About us
Interested in art-making in Charlotte? Want to learn more about entrepreneurship in the arts? Or have a fun date-night with music, art, and food? Look no further! McColl Center is a local arts non-profit, with a gallery space, studios, and fully equipped labs with tools for all your art-making and educational needs!
McColl Center hosts workshops for people to learn about different art mediums, have fun, and meet new creatives. Keep on the lookout for workshops that are posted regularly. All workshops are taught by professional artists. No prior knowledge required unless stated in the description.
McColl also has a variety of different classes with subjects such as grant writing, tips on how to meet curators, and art-handling. These are posted regularly and are a good way to gain insight into the art-world and how to succeed in the arts.
Once a month, McColl hosts Front Lawn Friday! McColl Center throws its doors open as a HUB for creativity. Walk through the galleries, visit artists in their studios, hang out on the lawn, purchase beverages, and eat yummy food from a food truck. A perfect night for the family or a great date-night.
Our Labs:
Woodshop, Ceramics, Metal, 3D Printer + Laser Cutter, Printmaking, Media
Upcoming events
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Beyond the Studio: Working with Art Consultants: An Insider's Guide for Artists
Location not specified yetDate: Saturday, November 14, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM —3:00 PM
Location: McColl Center
Cost: $20Art consultants can be valuable partners in an artist's career, yet many artists have little understanding of how the field works or what to expect when a consultant reaches out.
Drawing on her experience as both a practicing artist and a member of the Hodges Taylor team, Susan Jedrzejewski offers an inside look at the art consulting process from both perspectives.
Participants will learn the fundamentals of art consulting, how consultants identify and evaluate artists, common expectations when working together, and the gray areas that can arise around proposals, pricing, production, contracts, and project timelines.
Artists will leave with a clearer understanding of industry norms and practical steps they can take now to better position themselves for future opportunities. Time will be reserved for questions and discussion.About the Speaker:
Susan Jedrzejewski is a visual artist and arts organizer with nearly two decades of experience supporting artists, creative initiatives, and arts organizations. For the past eight years, she has worked with Hodges Taylor, a Charlotte-based art consulting firm, where she supports projects from concept through installation, including artist selection, artwork acquisition, site-specific commissions, and project management. Her experience as both a practicing artist and a member of an art consulting team provides a unique perspective on how artists are identified, evaluated, and selected for opportunities.
In addition to her consulting work and studio practice, Susan leads Comment Thread, a monthly artist critique program at McColl Center. Prior to joining Hodges Taylor, she served as Co-Director of Goodyear Arts and Director of Innovation Institute and New Initiatives at McColl Center.
As an artist, Susan's work has been exhibited at galleries, museums, and arts organizations throughout the East. Her work has been supported through grants from the City of Charlotte, Arts & Science Council, and a residency at Willow House. She holds an MBA from Queens University of Charlotte and a BA in Studio Art from UNC Charlotte.1 attendee
Centennial Celebration + Fall Patron Party
McColl Center, 721 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, USA, Charlotte, NC, US#### Centennial Celebration + Fall Patron Party
Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM —6:00 PM
Location: McColl CenterSaturday, November 14, 2026
Contemporaries Insider Brunch | 2-3 PM
Centennial Celebration + Patron Party | 2 - 6 PM
For 100 years, the building that we call home has held space for stories, ideas, and generations of people who have shaped its history. For over 25 years, McColl Center has carried that story forward, transforming these historic walls into a place where artists create, experiment, and connect with the Charlotte community. This November, we’re kicking off a year-long celebration of this building’s past, present, and future.
The Centennial Celebration begins with a special Centennial Open House + Patron Party, bringing our community together to celebrate the building at the heart of McColl Center. Explore McColl Center from top to bottom with open artist studios, art in progress, hands-on experiences, music, food, and moments that connect the building’s history with the artists shaping what happens here today.The celebration continues throughout the year, with the Benefit Art Auction on February 20, 2027, and our Spring Patron Party on May 22, 2027.
Together, we’ll honor the history held within these walls, experience what’s happening here now, and imagine what’s possible in the next 100 years.
Come for an hour. Stay for the afternoon. Join us throughout the year as we celebrate a century of this remarkable building, and the people, like you, who continue to bring it to life.
