This growing Charlotte gallery helps artists of color collaborate and advance

On a quiet street in east Charlotte, a two-story house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac. Outside, it looks like any other home. But inside, it’s bursting with creativity and inspiration.

This is 9-18-9 Studio Gallery, a place to nourish local artists — especially emerging artists of color. Here, they showcase their work, meet other artists and collectors, and learn skills to advance their careers. Its mission: build the largest and most diverse collection of work by local fine artists of color.

Surrounded by art, only the open plan kitchen remains at 8838 Balsam Bay Road. That’s by design.

Since early last year, 9-18-9 has been frequently used for gallery events and monthly gatherings of The Palette Table, a private group with 82 members that seeks increased opportunities for fine artists of color. A “Sunday dinner,” prepared by owner/curator Joanne Rogers, follows every meeting.

“I feed the artists because I want that family, nurturing feeling,” said Rogers, 53, who loves cooking Caribbean food from her native Trinidad.

That camaraderie seems to be working: 9-18-9 Studio Gallery has had an impressive first year, despite opening right before the pandemic arrived.

It has hosted multiple exhibitions, developed key community partnerships and helped artists sell their work. Some of the artists’ pieces even gained national exposure through a new TV series on Oprah’s network that is filmed in Charlotte.

The gallery also educates the community about the value of local artists and their work.

But 9-18-9 Studio Gallery’s success didn’t happen overnight. It blossomed from Rogers’ original inspiration for The Palette Table.

“It was never: ‘I’m going to have a gallery,’ Rogers said. “It was, ‘How can I serve these artists?’ ”

Filling a need

When Rogers overheard a Charlotte event planner telling her husband, painter Arthur Rogers Jr., and other artists of color that they needed to change their artwork to appeal to audiences and sell their creations, she was offended.

“You can’t tell an artist how to art,” said Joanne Rogers, an accomplished photographer. “That makes it like machinery. It’s not genuine if you tell them what to create.”

Something else bothered her, too. Group exhibitions were usually headlined by out-of-towners, while local artists were less prominent.

“I wanted to make Charlotte a place where people would come specifically for art,” she said. “A destination instead of a stopover.”

She had previously helped her husband produce a successful solo show, handling everything from event planning to curation. People had asked if she worked with other artists, as well.

She saw an opportunity.

That night, she dreamed of The Palette Table: an organization to help emerging local fine artists of color through administrative support, mentorship and learning opportunities. The next morning, she was already speaking to prominent local collector Quincy Lee, seeking advice. He became her first mentor and started introducing her to serious collectors.

Artists also got on board quickly.

“We talked about what the future for the arts in Charlotte can be if we mobilize and work together,” said Arthur Rogers, 54.

The group began exhibiting around Charlotte, including at Mint Museum Randolph in 2019. But Joanne Rogers couldn’t find spaces quickly enough to satisfy demand, so she created 9-18-9 Studio Gallery, named for the date she and Arthur became a couple.

A joyful beginning before COVID

The new gallery opened in February 2020 with the exhibit “JOY.”

“We were not seeing ourselves represented as a joyful people,” Joanne Rogers said. “And we really wanted people to see that part. I call it ‘our superpower.’”

The show was well attended, but when COVID-19 hit, the gallery immediately halted public exhibits. One-on-one tours with masks and social distancing continued, as possible. Six months later, the gallery officially reopened. To date, it has hosted five exhibitions.

“And even with the pandemic, we’ve been so busy,” Arthur Rogers said from his upstairs studio while painting.

The current exhibition, “Inform. Create. Inspire. Celebrating the Creative Man” includes works from more than 20 artists, including Malik Norman, Will White and Joshua Galloway. Visitors can sign up for a time to tour the gallery via its website.

Last summer’s racial equity protests also put the spotlight on local artists, he said, and led to many corporate and private commissions.

Serving the community

The artists have also sought opportunities to serve the community.

This spring, they volunteered to paint 100 portraits of front-line healthcare workers at Atrium Health, to thank them for their heroic work during the pandemic.

Joanne Rogers has since been designated as a preferred curator at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center and for three new spaces under construction, where Atrium will require that half of the artwork comes from local artists and at least half of that from artists of color.

The gallery collaborates with other local organizations, too.

Dancers and spoken word poets often perform at openings. Joanne Rogers also regularly invites community groups, particularly those serving children, to visit and stay for dinner.

Helping artists to be artists

The artists are reaching national audiences. “Delilah,” the new TV drama filmed in Charlotte on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network, features 11 of their works to date. Six come from resident artist Gil Horne Jr.

“I’m still kind of processing that,” said Horne, 32, whose first Charlotte area solo show, “BlackBoy,” opened last fall at the gallery. It explored perceptions, expectations and shared trauma experienced by Black boys and men. Nearly all 100 works were sold or rented immediately following the exhibition.

When Joanne met Horne in 2016, he was working at Food Lion to support his family.

He had recently moved from Michigan with his wife and was painting out of his father’s garage. He wanted to break into the art scene but didn’t know how.

“She just caught me at a point where I was ready to take the next step,” Horne said.

He now works full time as an artist-in-residence at the gallery and credits The Palette Table and 9-18-9 Studio Gallery for making that possible. He believes their structure will help others, as well.

“She’s created an opportunity for artists to be artists,” he said, “and there are no conditions attached to it.”

The value of art

Artists should be able to make a living wage from their craft, but that also requires educating the community.

“I always say you have someone come through to look at your refrigerator and before they even fix anything… you’ve dropped 85 bucks,” Joanne Rogers said. Meanwhile, people offer $25 for a painting when a single tube of oil paint can cost $70.

It’s important to consider the materials, time, skill and effort that go into making art.

But purchasing art can still be within anyone’s reach. “We want everyone to be able to have beautiful things in their home,” she said, and works with individuals to create payment plans. “We don’t believe art is just for the rich.”

What’s next?

The gallery’s exhibition calendar is already filled through April, and 9-18-9 Studio Gallery continues to grow. It was recently offered a new space with more room for events, exhibitions and studios. Details for an August move will be announced soon.

But one thing is certain: It’s coming with a kitchen.

To schedule a tour, visit 9189studiogallery.com

This story is part of an Observer underwriting project with the Thrive Campaign for the Arts, supporting arts journalism in Charlotte.

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