“Color Riot: Where Color Speaks Loudest"
COLOR RIOT  Opening Night: Saturday, August 2, 2025, 6–9pm
Live performance or spoken word; Curator & Artist talks; light refreshments.

August 2 – Sept. 28, 2025:
Color Riot Group Exhibition Opens Saturday, August 2nd at 6:00 p.m. in ClearWater's Main Gallery! Join us for Opening Night with the artists!
We are thrilled to have talented local artist, Dimeji Onafuwa @artbydimeji bringing this exciting show to the Main Gallery at ClearWater Arts! Onafuwa has gathered 6 other exceptional artists to join him in gracing our walls with a riot of color, texture and dynamic compositions. Dr. Dimeji Onafuwa (Dimeji) is a Nigerian-born artist, design and research leader. Tilling passion from his African heart with American soil, he cultivates evocative and emotional scenes of assimilation. His paintings will be joined by those of six other artists hailing from the African and African-American diaspora, each with a unique artistic technique, and approach to materials and style. Dimeji has called Concord home for several years and most of the artists in this show reside in the greater Charlotte area. Watch ClearWater Arts social media to see upcoming Artist Features; and join us, at Opening Night: Saturday August 2nd, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in our Main Gallery! For more info: clearwaterartists.com

Opening Night: Saturday, August 2, 2025, 6–9pm
Live performance or spoken word; Curator & Artist talks; light refreshments.
ClearWater Arts Center & Studios
223 Crowell Dr. NW, Concord, NC 28025
-- MAIN GALLERY –  Use Main Entrance
  (704) 920-6600

Participating Artists:

• Dimeji Onafuwa

• Sanya Ojikutu

• Omogbolade Ajayi

• Robby Moore

• Justin Ellis

• J Henry

• Zaire McPhearson

Meet the Artists of CONCORD CREATES: An Exhibition of Local Artists!

The Opening Reception for this Exhibition will feature artists in the show talking about their work!

Come check the talent next door during this beautiful exhibition by Concord, NC artists!

Saturday, July 5, 2025

12:00 PM - Opening Reception

1:00 PM - Artist Talks

Come and be part of an exciting exhibition that proudly showcases the incredible works of talented artists, all of whom are 100% local to Concord, NC. This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant art scene of our community and support the creative endeavors of our local artists. You won’t want to miss this chance to experience the diverse range of artistic expressions that reflect the heart and soul of Concord. Join us and celebrate the amazing talent right in our own backyard!

Featuring:

Eric & Casey Wattine

April Simmons

Ben Mirabelli

Stephanie Gainer

Molly Rowland

Abigayle Davis

Doyle Bussey

Wesley Hartsell

Andrea Cunningham

Curated by: Crystal Cronan

Exhibit is located in The Main Gallery of The Main Bldg. Free parking in three lots on campus. We hope to see you there!

Artist Talks - Saturday, August 12, 2023 by Six Members of Charlotte Art Collective - Part of the First Look! Guest Exhibition

FREE and open to the public! (Free Parking)

Several Artist Talks are scheduled, August 5 and August 12, as part of the Guest Artist Exhibition, ‘First Look’ — a show of new works by the Member Artists of Charlotte Art Collective. See other listings for other times and dates!

Artist Talks will be presented in the Main Gallery at ClearWater Arts in Concord. Use the Main Entrance, off Crowell Drive NW (223 Crowell Dr NW)

Saturday, August 12, 2023:

Kelly Carlson-Reddig - architectural jewelry - 11:00 a.m.:

Kelly Carlson-Reddig is an architect who teaches at UNCC who also makes jewelry.  Kelly’s jewelry is inspired by architecture and is made with architecturally inspired materials like steel, aluminum, copper and concrete.

Kathy Collins - oil paintings- 11:30 a.m.:

Kathy Collins loves to paint both in her studio as well as outside “en plein air”.  She enjoys taking a few art supplies outside to capture the beauty in front of her whether it be a clump of summer blooms in a garden or a view across a lake in the North Carolina mountains.  

Valerie Hawkins - pottery - 12:00 Noon:

Valerie Hawkins is a long-time potter who uses fresh botanicals to imprint her pottery work.  She has also recently taken up silver smithing and makes work that is inspired by the mid-century modernist movement.  She recycles scrap silver and sometimes incorporates salvaged sterling parts into her work.

