Last week, the Charlotte Business Journal reported that SouthEnd’s Ciel Gallery would be closing. Opened in 2008 by Pamela Goode, the gallery sought to elevate mosaic artwork, but ended up becoming a hub for artists of all kind. The East Park Road space consisted of two galleries and a classroom space, with exhibitions of work in a variety of media. Here at happeningsCLT we frequently received notification of their national calls for juried exhibitions and can confirm that the space was truly active, engaged with the community and appreciated by many people.
An announcement on their website states:
What began as a one-year experiment for the international mosaic community became a ten-year force of nature that has left each of us changed immeasurably. We’ve dreamed, schemed, scrubbed, created, let the excitement carry us through exhaustion, soared, fallen a time or two, and gotten back up again and again and again.
Pam goes into more detail in a personal blog post.
The Charlotte Art League, another SouthEnd staple, recently announced they were leaving the community as well due to development. While Ciel will permanently close its doors February 28, look for the Charlotte Art League to reopen at The Station House in NoDa soon.