Culture Rewind: Top 5 From Charlotte Creatives in January 2026
There’s so much happening in Charlotte’s arts, musical and culture scenes that we can’t possibly cover it all, but what we can do is go back and let you know about some of the stuff you should’ve seen that happened this month.
PARTED: A Hair Exhibit Gets Immersive at DUPP&SWAT
Curated by Dr. Davita Galloway, Nadia Meadows and Cheryse Terry, PARTED was an immersive, multisensory experience that honored the art, history and evolution of Black hair.
“Black hair has always been a language,” said the PARTED team upon launching the exhibit, which ran from Jan. 19-25 at DUPP&SWAT in Camp North End. “It speaks to who we are, how we feel, and how we show up in the world. PARTED is a celebration of that language—honoring our past, affirming our present, and imagining what’s next.”
The exhibit featured expressions of Black hair across decades; displays of hair tools, products, and memorabilia (including the infamous hot comb), and original artwork.
Each evening that the exhibit was up, the team hosted themed workshops, inviting the community to learn, create and connect through hair-centered art and dialogue. Workshops included making collages, Afrofuturist bookmarks, hair picks and other hands-on activities like learning how to cornrow.
Following the exhibit’s completion, Galloway told Queen City Nerve that PARTED was not just about art but deepening ties to community, creating new relationships and strengthening existing ones through shared memory, identity and dialogue.
“Implementing PARTED was as much a discovery as it was an exhibition,” she wrote in an email. “What began as a creative exploration of Black hair unfolded into a powerful affirmation of what’s possible when community, culture, and space align with intention.
“Through PARTED, we learned that DUPP&SWAT is not only capable of holding exhibits—it is uniquely suited to hold experiences. The space met the moment, proving that meaningful, museum-quality exhibitions can live outside of traditional institutions and still deeply resonate with audiences,” she continued.
“We also witnessed a clear and genuine longing for exhibits that center the Black experience. Guests didn’t just observe the work — they saw themselves in it. The conversations that filled the room were celebratory, nostalgic, and, for some, deeply educational. Stories were exchanged across generations. Laughter and reflection lived side by side. People lingered … PARTED reminded us that when art reflects lived experience, it becomes more than something to view — it becomes something to feel, carry and share.”
Davita along with brother and DUPP&SWAT co-founder Dion Galloway will next collaborate on the exhibit Deck the Walls, an exhibit centered on skateboarding that’s scheduled to run at the studio from June 14-21.
Ethan Desmond Drops ‘People, Places, Pets’ EP
Local author, musician and producer Ethan Desmond set the mood for the new year with the Jan. 13 release of People, Places, Pets, a five-track EP of instrumentals that blend hypnotic grooves with guitar riffs that would fit nicely into a Miami Vice montage yet somehow still feel right for this moment. Check it out below.
Goodyear Arts Opens ‘Political Response’ Exhibit
On Jan. 30, the team at Goodyear Arts celebrated the opening of its latest exhibit, Keep Pushing, billed as “an exhibition for the moment, hung in the moment.”
Coordinated by Amy Herman, Luvly Moon and OBRA Collective in partnership with Carolina Migrant Network, the “pin-up style political response exhibition” gave artists — any artists who wanted to participate — the opportunity to join in community by hanging work with push pins or tape during two scheduled hang sessions in the last week of January.
More than 60 visual artists took part in creating the exhibit, with poets and musicians performing throughout the opening party on Jan. 30. The exhibit will show through Feb. 13, with proceeds from any art sales going to Carolina Migrant Network, which provides pro bono legal services to people facing deportation.
Check them out at their space in Camp North End.
Abel Jackson Finishes New Historic West End Mural
Late on the night of Jan. 30, just as the fourth-largest snowstorm in Charlotte’s history bore down on our city, Abel Jackson put the finishing touches on his latest mural paying homage to icons of the Historic West End.
Similar to the “River of Life” mural that he completed at West End Fresh Seafood Market on Beatties Ford Road in 2021, this mural honors icons of the Historic West End, this time on the side of an office building at the corner of Beatties Ford Road and Oaklawn Avenue.
The subjects include physician and civil rights advocate Dr. Emery Rann, Original Chicken & Ribs owners Otis and Lucinda Blackmon, and photographer Willie Bullock. I wasn’t able to go grab a photo of the mural yet due to the storm, but Glenn Burkins at QCity Metro has a good write-up with more info and a photo here.
ASC Launches Venue Access Grants
On Jan. 14, the Arts & Science Council opened up the application period for the Venue Access Grant, a program the county is launching to help local creatives utilize publicly and privately owned venues for cultural programming rooted in arts, science, history or heritage.
“This grant funding, provided solely by Mecklenburg County, aims to provide access to affordable space for the creation and experience of arts and culture, fostering a more vibrant and active cultural landscape across the county,” read the website. “This grant supports projects that directly lead to increased public engagement with arts, science, and history in accessible and appropriate spaces.”
Grants of up to $20,000 will be made available to nonprofits and up to $10,000 for independent creatives to book spaces for shows, event series, performances and the like.
Check out the list of available venues to plan for an event then apply here as an independent creative or here as a nonprofit. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with preference to applicants who apply by Feb. 11 at noon.