Julie Phillips - fiber arts - 12:30p.m.:

Julie Phillips is a fiber artist working primarily in felted wool.  She winds and felts multicolored wool strands into gorgeous wall pieces and sculptural 3d felted creatures.  She also does fabric painting employing the natural colorants in plants and leaves.

Janet Borchardt - glass casting - 1:00p.m.:

Janet works with glass casting, by packing glass powders & frits into molds she makes from leaves she picks and shapes sculpted out of clay.

Rae Stark - pottery - 1:30 p.m.:

Rae Stark is a studio potter working in porcelain clay.  She decorates her work with sgraffito, sprigs, incised lines and texture.  She employs motif’s from the natural word like birds, flowers and insects among others.

Please be prepared to find the Main Entrance and to use any of our parking lots across Crowell Drive NW from our campus; other classes and events may be going on in the Greenway Gallery or other spaces at ClearWater. A site map /Campus Area Plan can be found on our Website ‘Our Space’ page by clicking the black button at top of that page.

Artist Talks - Saturday, August 5, 2023 by four Members of Charlotte Art Collective - Part of the First Look! Guest Exhibition

FREE and open to the public! (Free Parking)

Several Artist Talks are scheduled, August 5 and August 12, as part of the Guest Artist Exhibition, ‘First Look’ — a show of new works by the Member Artists of Charlotte Art Collective. See other listings for other times and dates!

Artist Talks will be presented in the Main Gallery at ClearWater Arts in Concord. Use the Main Entrance, off Crowell Drive NW (223 Crowell Dr NW)

Saturday, August 5, 2023:

Robert Beam - stained & fused glass - 12:00 Noon:

Robert Beam is a glass artist working with stained and fused glass.  He takes inspiration from nature and architecture and is in collections up and down the east coast.

Michael Marx - PMC Jewelry - 12:30p.m.:

Michael Marx is a nationally known metal clay artist  and instructor.  He makes beautifully crafted metal clay jewelry with an edgy and whimsical point of view. 

Janie Jones - glass & alcohol ink - 1:00p.m.:

Janie Jones is a long-time master glass bead maker and instructor.  She makes gorgeous glass beads for jewelry and whimsical objects she employs in plant stakes and Christmas ornaments, among other things.

Hilde Deprez - wood & macrame - 1:30 p.m.:

Hilde Deprez is a master illustrator.  You will see in the gallery her painted wood, illustrations and cards.  She has also taken up macramé and is making gorgeous textural wall hangings.

Please be prepared to find the Main Entrance and to use any of our parking lots across Crowell Drive NW from our campus; other classes and events may be going on in the Greenway Gallery or other spaces at ClearWater. A site map /Campus Area Plan can be found on our Website ‘Our Space’ page by clicking the black button at top of that page.

Meet Gayathiri, The Concord local, self-made art teacher and artist who brought us our first Student Art Exhibition, Thoorigai in our Greenway Gallery (lower level) this past Spring, 2022!

— FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC —

She will talk about starting to teach at home, offering art classes for local children as a way out of her own pain; then discovering the joy and ways in which it has enriched her life, as she and her husband raise their own child. Her organization, Art and Stash takes students throughout the year.

BE SURE TO COME TO THE GREENWAY GALLERY DOUBLE-DOORS at the END OF THE OPERATIONS BUILDING (Double-Doors facing Kerr Street). Free Parking in the lots along Crowell Drive NW; walk over!

(More below flier… Scroll down)

Gayathiri is a member of Namaste Artists Charlotte, a local affiliation of artists who hail from various parts of India, and who co-produce Indian Art Festivals in Charlotte, Matthews and Harrisburg a few times a year. Through Gayathiri, we and the City of Concord connected with Namaste Artists Group and were able to add their perspective and input to the City’s ongoing Master Plan process for a Public Art Master Plan.

We look forward to welcoming you and to hearing her share her experience, Monday 9/12, before saying goodbye to the lovely Thoorigai Student Exhibit, which has elicited many admiring comments from visitors since its installation in April. Our hats are off to Gayathiri and her budding artist students!

Feel free to call with any questions: 704-784-9535 or email: gays@concordnc.gov