An Andy Warhol art sale supports a greater purpose

MCCOLL CENTER

An Andy Warhol painting of Muhammad Ali based on a LeRoy Nieman drawing is among the works for sale by the Andy Warhol Foundation to benefit McColl Center's artists in residence program.

Andy Warhol’s legacy is supporting Charlotte artists.

The McColl Center is collaborating with the Andy Warhol Foundation to support artists in residency through proceeds from the sale of the 20th century visual artist’s works. The partnership is a part of the Philanthropy Factory initiative spearheaded by the Andy Warhol Foundation.

“We started the relationship with the Andy Warhol Foundation about a year ago when we received funding for our artist residency program,” said Armando Bellmas, interim president and CEO of the McColl Center. “If I recall correctly, we received funding from them years and years ago but haven’t had it in a long time. So, we re-established that relationship with them in 2023.”

As a part of the initiative, the McColl Center will offer five selected Warhol works to be sold to generate revenue for the nonprofit arts organization. The funds will support artists by providing them with resources and support at any stage of their career.

“Andy Warhol revolutionized the way the world thinks about artists and their artwork,” Bellmas said. “Every day, the working artists at McColl Center continue that legacy through their artist residencies and a thriving artmaking community. Philanthropy Factory is an innovative and spirited way to support our artist residency program and Charlotte-area artists.”

The sale of Warhol (1928-1987) works is estimated to be worth $1.5 million, and the McColl Center plans to use the proceeds for artist initiative.

“The artist residency program is our flagship program here at the McColl Center,” Bellmas said. “We’ve been doing this for about 25 years. And what it does is that money goes to funding artist residencies so that artists can come from all over the world to come have a residency at McColl Center. All our residencies are funded for the artist.”

The artists will get a stipend, housing and access to tools and support during their residency.

“We've got five condos, so an artist can live in one of those condos while they're in residence,” Bellmas said. “They have access to all the facilities in the building. We’ve got a printmaking lab, sculpture studio, we've got ceramics, we've got digital media and tons of stuff they have access to. So, that money helps us continue to bring artists through and keep the place going for another year.”

To be selected, McColl Center has open calls a year prior to residency. There are three residency periods per year: spring, summer and fall, with as many as four artists selected per term.

“When the application period closes, we have a panel of review doers who will go through all the applicants,” Bellmas said. “(The panel) assesses them all, and then comes up with a list of maybe anywhere from five to 10 that we can then review as a group and then make our final selection from that.”

Bellmas said he wants to see the partnership grow into the future.

“We're going into our second year of being a grantee,” Bellmas said. We'd like to see that continue. We'd like to receive more support from them. We'd like to be partners with them in the future. The Warhol Foundation and McColl Center are so aligned in what we do. We’re all about making sure artists have what they need to flourish and to get what they need to nourish their creativity. I couldn't think of a better partnership between the two of us.”

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