Join us for the Opening Night for the Contemporaries Year 2.
Becoming a Contemporaries member unlocks insider access, special invitations, and meaningful opportunities to support artists directly.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
A thoughtful conversation on how collecting nurtures artists and shapes cultural legacy, featuring Asa Jackson (President & CEO at McColl), Jen Sudul Edwards (Chief Curator at The Mint), and Kait McElwee (Managing Partner at Arcadia Art Consultancy) and McColl Alumni Artist Anna Berenice Garner.
Presented in partnership with UNCC and Garner’s exhibition.
Campus map and parking information.
ABOUT THE PANEL:
JEN SUDUL EDWARDS
Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art at the Mint Museum
Jen Sudul Edwards, Ph.D. received her doctorate from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, in 2014, writing her dissertation on Niki de Saint Phalle. Since July 2019 she has been the Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art at The Mint Museum. Prior to the Mint, Jen held curatorial positions at the Norton Simon Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, and the Annenberg Space for Photography. She has received various awards, but her two favorites are an SEMC Gold Award for her Wrestling the Angel exhibition publication (2018) and Charlottean of the Year from Charlotte Magazine in 2019.
Jen has lived in Charlotte since 2015 with her husband, Gavin, and her two kids. She loves going to movies and birding with her kids, walking her dog, reading, listening to all types of music, exploring historic and contemporary fashion, and traveling the world. She has perfected the gin martini and is determined to be able to speak Spanish semi-fluently before she is 70.
ANNA BERENICE GARNER
A McColl Alumni, Anna Berenice Garner is an artist working in performance, sculpture, photography, and video and is based in México City.
One person exhibitions of her work have been presented at Lateral, México City, México (2024); Lighthouse Works, Fisher’s Island, NY (2022); and ltd los angeles, Los Angeles, CA (2019). Anna’s work has been included in thematic exhibitions Simone Sudul Gallery, New York, NY (2021), Museum aan de Stroom, Antwerp, Belgium (2019); The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC (2019); and Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ (2016).
She has participated in residencies at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2014), Bemis Center for Contemporary Art (2016), and Art OMI (2019). Her work is held in the collections of The San Diego Museum of Art (San Diego, CA), The Federal Reserve Board (Washington DC), The Museum of Fine Arts Houston (Houston, TX), and The National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington DC).
ASA JACKSON
A former McColl Center artist-in-residence, Jackson brings a deep connection to McColl Center’s mission and a wealth of experience in nonprofit arts leadership. He co-founded and served as Executive Director of the Contemporary Arts Network (CAN) Foundation, a thriving arts nonprofit in Newport News, Virginia, dedicated to building sustainable careers for artists through community-focused initiatives, professional development, and strategic partnerships. Under Jackson’s leadership, CAN Foundation pioneered programs like the CAN Residency, professional development workshops, and collaborative exhibitions that connect artists with essential resources and networks to support their long-term career growth.
As an artist, Jackson has exhibited widely, with recent showings at prominent venues such as MoCA Arlington, the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center in Charlotte. His works are also part of prestigious collections, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Capital One Corporate Collection, The Rockwell Museum, and the Hascoe Collection. His leadership experience extends beyond the studio; Jackson served on the board of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, where he acted as Chair for the 2022 fiscal year, advocating for public funding and policy that strengthens the arts sector
KAIT MARLEY
Kait Marley is an experienced appraiser and advisor well-versed in both the primary and secondary markets. Kait specializes in modern, post-war, contemporary, and ultra-contemporary art, with an in-depth understanding of the primary and secondary markets and the characteristics that affect value.
Kait earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in art history from Davidson College and Temple University, respectively. She is fully compliant with the Uniform Standards of the Professional Appraisal Practice. Kait is the Managing Director of Arcadia Art Consultancy, an advisory and appraisal firm based in Charlotte, NC. She also serves as an appraiser for The Fine Art Group.
