CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Mint Museum, established in 1936 as North Carolina's first museum, now aims to lead the way to international arts and innovation with Picasso Landscapes exhibition opening this weekend.
Doors opened to an excited group of VIP guests on Thursday evening, before the exhibit officially begins its three-month run in Uptown.
Charlotte's Arts and Culture officer, Priya Sircar, told WCNC Charlotte that the city was in talks in 2020 about bringing the exhibition to the Queen City after Charlotte City Council identified the arts as one of its priorities. Then, the pandemic hit.
"That this is the location that was chosen to be the east coast site," Sircar said. "And it also tells you about the strength of our arts and culture organization, such as the Mint Museum."
After years in the making, city leaders say it's an exciting time.
"With arts and culture linking to things like mental health and well-being, to general health, to education certainly, and to economic development, and workforce development, there are so many opportunities for art and culture to bolster the other priorities that the city is working on for the people of Charlotte," said Sircar.
Sircar added that having a comprehensive arts scene is an important opportunity to link to social and civic issues. The $250,000 funding, Sircar said, came from Charlotte's tourism fund.
"We know that arts and culture is an important factor in drawing people, drawing visitors, drawing people to come and stay. I think when a lot of people move to a city, they base it on their experiences, where they have visited."
PHOTOS: Picasso Landscapes exhibit at the Mint Museum
If Picasso Landscapes follows the footsteps of the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit in 2021, the local economy should see a positive effect.
According to the team for Blumenthal Performing Arts, by the time Van Gogh wrapped up its six months in Charlotte's Camp North End, 300,000 tickets were sold, nearly half of that coming from outside the Charlotte-Metro area.
Organizers say that resulted in a local economic impact of more than 40 million dollars, including money spent at hotels, restaurants and parking.
"Having an exciting arts and cultural sector, and the offerings that are here, are really important to attracting people to move here, to visit here and to want to contribute to this community," said Sircar.
Jane Monreal: Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.