Contemporary Art in Charlotte
From page 26
Jennifer Steinkamp. American. Born 1958. Orbit 12. 2012. Video installation on continuous loop. Gift of the Mint Museum Auxiliary. All this “garbage” made for an exhilarating debut for the young Mint curator, and after the Muniz show, Thomas turned his attention to advising the Mint Museum Auxiliary on an acquisition for the museum’s contemporary collection. The Auxiliary was founded in the mid-twentieth century by a group of women interested in developing an endowment for acquisitions, and may have been perceived, in days gone by, primarily as a “ladies who lunch” adjunct to the museum. However, of late, the Auxiliary has proven to be a driving force in helping this once stodgy art museum come into its own as an institution committed to contemporary art. Last spring, the Auxiliary hosted Modern MoveMint, a scenester fundraiser and
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quasi Kaprow Happening, where the urban rooftop venue was kept mum until just a day prior to the event. At the event the Auxiliary’s acquisition, a Jennifer Steinkamp video, Orbit 12, was unveiled and played on the rooftop. A flash mob organized by the ranks of the Auxiliary rivaled the celestial mechanics video as the party’s most notable component.
The Bechtler
Right next door to the downtown Mint, sits the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art which also opened in 2010. This terra cotta-clad Mario Botta design is an exquisite architectural gem housing the collection of Swiss born industrialist Andreas Bechtler. The building itself is note-worthy being one of only