Join us for the Cultural Block Party during CLT SHOUT!, a collaborative celebration along the Cultural Mile · North Tryon on April 11th from 1-10 PM! Charlotte Ballet, McColl Center, and VAPA Center are each activating their spaces with unique programming. Together, the three organizations are transforming this segment of North Tryon into a vibrant, walkable arts experience that spotlights Charlotte-based artists and invites the community to explore and celebrate creativity across the district.
1-5 PM | Charlotte Ballet | Enjoy complimentary ballet classes led by Charlotte Ballet’s teaching artists, open to movers of all ages and experience levels. Learn foundational technique, explore creative movement, and experience the joy of dance in a welcoming, community‑centered setting.
3- 9 PM | McColl Center | Meet McColl Center Artists-in-Residence and visit their studios, create an artwork during our all-ages interactive printmaking workshop, and explore Light at the End of the Tunnel, a collaborative exhibition with The Mint Museum, featuring works available for bidding as part of The Mint Museum’s Coveted Couture Silent Auction and sales benefit both organizations.
5–10 PM | VAPA Center | Connect with fellow artists and creatives in VAPA’s outdoor gathering space, enjoy local food trucks, experience live DJ sets from BackSpinz, and explore artist showcases and creative activations throughout the center.
Beginning at 6 PM, the evening expands into The Night Market (sponsored by TD Bank), with open artist studios, guided tours, art scavenger hunts, tenant gallery takeovers, live performances, and free artist-led creative classes.
The Artist Block Party event is free and open to the public.
Open Studios + American(a) Property Intake
Step inside McColl Center and meet current Artists-in-Residence Kimberly English, William Evans, Komikka Patton, Maharia Chabwera, and welcome Transatlantic Rising Stars artist Ali Nolan from Ireland. Explore active studios, engage with artists about their work, and experience in-progress projects up close.
As part of the Open Studios experience, contribute to William Evans’s latest project, Requesting American(a) Property. This live, participatory intake invites the public to bring forward and voluntarily convey objects commonly categorized as “Black Americana.” Using formal documentation processes modeled after property transfer systems, each object is registered into a developing archive that examines how these racially coded artifacts continue to circulate across domestic, commercial, and intergenerational contexts. Participants receive a printed record of the transfer, marking their role in the archive.
Interactive Print Workshop
Drop into our Print Studio for an all-ages, hands-on printmaking activity. Create your own take-home print while learning the basics of contemporary print processes.
Outdoor Film Screening, 8 PM: Wild Style
Join us on the lawn for an outdoor screening of Wild Style, presented in partnership with Independent Picture House. This influential film captures the early creative energy of hip-hop through music, movement, graffiti, and storytelling, offering an ideal open-air experience to close the evening.
