THE CULTUR E
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Goings-on in performance art in the Queen City.
THREADED Stephen Wilson’s art is stitching the Queen City together. words ANNIE GIBBS photos courtesy STEPHEN WILSON The first time Stephen Wilson saw an embroidery machine, he was mesmerized. The New Jersey native’s career followed a winding path before planting him at the foot of his craft, but art has been threaded throughout. Blending inspiration from high fashion and contemporary artists, Wilson manipulates luxury fabrics, 3-D-printed sculptures, laser-engraved acrylics and highly-detailed embroidery pieces to produce his original art. Tradition meets innovation to comprise Wilson’s lengthy creative process. Each piece takes hundreds of combined hours to create, born from a simple sketch in Wilson’s idea notebook. Selftaught in the highly specialized skill of digitizing, Wilson codes each stitch into specialized software, electronically
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painting with thread. Wilson’s state-ofthe-art embroidery machines are then put to use, placing up to 1,000 stitches a minute. The process is fluid, often changing as a piece takes shape. “I feel like my team and I learn something new with every single piece,” says Wilson. Wilson’s work is interweaving the cultural fabric of the city, recently threading together notable art institutions in the area at an installation co-sponsored by Opera Carolina and Charlotte’s New Gallery of Modern Art. The April show hosted at The Foundry was a resounding success. If you would like to view pieces from his Americana series, visit NGMA. info stephenwilsonstudio.com operacarolina.org
Inspired Works, by Charlotte Ballet, will take place June 1 - 3. Come celebrate 20 years of artistic leadership from beloved Director JeanPierre Bonnefoux, who retires this June. You’ll leave feeling uplifted, energized, and in awe. charlotteballet.org Neil DeGrasse Tyson will finally be here in the QC on June 12 at the Belk Theater. Tyson’s professional research includes star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of our Milky Way. Even if you think you don’t like science, you will thoroughly enjoy this fun, educational evening. blumenthalarts.org Join in June 15 as Opera Carolina joins forces with Lenny Boy Brewing… you read that right. Visit Lenny Boy Brewing to watch two one-act operas be performed: Menotti’s The Telephone and Scott Joiner’s Connection Lost. Enjoy a locally brewed beer and opera! operacarolina.org