Charlotte has a perplexing and revisionist relationship with its past. We’ve lost many historic landmarks as new buildings have proliferated. This pattern influenced Charlotte’s reputation as a big city with little culture; however, many people in this burgeoning city are committed to shifting its course to show that Charlotte is a diverse, introspective, and creative blend of communities and cultures.
The founders of Goodyear Arts, the artist residency and event space named eponymously for its pioneer location in the once-autoshop on Stonewall, brought back a small flicker of light to the building in the twilight of its life. Amy Herman, Amy Bagwell, and Graham Carew offered artists month-long residencies with the encouragement to employ the space into their works. Today, their project operates in a new location at the periphery of Uptown on N. College. The original Goodyear building no longer stands, and gone with it are the designs, installations, and poems that filled the space for six months.
The space is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and their events are generally free, though they accept donations, and range from dance and visual performance pieces to social justice and activism benefit shows. Though the art, music, and conversations in Goodyear Arts may change day to day, their relevance and timeliness remain consistent.
Herman, Bagwell, and Carew and the many artists their space supports continually define the next steps for Charlotte as they work together to appreciate the beauty of liminal spaces, envision a metropolis that reflects its communities, and pour heart and soul into ephemeral creations. You won’t want to miss this.
