McColl Center Programs and Events

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What does “ready to hang” really mean? Too often, artists find out the hard way. Without realizing it, you may be undermining your work by showing up unprepared. We want to help you show up strong and professionally in any space, with the skills to back it up.
In this hands-on workshop, the expert team from Atelier 4 will share the nuts and bolts of professional installation, including:

• Choosing and attaching the right hardware (cleats, D-rings, wire, and more)
• Hanging unframed pieces, wall-mounted ceramics, and textiles
• Arranging grids, diptychs, and triptychs so they look intentional and professional
• Building a tool bag with time-saving essentials
• Installer tricks like painter’s tape guides and leveling hacks
• Packaging paintings, framed work, encaustics, textiles, and fragile mixed media safely

This is the behind-the-scenes crash course every artist needs to make their work look polished, professional, and truly exhibition-ready.
ABOUT GREG CULLEN:
Gary Cullen, Executive Vice President of Technical Services, Atelier 4.

Gary is a lifelong artist. After completing his BFA at Kent State, he went on to complete his MFA at Pratt
Institute.

He joined Atelier 4 in 2005, where over the last 20 years he has established himself as an industry professional and role model. Company-wide leadership, training, and best art handling practices are a large focus in his current role, but he still heads many large, complicated projects for A4 across the U.S.

While known for his easy going, approachable and positive attitude, he has truly seen and done it all regarding high touch, high stress art logistics. Packing, installing, loading, driving, client interface, emergency response, planning, rigging, and crating are just a few of his valuable skill sets.

When he’s not reporting for duty, chances are you can find Gary equally relaxed and hard at work on his own projects. He’s a skilled painter, active mentor, lecturer, and musician.

ABOUT GRAYCE KELLAM:
Grayce Kellam is an interdisciplinary artist in Charlotte NC whose research-based practice explores her anxieties and alter ego via a wide range of mediums including sculpture and performance art. During her time at Atelier 4, Kellam has become an expert at installation and plays a key role in staff training through hands-on learning.

ABOUT ATELIER 4:
For over 35 years, Atelier 4 has been a trusted leader in fine art logistics, serving museums, galleries, collectors, and artists across the United States and internationally. With locations in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Charlotte, we specialize in the safe transportation, secure storage, expert packing, and seamless installation of fine art and cultural objects.
Atelier 4 is proud to partner with institutions like the McColl Center to share our expertise and foster a deeper understanding of the art handling process, ensuring that artworks remain protected and accessible for generations to come.

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Date: Saturday, October 4
Time: 2:00 PM —5:00 PM
Location: McColl Center
Cost: $20
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This workshop, led by Sharon Louden, is designed for artists and creative professionals seeking to build sustainable practices rooted in community. Through group discussion and guided exercises, participants will explore the many roles artists play in society and develop strategies to connect meaningfully with their networks.
After a group exchange and discussion, the workshop dives into essential topics, including:

• Who makes up your community?
• Establishing realistic and aspirational goals—both professional and personal
• Sharpening research habits to find collaborators who share your values
• Building a core database as your personal currency
• Creative approaches to connecting with others in your arts community
• Identifying and creating your own opportunities—financial, personal, and community-based
• Organizing time, priorities, skill sets, and deadlines
• Resources and pragmatic solutions

Because of the amount of information covered, participants receive a follow-up email about a week later with resources discussed. A final group Zoom session then provides space for open-ended guidance and conversation.

About the Artist:

Sharon Louden wears many interchangeable hats: artist, educator, advocate, consultant, community builder, founder and director of the Institute for Sustained Creativity, and editor of the Living and Sustaining a Creative Life series of books. As a changemaker, Louden amplifies unheard voices and advances meaningful opportunities for artists across all disciplines toward sustaining their creative lives.
As an artist, her work has evolved from using writing as a medium, to figuration then abstraction through her paintings and drawings, to creating many physical environments that involve an inclusive advocacy using a varied range of media.
A visionary leader with decades of experience in academia, Louden is also a committed connector—bridging communities and catalyzing change, particularly on behalf of underserved artists within institutional structures. She is a skilled collaborator, bringing together siloed stakeholders from the nonprofit and business sectors to spark dialogue and drive collective progress. All of her work—no matter the form—is rooted in her active creative practice as a working artist.

For complete Biography: Sharon Louden

Generously supported by Bank of America.

Date: Saturday, October 4
Time: 6:00 PM —8:00 PM
Location: McColl Center
Cost: Complimentary Admission | $10 Suggested Donation
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As part of her national book tour for Last Artist Standing: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life Over 50, Sharon Louden convenes a panel of artists and cultural leaders to explore what it takes to sustain a creative life today. The conversation will touch on resilience, the many roles artists play in society, and the importance of community and collaboration in shaping long-term practices.

The evening will conclude with an audience Q&A and book signing.

About the Artist:
Sharon Louden wears many interchangeable hats: artist, educator, advocate, consultant, community builder, founder and director of the Institute for Sustained Creativity, and editor of the Living and Sustaining a Creative Life series of books. As a changemaker, Louden amplifies unheard voices and advances meaningful opportunities for artists across all disciplines toward sustaining their creative lives.
As an artist, her work has evolved from using writing as a medium, to figuration then abstraction through her paintings and drawings, to creating many physical environments that involve an inclusive advocacy using a varied range of media.
A visionary leader with decades of experience in academia, Louden is also a committed connector—bridging communities and catalyzing change, particularly on behalf of underserved artists within institutional structures. She is a skilled collaborator, bringing together siloed stakeholders from the nonprofit and business sectors to spark dialogue and drive collective progress. All of her work—no matter the form—is rooted in her active creative practice as a working artist.
For complete Biography: Sharon Louden

Generously supported by Bank of America.

REGISTER HERE

Step inside the studios of McColl Center’s Fall 2025 Artists-in-Residence for an evening of conversation and connection. The evening begins with a 30-minute mix and mingle with drinks available at the cash bar. From there, we’ll move into each artist’s studio for intimate conversations led by Asa Jackson, McColl Center’s President + CEO. Together, we’ll explore their work, creative practice, and the journeys that brought them here.
This is more than a talk, it’s an opportunity to meet the artists, see their studios up close, and engage in meaningful dialogue with our fall cohort.
Join us and experience the creativity happening inside McColl Center, directly from the artists themselves.

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