With murals, sculptures and exhibits of paintings, pottery and more, experiencing the arts in the Southeast can be as stunning as leaf viewing this fall.
Charlotte, N.C.
When visiting the Mint Museum, the state's largest art museum, make one key preparation: Know which Mint you're visiting. The Mint has two locations about 3 miles apart, and although the admission is valid for both facilities, if you have a must-see exhibit in mind, heading to the wrong museum first can be disappointing. The original Mint opened in 1936 in an old branch of the U.S. Mint in a residential area of Charlotte. The imposing federal-style building houses a vast collection of ceramics as well as items in the decorative arts and fashion, and art from the ancient Americas, Europe and Africa. For pottery fans, the Mint Museum is a must-see. The Uptown Charlotte location, a five-story building in the Levine Center for the Arts, offers craft and design exhibits and fall 2014 exhibits such as works depicting the construction of the Panama Canal, which turns 100 this year. There's also a permanent gallery for Charlotte-born Romare Bearden, known for his collages that depicted life in urban American settings and the rural South. In 2013, Romare Bearden Park, named for the African-American artist, opened across the street from BB&T Ballpark, Charlotte's minor-league baseball stadium in uptown Charlotte. The 5-acre park adds green space among skyscrapers and highlights people and places including his mother's and grandmother's gardens that inspired Bearden, who died in 1988. Fun features, for adults and kids, are the interactive chimes that can be activated by jumping or dancing on them and a series of water fountains; the park also hosts music events and fitness classes.
Mint Museum Randolph (2730 Randolph Road), Mint Museum Uptown (500 S. Tryon St.), Charlotte, N.C., 704-337-2000, mintmuseum.org, @TheMintMuseum
Paradise Garden, Summerville
Work continues at Paradise Garden, created by late folk artist Howard Finster and dedicated to the glory of God more than 40 years ago in northwest Georgia. Get an up-close look at the country preacher's hand-lettered signs with Bible verses and other messages and sculptures he made from concrete and recycled items (such as a 20-foot tower of discarded bicycle parts). Structures include a chapel called the "World's Largest Folk Art Church" and a barn. A $445,000 grant in 2012 boosted efforts by the Paradise Garden Foundation to keep the garden open to the public; it also was named in 2012 to the National Register of Historic Places. The artistic site in Chattooga County, described by the foundation as a "rock and junk encrusted wonderland," has unearthed more walkways and colorful sculptures and paintings for first-timers and repeat visitors to view. "We are continually discovering new things," said Jordan Poole, executive director of the Paradise Garden Foundation. An exhibit of serigraphs by Finster — who also designed album covers for groups such as R.E.M. — is on display through Oct. 19 at Paradise Garden.
200 N. Lewis St., Summerville, 706-808-0800, paradisegardenfoundation.org, @FinstersGarden
Charleston, S.C.
If you've bumped along on a Charleston trolley tour, taken a photo of the colorful houses that comprise "Rainbow Row" and picked up a souvenir at the historic city market, experience the city in a different way through its museums and arts events. Located on the College of Charleston campus, the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is exhibiting this fall "Unknown Picassos: Diurnes," which features original "photo-collages" by the artist, and a new body of work by Jumaadi, an Indonesian shadow puppet artist who is the museum's fall 2014 international artist-in-residence.
161 Calhoun St., Charleston, S.C., 843-953-4422, halsey.cofc.edu, @HalseyArt
A $13.4 million, 16-month restoration and expansion of the Gibbes Museum of Art began in August, but the museum has community events planned this fall and into 2015. The renovation will take the state's oldest arts institution, in a building dating to 1903, back to its original Beaux Arts grandeur and will expand its gallery space by 30 percent. This fall, the Gibbes is organizing an Oct. 30 "Rice in the Lowcountry" exhibit in Charleston that will join the works of Alice Ravenel Huger Smith and Jonathan Green. Other events include a lecture series, such as a Nov. 19 talk by New York architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, who received 2013 National Medal of the Arts awards.
