Guide to the Galleries

The Light Factory
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.
In Search of the Promised Land

Coffey & Thompson Gallery
1412C E. Fourth 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.

Mint Museum of Craft + Design
220 N. Tryon St.
Tuesday-Saturday 10-5, Third Thursday 10-8
Mint Museum of Art
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 special-events 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).