Edwin Gil: The Heart SeriesCharlotte-based artist Edwin Gil returns to his artistic roots with The Heart Series - a deeply personal body of work shaped by healing, transformation, and the restorative power of art.
This body of work looks inward while extending an invitation outward: to consider the heart not only as something we carry, but as a vessel for memory, resilience, emotion, and renewal.
Live PortraitsCharlotte-based artists Madelyn Hernandez + Simon Lane will create live portraits throughout the afternoon, inviting visitors to become both audience and subject as the act of art-making unfolds in real time.
These special live portraits offer a glimpse into the creative process while leaving you with a record of your own presence in this historic building.
Come take a seat, meet the artists, and become part of what’s being made.
Live Demo in Fibers Studio
Saturday, November 14 | 3–5 PMAs we celebrate 100 years of our historic home, we’re also looking toward what comes next—including the newest addition to McColl Center’s studios.
Step inside our new Fiber Studio for a live demonstration with Charlotte-based artist and 2025–2026 Exhibition Fellow Will White. Watch process unfold in real time as Will works with fiber, material, and technique, offering a closer look at both his practice and the possibilities of this new space.1 attendee
Beyond the Studio: Writing Artist Statements That Connect With the Public
Location not specified yetDate: Saturday, December 12, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM —3:00 PM
Location: McColl Center
Cost: $20
Writing Artist Statements That Connect with the PublicAn artist statement should help people engage with your work, not leave them confused or intimidated. Yet many artist statements rely on academic language, specialized art terminology, or abstract concepts that create distance between the artist and the audience.
This interactive workshop teaches artists how to write clear, compelling artist statements that remain true to their ideas while making their work more accessible to the public. Participants will learn how to communicate the meaning, inspiration, and process behind their work using plain language principles without oversimplifying or losing artistic depth.
Through examples, guided exercises, and individual feedback, participants will:- Understand why many artist statements fail to connect with viewers.
- Identify the difference between writing for curators, critics, and the general public.
- Apply plain language techniques to improve clarity, readability, and engagement.
- Replace vague or overly academic language with concrete, meaningful descriptions.
- Explain complex artistic concepts in ways that invite curiosity rather than confusion.
- Organize an artist statement into a clear, logical structure.
- Balance personal voice with audience needs.
- Edit for conciseness, readability, and impact.
- Receive feedback on their own artist statement and leave with a revised version.
Participants are encouraged to bring a current artist statement or draft. By the end of the workshop, each artist will have practical tools they can use for exhibition catalogs, gallery websites, grant applications, and personal websites—along with an artist statement that is more inviting, memorable, and understandable to a broad audience.
Ideal Audience: Visual artists, photographers, sculptors, mixed-media artists, craft artists, and emerging or established artists who want to communicate more effectively with collectors, gallery visitors, jurors, and the general public.About the Speaker:
Deborah S. Bosley, Ph.D., is Founder and Principal at The Plain Language Group, LLC. Deborah is an international expert in the use of plain language to create easy to understand content and meet regulatory requirements for plain language. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies including Google, eBay, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Cigna, TD Canada, and Bank of America.
She has also worked with the CDC, the Federal Trade Commission, the University of California Office of the President, the New York City Mayor’s office and other government agencies and higher education.
In Charlotte, Deborah is the former Chair of the Board for The Light Factory where she served two terms. She currently is the Chair of the Board for The Charlotte Center for the Humanities and Civic Imagination, and a member of the Board of The Charlotte Center for Literary Arts.
Deborah has given more than 100 presentations, keynote addresses, and webinars to business, government, and non-profit organizations in the U.S., Mexico, England, Spain, Ireland, Germany, and France. She has given a talk for TEDx Charlotte and been interviewed by or written for The Atlantic, Time Magazine, the Wall Street Journal Weekend Morning radio, ThriveGlobal, Medium, Employee Benefits, Kiplinger, Regulatory Compliance Watch, WealthManagement, The Hechinger Report, Financial Advisor Magazine, Entrepreneur, Investment News, as well as other print and digital media.
Deborah also is a Professor Emerita at UNC Charlotte where she taught Technical and Professional Writing. In her academic career, Deborah authored or co-authored three books and dozens of articles in peer reviewed journals, including winning three national awards for her research and teaching.2 attendees
Past events
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