Composed of former McColl Center for Visual Art affiliate artists, Core represents a longtime dream of Center Executive Director Suzanne Fetscher to provide alumni artists opportunities for exhibitions and career development once they leave McColl. Obviously this is a great benefit to Center alumni, but the project has an additional objective that should get the attention of every other artist in the area: to further promote and cultivate new audiences for contemporary art in Charlotte. This is something we desperately need, as the local art community’s chronic invisibility has only worsened as galleries have closed or gone into consultancy mode in the last few years.

The founding Core artists are Raed Al-Rawi, Daniel Allegrucci, Crista Cammaroto, Alex Clark, Diane Hughes, Ashley Lathe, Laura Alma McCarthy and Felicia van Bork. This initial group has been working over the past year refining Core’s vision, writing bylaws, developing a website and dealing with the myriad nuts and bolts of starting an organization.

• Crista Cammaroto, Paternal Holdings (image courtesy of the artist)

At the moment, Core is nomadic, although the intention is to eventually secure a permanent space. Luckily one of Core’s founding members, photographer Diane Hughes, is also an independent curator, so this inaugural show will take place at her Ayrsley-area space, Hughes Gallery.

• Daniel Allegrucci, Explosion 15 BYPGG (image courtesy of the artist)

Core is already participating in McColl’s 7th Street Windows project, which has turned out to be even more beneficial than anticipated. Since there are more members than windows, it has been necessary to pair up and work collaboratively. “The windows have provided us the opportunity to develop a way of working together and develop a group identity,” says McCarthy. “As a result, some of us are now working collaboratively on other projects, and others have returned to their work with a fresh perspective.”

• Felicia Van Bork, Mycelium Landscape (image courtesy of the artist)

Core: The Beginning, Hughes Gallery, 2015 Ayrsley Town Blvd, Charlotte. Opening reception, May 20, 6:00-9:00 p.m., viewing by appointment only through June 17; call Diane Hughes, 704-492-9934. corevisualart.org

— Barbara Schreiber