Blumenthal Arts Announces 2025 Class of Fellows

(July 14, 2025) Charlotte, NC – The fourth annual Charlotte International Arts Festival (CIAF), a Blumenthal Arts Original, will return to Charlotte September 1-30, 2025. The annual event is a celebration of international arts from around the world and around the corner, drawing global talent to be featured in Charlotte alongside established local artists whose work elevates the rich international cultures of the Queen City.

 

Blumenthal announced today that nine area artists have been selected for the 2025 class of Blumenthal Fellows. More information can be found at charlotteartsfest.com.
 

"We are thrilled to announce our latest cohort of Blumenthal Fellows as part of the fourth annual Charlotte International Arts Festival," said Bree Stallings, Blumenthal's Director of Artistic Experiences. "This year's selected artists are building on the momentum of past festival successes with work that is more inclusive, more interactive and more engaging than ever before. The nine projects chosen reflect a bold vision, each one a stretch goal aimed at expanding the boundaries of creative expression and positioning our local talent for the global stage. With these additions, we will have supported 50 projects with a total of $515,000 in funding since hte program launched in 2021. I'm incredibly proud to champion these mid-career artists and to continue creating meaningful platforms within the festival that celebrate the extraordinary creativity and international community in our own backyard."

 

Blumenthal is dedicated to supporting local artists and providing employment opportunities through initiatives such as CIAF, Blume Studios and more. In 2024, Blumenthal Arts pair $505,000 to local CIAF artists, including Blumenthal Fellows. Since the fellowship program launched in 2021, $515,000 has been invested in supporting a total of 50 Fellow projects.

 

The work of this year’s talented Blumenthal Fellows will spark creativity, innovation, and creative placemaking. Thanks to a generous gift from Barringer Construction and other sponsors to be announced, grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to artists who are established in their careers and ready to take on a stretch goal. Through a monthly cohort meetup with past Fellows and industry experts, Fellows will develop, complete, and install an idea they could not have realized otherwise without this monetary and communal support.

 

The Fellows’ inspiring, thought-provoking, interactive projects will be featured alongside visiting national and international talent and be seen by thousands of festivalgoers.  

 

Projects by the 2025 Blumenthal Fellows include:

 

Rupam Varma
The Music Yard

A celebration of the universal language of music through interactive replicas of musical instruments, inspired by cultures from across the globe, using sustainable materials.

 

Jay Huleatt
Nexus

An immersive sculpture that tracks audience movement and behavior through light and sound using real-time technology that encourages curiosity and kinetic connectivity.

 

Eva Crawford
Quilt Cube

Largescale vinyl reproductions of portraits painted on damaged vintage quilts. Festivalgoers will be encouraged to donate worn, torn, or stained garments for use in art instead of thrift stores where items may end up in trash piles around the world.

 

Emily Sage Avery

Together

Larger-than-life corn husk doll sculptures that create a surprise melody when audience members link hands between them.

 

Nony Tresierra
Torito de Pucara

A colorful, life-size replica of the traditional pucará bull, standing tall as a vibrant, interactive public sculpture and imaginative children’s play space.

 

Kortney Paloalto
Mix & Match Magic

A three-part revolving, interactive structure that features uniquely Charlotte imagery in the style of alebrije, or colorful Mexican folk art.

 

Vaishali Awale
Art Safari – Line It Up!

Stacked rotating cubes with vibrant images of birds, animals, famous architectures, world cities, and artworks form a hands-on matching game. 

 

Friday Jones
The Fourt

A greenhouse structure that invites audiences in to learn about four distinctly Black-centered Charlotte neighborhoods and their journeys through gentrification and change, with opportunities for collaboration, pop-up activations, and reflective storytelling events.

 

Dweh Brown
Born Rich: Black As My Soul…

A visual storytelling series celebrating the richness, resilience, and radiance of Black identity through photography and film through a reimagining of representation by showcasing Black creatives in Charlotte as royalty, visionaries, and cultural architects—capturing their essence with the care and complexity it deserves.

 

 

Read about past Blumenthal Fellows projects in 2024, 2023, and 2022. 

 

Headshots and photos of the 2025 Blumenthal Fellows can be found here.

 

Click here for video highlights from CIAF 2024.

 

For more information about CIAF, keep an eye on charlotteartsfest.com.

 

Follow CIAF on social for updates, location details, and surprises! 

@cltartsfest          #cltartsfest

 

ABOUT CIAF

The Charlotte International Arts Festival (CIAF), a Blumenthal Arts Original, uniquely brings together Charlotte's local and international communities with global artists in a cultural celebration filled with live performances, art installations, food from around the world, and more.  

 

ABOUT BLUMENTHAL ARTS

Blumenthal Arts serves the Carolinas as a leading cultural, entertainment and education not-for-profit. For more information, call (704) 372-1000 or visit BlumenthalArts.org. Blumenthal Arts receives support from the Infusion Fund and the North Carolina Arts Council. Generous support is also provided by PNC Bank, sponsor of the PNC Broadway Lights series, and Equitable, sponsor of the Equitable Bravo Series.

 

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