135 Meeting St., Charleston, S.C., 843-722-2706, gibbesmuseum.org, @GibbesArt
Nashville, Tenn.
A newer — and free to view — addition to the outdoor arts in Nashville is Jairo Prado's "Migration" mural, a 30-by-12-foot mosaic topping the Casa Azafrán Community Center, which opened in 2013. "Migration," made of more than 7,000 hand-cut tiles, was inspired by Prado's experience as an immigrant from Colombia, and the vivid tiles that comprise the wavelike pattern were influenced by his South American heritage. The mural represents how people have moved from one place to become part of a new cultural community, he said. "Migration" was constructed with more than 300 volunteers, through studio sessions open to the public. Another Prado mural, "Interlude," is part of the permanent collection of the new Music City Center in Nashville. If you're able to get in a trip soon, Prado's personal work also is on display through Sept. 30 in a free exhibit at Casa Azafrán, which is operated by Conexión Américas, a nonprofit that assists with the financial, civic and social integration of Latino families.
2195 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, Tenn., 615-835-2507, casaazafran.org, @casaazafrantn
New Orleans
Next to the New Orleans Museum of Art, a diverse collection of sculptures sits among live oak, magnolia and pine trees in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. The 5-acre gardens, founded in 2003, have more than 60 sculptures by international artists, including Pierre Auguste Renoir, Rene Magritte, Coosje van Bruggen and Claes Oldenburg. From stainless steel and glass pieces, to bronze and aluminum sculptures, the works include modern and contemporary, American and European art created during the 20th and 21st centuries. You can stroll over bridges crossing a lagoon and pathways in the garden, which has a garden pool, seating areas and terraces. Admission is free to the garden.
1 Collins C. Diboll Circle, New Orleans, 504-658-4100, noma.org, @NOMA1910
Jackson, Miss.
The Mississippi Children's Museum has attracted more than 600,000 visitors since it opened in 2010, and continues to expand. In June 2014, the museum added a Literacy Garden, an outdoor space that is more than a playground. The garden was created to focus on literacy and learning through playing, with elements such as a 30-foot-tall Dancing Waters Word Fall, with words and pictures seen through the water. The outdoor space, through a $2.25 million expansion, also includes an amphitheater for storytelling and performances, a spot for gardening, and a forest-themed area where kids can listen to fairy tales and music. There's a new interactive exhibit (called "Zoom Into Nano") focusing on science, technology, engineering and math coming this fall.
2145 Highland Drive, Jackson, Miss., 601-981-5469, mcm.ms, @MSchildsmuseum
Offbeat
Asheville, N.C.
Artists are sharing their work on Asheville's streets and alleyways, as part of individual and community projects that reflect the city's creative spirit. Street art and murals — some elaborate pieces taking up entire sides of buildings and bridge underpasses — depict a variety of themes, including chess players, historical images, entrepreneurs and business leaders, bicyclists, poems, animals, hobbies, quilts and artists. Colorful spots full of creative efforts include the River Arts District, a neighborhood along the French Broad River with studios for more than 170 artists, and Lexington Avenue, said Dodie Stephens, spokeswoman for the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Areas such as the Lexington Gateway Mural (with pieces such as the chess players) and Chicken Alley, in a residential area of the city, are prominent mural spots. Some murals are painted while others are ceramic. Efforts to add artwork to the city's landscape include the Asheville Mural Project, which has connected artists with children and senior adults in the city and updated derelict spots. For example, Asheville resident Ian Wilkinson's giant chess creation is a testament to the power of murals to abate graffiti and support positive growth in a neighborhood, said Kitty Love, executive director of the Asheville Area Arts Council. Another one of her favorite community collaborations is the "Just Folks" mural — using paintings and text to represent a historic African-American business district — at Triangle Park, created by Asheville artist Molly Must, whose work also is seen in Chicken Alley. Businesses and schools also are working with artists to add elaborate murals to their buildings.
Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, 36 Montford Ave., Asheville, N.C., 828-258-6101, exploreasheville.com, AshevilleArtsAlive.org, @AshevilleTravel
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