exciting initiatives underway and I hope that will please the public," he said. "(Carla's) hit the ground running."
Hanzal made her selections from the 57 artists in "Legacy," a companion exhibit to the Mint's Romare Bearden show last year. A Charlotte native, Bearden by his death in 1988 was a nationally known African American artist.
The new curator of contemporary art looked not for work in the style of Bearden, but work that dealt with similar themes and issues: memory, a sense of place, history and myth and a certain personal expression.
"Bearden was influenced by memory, especially his childhood in Mecklenburg County," said Hanzal, "and also by the passing of time and mythology."
Among the work is Tarleton Blackwell's take off of "Las Meninas," the famous painting by Velazquez of a young Spanish princess, her courtiers and of the artist himself.
In Blackwell's version, the princess is a pup, the courtiers his sisters and the self-portrait is of Blackwell. The painting manages to be raucous and respectful at the same time.
Chandra Cox combines paintings and sculpture in what Hanzal calls "three-dimensional paintings." From a series titled "Doors of No Return," they focus on the Middle Passage, the forced voyage across the Atlantic made by Africans in the 19th century.
Her pieces are shaped like ships standing on end, with openings in the middle. Among other paintings, they're covered with African symbols such as a heart, a prompt to remember the past.
With more space than in the "Legacy" show, Juan Logan and Mikel Robinson did room-sized installations.
For the long-term, Hanzal, who came to Charlotte from the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia in Virginia Beach, plans a series called "Vantage Point" to give an overview of significant trends. Beginning in September, shows will focus on one or two contemporary artists -- international, national and regional -- working in different media.
She said the Mint's having a contemporary curator and such exhibits sends a message: "This work is significant, it's to be taken seriously, we valued it enough to put it in the museum." PREVIEW
The Mint Goes Contemporary
Regional artists in "Passing" look at memory and myth.
WHEN: Saturday-Sept. 7. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. WHERE: Mint Museum of Art, 2730 Randolph Road.
ADMISSION: $6, $5 for 65 and older and students with an ID; $3 for ages 6 to 17; free for members and children 5 and younger.
DETAILS: (704) 337-2000; www.mintmuseum.org.
In the Show
Tarleton Blackwell, Manning, S.C.
Chandra Cox, Raleigh
Juan Logan, Chapel Hill
Mikel Robinson, Charlotte
Dot Blue, Reidsville
Brad Thomas, Charlotte
