The Dilworth Artisan Station is a community of 25+ Charlotte artists. The building is open 1st Fridays of May & December to the public from 6-9PM.
When a building is over 100 years old, you expect it to have secrets. That’s especially true for the three-story factory building at the end of Kingston Avenue overlooking the light rail. Since the building was erected in the early 1900s. It has been a furniture factory, textile factory, even storage for soldiers’ cars during World War II. But these days it has a new life, a reincarnation that has visitors calling it one of Charlotte’s best-kept secrets.
Dilworth Artisan Station, as it is now known, houses studios for more than two dozen artists who paint, draw, and sculpt every day.
“When people find their way through these halls, they’re surprised around every corner and through every door at the treasury of original art they have happened upon and the warm welcome they get,” says artist Paul Hastings, who creates his signature surrealist landscapes and seascapes there. “They always promise a return visit.“
Among the other artists are oil painter Tony Griffin, who trained in Florence, Italy; renowned portrait artist John Seibels Walker, who has been commissioned to paint North Carolina and South Carolina governors, and Alla Ostrovsky, a native Russian who came to the United States for artistic freedom.
There’s more: Longtime Charlotte gallery and art consultancy Hodges Taylor has moved from its downtown location to a spot on the second floor. And Ann Neilson, known for her inspirational paintings of angels, has opened a street-level gallery, Ann Neilson Fine Art, where she presents painters from across the country.
When you visit these studios you not only can view a wide selection of art, but you also can meet the artists and see how they work. Artist Lita Gatlin, for example, can tell visitors how she captures images of animals for wildlife paintings, or how her many trips to Africa have inspired her paintings of children there.
“I find that first-time visitors to Dilworth Artisan Station are amazed at the diversity of art, and many enjoy visiting with artists in their ‘working’ environment,” says Gatlin.
For those interested in art instruction, Holt School of Fine Arts holds classes for children and teens, and Miriam Durkin Fine Art offers classes in figurative drawing and painting. Many other artists also teach one-on-one.
Because each studio is a separate business, there are no common business hours for everyone. But if you stop at the building on any day, you’re likely to find artists working and ready to tell you about what they do. The building also is open during most Gallery Crawls. Just watch for signs showing the way.
Adding to the innovative spirit are Crossland Furniture Restoration Studios on the ground floor and offices for architects, a photographer, interior designer, marketing firm, and Pilates studio. To-the-trade home furnishings seller Darnell & Co. and Campania Fine Moulding, a wholesale frame business are also part of this creative “family.”
“I chose Dilworth Artisan Station because it’s inspiring to me to work in an environment with so many good artists. We draw energy from each other,” says artist Sharon Hockfield, whose contemporary portraits are among the many paintings lining the hallways.
The artists have established a tradition of holding an annual holiday open house the first Friday in December and a spring open house the first Friday in May. On those evenings, they open their doors, provide refreshments, music and a hearty welcome to anyone curious to see what’s going inside this creative hub.
“The artwork is so varied - everything from realistic landscapes to abstracts to figurative work,” says Hockfield. “There’s something that would appeal to everyone.”
- Miriam Durkin
