Educations Not Equalis currently on view in the main gallery during our regular business hours from January 23 - March 2, 2024. The art exhibition highlights work by three emerging Charlotte-based painters including Jamea Naje' Marlowe, Carla Aaron-Lopez, and Dammit Wesley.
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 22 @ 5:00 - 7:00 pm heavy hors d'oeuvres & cash bar provided Free & Open to the Public
Jamea Naje’ Marlowe is a multidisciplinary artist, who utilizes a variety of media to create work that depicts personal experiences. She was born and raised in Clover, South Carolina. Marlowe studied visual arts with a graphic design emphasis at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina. It was there that she received a bachelor’s degree in visual arts and found her voice as an artist. She went on to receive her teaching certification from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Marlowe taught as an elementary art educator from 2021-2022. Soon after, she quit teaching to open her own kid’s art studio, The Broken Crayon, in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has participated in numerous art exhibitions and artist residencies, curating her first solo exhibition in 2021: (Lost, Found, & Free). Her most recent exhibitions and residencies include Local Street | Mint Museum (2021, 2022, and 2023), From the Underground |Cabarrus Arts Council (2022), Emerging Artist Residency | McColl Center (2023) and My Presence is Present |Harvey B. Gantt Museum Biennial (2023). Marlowe’s current body of work entitled “Educations Not Equal" (2023) depicts brightly colored portraits which touch upon the many struggles that black and brown children in underserved areas face throughout their adolescence. This body of work indicates a variety of social issues, from absent parents to absent dreams. As she drifts further from her days as an elementary arts educator and this body of work comes to an end, Jamea is looking ahead and planning her next body of work as she attempts to champion the journey of both entrepreneurship and motherhood. Learn more about her at jameanaje.com or about her kid’s art studio brokencrayonstudio.com or follow her on Instagram @jameanaje_.
Carla Aaron-Lopez is a photographer, printmaker, independent curator and collagist. Ever defying expectation, Aaron-Lopez has also expanded her practice to include murals and painting. She is a deeply committed collaborator whose own work is frequently created with fellow artists at various stages of their career. Aaron-Lopez has pioneered platforms for underground artists and built spaces that encourage experimentation in both Atlanta and Charlotte. Aaron-Lopez received her BA in Graphic Design from North Carolina Central University and her Master of Fine Art in Photography and Master of Printmaking from Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. In addition to creating artwork, she is a beloved arts educator within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Aaron-Lopez considers herself a “professional student of life” who believes we all possess the ability to learn and create. She is also a member of Black arts collective and event space at BLKMRKTCLT. Learn more about her at eldergalleryclt.com or follow her on Instagram @iamkingcarla.
Dammit Wesley is a multi-disciplinary artist who uses a variety of media to create large-scale works that dissect themes of Race and American Consumerism. He can be located at his studio BLKMRKTCLT in historic Camp North End. Wesley received his BA in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking from Winthrop University. He has participated in numerous art exhibitions and residencies including the Untitled Street Series Experimental Residency Program and The McColl Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. His murals can also be seen throughout Charlotte. Learn more about him and follow him on Instagram @dammit_wesley.