The Artists are Present: Uptown Welcomes the VAPA Center with “Art, Everyday!” Event

Hundreds of Charlotteans gathered at the new VAPA Center in the afternoon of Saturday, March 5 for a unique open-studio event. VAPA, which stands for Visual and Performing Arts, provides dozens of local creatives with collaborative gallery and studio spaces. After the closing of Spirit Square for renovations, Charlotte artists of all kinds were left without facilities to teach and create together. Enter what is now the VAPA Center, a maze of formerly county-owned office and meeting spaces just a stone’s throw away from UNC Charlotte’s Uptown Campus. Art, Everyday!* bridges the gap between artist and audience, allowing everyday people to engage with Charlotte makers 1-on-1. Open studio events are expected to take place on the first Saturday of every month.

At half past 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the VAPA’s main (and rather large) parking lot was full, and Art, Everyday! was in full swing. Guests and volunteers stopped by DJ Chocolate Rocket’s traveling karaoke stand outside the main entrance, pop, and R&B songs blaring alongside excited chatter. Once inside, a friendly, bold-colored labyrinth of local artisans and their artworks awaits. It is easy to get lost inside the VAPA Center, so consider taking a complimentary map while you are there. Although, simply getting lost amongst the art and seeing what you can find is a great way to spend a free afternoon. The facilities are not “stuffy” or “uptight” the way one might expect of a gallery; here, anything goes. Artists set up shop anywhere from former employee kitchens to supply closets, and guests can freely wander in and out of any room they choose. VAPA’s members.

The art within the center reflects Charlotte’s diverse population. Dozens of black photographers, painters, playwrights, and dancers call the VAPA Center their home. Of these artists is Michael Maxwell with his exhibition, “Never Let it Fade”, a photography collection that captures the creation of Charlotte’s famous Black Lives Matter mural on North Tryon St. Since that part of North Tryon has since reopened, the quality of the mural has suffered. “Never Let it Fade” inspires viewers to continue the conversation about police brutality against black people not only in the Queen City, but around the world.

Latin-American artists based in Charlotte are present as well. The Obra Collective, a multi-medium coalition of Latin/Hispanic makers, had their first gallery showing at VAPA last Saturday. Obra consists of 10–20 members at a given time, all of whom have roots in countries including Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico. After eight years of creating together, their work is finally available for public, in-person viewing.

The VAPA Center space is still a work in progress; abandoned furniture from past professionals, and paint chips scatter the walls, but all of this is a part of a larger masterpiece. There are still empty studio spaces available, meaning that the best the center has to offer is still yet to come. Based on the success of the first Art, Everyday! event, this organization is already proving itself to be a positive addition to Charlotte’s creative community.

*I incorrectly referred to “Art, Everyday!” as “Art, Everywhere” in an earlier edition of this article.