By Patrice Wilson

“I’ve been in love with art and artists since I was a child,” said Charlotte native Carla Aaron-Lopez. “It was inevitable that I would become one.”

Known as King Carla in the art world, Aaron-Lopez is a sublime artist and educator with over a decade of creating art and experiences that go against the grain.

Among the shiniest jewels in King Carla’s crown is LOCAL STREET 2022, an exhibition which pops up June 16 at Mint Museum Uptown and showcases over 60 artists from diverse backgrounds, including visual and performance art.

Last year, she partnered with The Mint Museum for the first LOCAL STREET, a response to long standing and pervasive issues of accessibility and representation of ALAANA (people of African, Latino, Asian, Arab, and/or Native American descent), gender non-conforming and elderly artists within gallery spaces.  

The 2021 event spotlighted over 40 artists from the Charlotte community and amassed over 1,000 visitors over the course of its three-day exhibition at Mint Museum Randolph. The success of the inaugural exhibition gave Charlotte a glimpse of the creative talent that has been budding and blossoming out of sight.

“The art world will express that they are open to all walks of life when in reality, many people of color have been denied access to traditional art spaces,” Aaron-Lopez said. “LOCAL STREET was created out of a need to bring more people of color to these spaces and opportunities.”

With the support of an ASC Cultural Vision Grant, this year LOCAL STREET is back, bigger and brimming with talent. For many of the artists, this will be their first time exhibiting their art and engaging the public.

“Being a recipient of ASC’s Cultural Vision Grant is extremely important to me because it has allowed me to fully realize my vision as an artist by being able to support the artists in my community,” Aaron-Lopez said.

The pop-up exhibition, also supported by Charlotte is Creative and the North Carolina Arts Council, provides greater visibility to the participating artists and strengthens their relationship with the greater Charlotte-Mecklenburg community.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the Mint audience to experience art, performance and all types of creative expressions that they haven’t experienced before,” said Mint Museum Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art Jen Sudul Edwards.

Don’t Miss This Showcase of Local Artists

The opening reception for LOCAL STREET 2022 is 6-9 p.m. June 16 (register for free). The exhibit will be on display until June 24 on the fifth floor of Mint Museum Uptown.