Inside the Mint Museum ‘Vault’ exhibit, where couples collect and cherish Black art

For four couples in Charlotte, seeking, collecting, restoring and preserving Black art has become a longtime personal mission.

Now these custodians of Black culture are being celebrated in a Mint Museum Uptown exhibit called The Vault, which recently opened and runs through Sept. 17

Organized by artist and guest curator Jessica Gaynelle Moss, the exhibit showcases works found in the private holdings of people who are among Charlotte’s major Black art collectors. The exhibit’s goal is to help create a deeper understanding and appreciation for Black art and culture as well as its related stories and experiences, according to the museum.

From Charlotte-born Romare Bearden to Elizabeth Catlett, the exhibit highlights works of some of the greatest Black artists of the 20th century.

Hundreds of ephemeral objects make appearances in the exhibition too, such as magazines, vintage photography, furniture, records and Black Santa figurines.

“Race has always been a significant factor in determining equity, ownership and rights in the United States,” Moss said. “Over generations, forced migration throughout the African diaspora has left many Black people without a sense of history or home.”

Here’s a look at the couples whose collections are celebrated by the Mint.

Judy and Patrick Diamond

In August, Judy and Patrick Diamond will celebrate 50 years of marriage — and art collecting.

The couple met in college at Boston University. In 1973, they traveled together through a program with Harvard University to Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania.

“As soon as we got settled in our hotel, we started walking the streets of downtown, and they had artists almost on every corner, selling all kinds of African art — paintings, carvings, jewelry,” Patrick said. “And so began our interest in collecting art.”

For decades, they continued to collect.

In 1985, on a visit to Charlotte’s Jerald Melberg Gallery, the couple shared a pivotal experience: they got to meet Bearden. The artist was in town for an opening of his work at the gallery. While he awaited a tardy reporter, the Diamonds sat with him.

“We had Bearden to ourselves for more than an hour,” Patrick said. “He talked about his work and his technique, and he encouraged us to support African American art as much as we could. It was just an absolutely super lucky opportunity we had.”

Judy is retired, and had worked in management at IBM. She also was the CEO of Charlotte YMCA. Patrick was in management at NCNB, a Bank of America predecessor, and his other jobs included development director at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture.

Included in The Vault exhibit from the Diamonds’ collection are black-and-white paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures, and sweet-grass baskets, by artists ranging from Hale Woodruff to John Tweedle and Nellie Ashford.

Nina and James Jackson

When it comes to Nina and James Jackson, their collection is all about the stories.

The couple moved to Charlotte around 1983, shortly after they got married. It was the holiday season, and Nina was in search of decorations, namely a topper for their Christmas tree. “It was a sad little tree, pitiful really, just about the day before Christmas,” Nina recalled, “and we didn’t have any ornaments.”

So they went to the drug store.

“The Santas didn’t look like me or my dad, and the angels didn’t look like me or my mom, and they just weren’t resonating with me.” Eventually she found a Black Santa, her first. She still has it.

Nina’s favorite Santa is the one she bought at an arts and craft fair while living in Tampa, Florida. “He reminds me of my dad,” Nina said. “He doesn’t really look like him, but he has a really kind face and wears glasses.”

Over the years, she collected the figurines while living in or visiting various parts of the country. Friends also gave them to her as gifts. Today, she estimates she has a collection of roughly 60 Black Santa, many of which are now on display at the Mint Museum.

Nina was a social worker and James is a retired financial services executive.

In addition to the Santas, the Jacksons contributed works by T. J. Reddy, who lived and painted in Charlotte for many years, and pieces by artist William Johnson.

Christy and Quincy Lee

Christy and Qunicy Lee have lived in Charlotte for about a decade, but their art collection began much earlier. “I guess I’ve always collected things, Lego toys or Tonka trucks,” said Quincy. “I innately had the collecting bug.”

The couple’s collection began years ago, with African masks and prints they could afford as young newlyweds. Over time, the two grew deeply interested in understanding the history of Black artists.

Today, their roughly 350-work collection consists of predominantly Black, and some Latin artists. Albert Wells, Bryan M. Wilson, Juan Logan, Antoine Williams, and J. Stacy Utley are all on display at the Mint.

They’re particularly interested in the lesser-known friends of notable artists.

“Everyone knows Romare Bearden here in Charlotte, but Bearden had artists all around him, like Charles Alston and Eugene Grigsby and Vivian Key,” said Quincy. “Our goal in our collection is to find those artists, and give them a voice.”

They find pieces all over, at auctions, by word of mouth, even in strangers’ laundry rooms.

Once, Quincy got a call from someone who knew the couple collected art. The friend told them about a famous piece that a family didn’t know what to do with. The Lees bought it.

“That happens a lot in the Black community,” Quincy said. “There are so many treasures of art and artifacts that end up in our homes and they’re passed down, and sometimes families don’t know what they have so they end up missing or in the trash.

“We restore the works when we need to and become stewards and take care of them,” he said. “We walk by them every day and just appreciate them.”

Cheryse and Christopher Terry

Magazines, afro picks, vinyl records and toys are all part of Cheryse and Christopher Terry’s collection.

“I’ve been collecting for as long as I can remember,” said Cheryse. “Ten years ago, after the passing of my mom, I began collecting “Ebony” magazines in her honor.” The Terrys’ magazine collection is filled with similar Black ephemera, ranging from “Jet” and “Black Stars” to “Negro Digest” and “Sepia.”

Christopher is an attorney and Cheryse is the owner of Archive CLT coffee and bookstore.

Of note for The Vault exhibit, the Terrys have shared two “Essence” magazines, while under the editorial direction of photographer Gordon Parks, the magazine’s co-founder. They also have a “Playboy” featuring the first Black woman on the cover, and two books by Jamel Shabazz, a prominent Black photographer who covered New York street style and Black culture.

In all, the Terrys have about 5,000 magazines, over 100 posters, 1,600 vintage and first-edition books, plus toys and other collectibles.

“With everything moving to digital and AI, it is imperative that the stories of Black people are archived and accessible,” Cheryse said. “It’s an honor to be a custodian of our history.”

The Vault

When and where: The Vault exhibition is on view through Sept. 17 at Mint Museum Uptown, 500 S. Tryon St., Charlotte

Meet the collectors: On Aug. 2, the Lees and the Terrys will participate in a conversation called “The Key to Collecting.” It will center on collecting and legacy as part of the Mint’s Wednesday Night Live events. Museum admission is free on Wednesday nights. The Diamonds and Jacksons will appear at another event on Aug. 12.

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