HNin Nie paints her new mural at Optimist Hall

Local artists create murals in response to works in Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds

All over Charlotte, colorful murals (and one done in gray scale) have been popping up in homage to the work of Pablo Picasso. These murals, painted by local artists and collectives, are part of a partnership between the Mint Museum and Talking Walls, an organization that has supported mural installations across the city for the last five years.

Each piece was created in response to the Mint’s blockbuster exhibition, Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds.

MAIN IMAGE: Mike Wirth’s new mural at Camp North End

Mural by Dammit Wesley and Arko at the Mint Museum Uptown

LOCAL/STREET TO LANDSCAPES

The exhibition, organized by the American Federation of the Arts, is a major initiative for the Mint. It introduces Picasso’s landscape paintings to Charlotteans in an exciting way.  But the Mint also has taken this opportunity to partner with cultural institutions to engage with audiences outside the museum’s walls. One of these projects is a mural series dubbed simply Pablo Picasso. The series enlisted 11 artists and collectives (some of whom will be familiar to the Mint audience from past projects) to create murals around the city.

The initiative is a partnership with Carla Aaron-Lopez, curator of the LOCAL/STREET exhibition series on view at the Mint Museum in 2021 and 2022, and Talking Walls. Together with Aaron-Lopez and the Mint’s curatorial assistant, Jamila Brown, a group of local artists was invited to paint murals as a response to Guernica — Picasso’s powerful, mural-size antiwar painting — or any of the landscapes included in Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds. The result is a diverse range of styles and images that now dot Charlotte’s urban landscape and the walls of both Mint locations.

“Utilizing local artists to be a part of this celebration with the Mint highlights its efforts to continuously collaborate with the local arts community,” said Carla Aaron-Lopez, a teaching artist and chairperson of Talking Walls.

“Picasso has influenced so many artists that this seemed like a natural and organic fit between Talking Walls and the Mint.  Each artist selected for this experience was able to honor Picasso in their creative lens and I am proud of what came to fruition.”

CHD:WCK’S mural at the Mint Museum Uptown

LOOKING AT PICASSO THROUGH LOCAL LENSES

“Involving Charlotte contemporary artists was always central to Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds,” said Jen Sudul-Edwards, Ph.D., chief curator and curator of contemporary art at the Mint Museum. “The exhibition allows local artists to study the works up close and in person, to break down the structure and analyze the compositions and brushstrokes to further their own experimentation.”

Playing Picasso is generously supported by a grant through the North Carolina Arts Council and the Infusion Fund. Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds will be on view until May 21. To learn more and buy tickets, visit mintmuseum.org.

GO ON A MURAL HUNT FOR FRIDAY

The Mint Museum is offering a special treat to see Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds this Friday, March 24 from 6-9 p.m. Guests who visit the fifth floor and can show a social media post they created featuring three of the new murals created by the artists below (HINT: There are three at Optimist Hall) will get one free drink ticket. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #PlayingPablo.

MEET THE ARTISTS

ARKO | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: His work was created in response to Picasso’s The Vert-Galant (1943)
• Location: The Queen’s Room in the Mint Museum Uptown

DAMMIT WESLEY | MORE INFO

• Inspiration: His work was created in response to Picasso’s The Painter and His Model in A Landscape (1963)
• Location: The Queen Room in the Mint Museum Uptown

CHD:WCK! | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: His work was created in response to Picasso’s Guernica (1937)
• Location: The Queen’s Room in the Mint Museum Uptown

BRAND THE MOTH – Sam Guzzie | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: Her work was created in response to Picasso’s Guernica (1937)
• Location: Mint Museum Randolph

BRAND THE MOTH – Hannah Fairweather | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: Her work was created in response to Picasso’s Guernica (1937)
• Location: Mint Museum Randolph

HNIN NIE | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: Her work was created in response to Picasso’s Landscape of Juan-Les-Pins (1920)
• Location: Optimist Hall (Exterior)

KALIN RENEE DEVONE | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: Her work was created in response to Picasso’s Mediterranean Village (1937)
• Location: Optimist Hall (Interior)

FRANKIE ZOMBIE | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: His work was created in response to Picasso’s Portrait De Jacqueline Aux Cheveux Lisses (1962)
• Location: Optimist Hall (Interior)

GARRISON GIST | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: His work was created in response to Picasso’s Portrait De Jacqueline Aux Cheveux Lisses (1962)
• Location: Optimist Hall (Interior)

EMILY NUNEZ | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: Her work was created in response to Picasso’s Landscape Of Juan-Les-Pins (1920)
• Location: Queens University, on the side of Everett Library

MIKE WIRTH | MORE INFO 

• Inspiration: His work was created in response to Picasso’s Houses (1935)
• Location: Camp North End, on the Statesville Avenue face of the Ford Building

Kalin Renee Devone’s mural in Optimist Hall

Explore Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds Yourself

Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds is the first museum exhibition to explore Pablo Picasso’s deep engagement with landscape subjects and his expansive approach to this traditional genre. It is on display at the Mint Museum Uptown through May 21.

Through a selection of more than 40 works spanning Picasso’s full career, Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds, organized by American Federation of the Arts, is the first of only two venues in the United States — and the only venue on the East Coast — to feature this exceptional exhibition filled with works from private collections and international museums together. The dynamic grouping of works in the exhibition offers visitors an unparalleled window into the artist’s creative process, from his earliest days in art school (1896 when the artist was just 15 years old) to months before his passing in 1973.

To learn more and buy tickets, visit mintmuseum.org.

Mural by Frankie Zombie and Garrison Gist in Optimist Hall

This post was sponsored by The Mint Museum. A portion of the funds used to generate this email will be donated to the H.U.G. Micro-Grant program to assist a local creative advance a project.