C A N N O P Y
Art is True North
Eric Ndelo - Macfly Fresh Print
CHARLOTTE — AiR TOUR — Issue 8
Art by Macfly Fresh Print
Eric Ndelo
SM | How do you think this program fits into the artist community in Charlotte?
EN ── I believe it was a perfect fit. Charlotte Artists need to be seen. Not only seen, but seen by people who appreciate art and have the $$ to spend on it. This program fulfilled all the above. A lot of times big events like Immersive Van Gogh get filled by talented national/international artists and just a few local artists get a piece of the pie. But that wasn’t the case. I saw a lot of work from a lot of people I knew and didn’t know, from the Charlotte artist community. We need more collaborative events like this that get international attention. It truly helps build our creative economy.
![[Original size] 8.5x11 DISPLAY POSTER.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ac11e0_8353d22365244bd3a49a69b871348dbf~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_189,h_125,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5BOriginal%20size%5D%208_5x11%20DISPLAY%20POSTER.png)
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sM | What is your takeaway from the experience of working in-studio at IVG Charlotte?
EN ── My take away would be that it is so refreshing to see Charlotte artists create side-by-side with each other. To collaborate with each other. To lean on and celebrate each other. We were able to interact with the gumbo of individuals that came to see the show from all over the world. In our residency, we collaborated with 3 other artists that don’t traditionally use screen printed apparel or posters as their main medium of expression. So in the process of teaching them the art of screen printing and translating their digital art files into production screens; they were teaching me to be a better artist myself. We all have our own processes of accomplishing our work. It’s great to have gained new friends for life that I will continue to learn from and be inspired by.
sM | What inspiration do you get from artists around you?
EN ── Each and every artist that we have worked with—either at the residency or in the greater Charlotte arts community—each and every one has their own style that speaks to the people. So I’m truly inspired by their confidence, boldness, and ability to attract newer and newer audiences to their work. Like with Naji for example. We created a variety of test prints, some came out perfect and some not so perfect. We even had a printer issue that was spitting out transparencies that were less than perfect themselves. But Naji was able to take those beautiful mistakes and turn them into a collage piece that happened to be one of the dopest mixed media pieces in his residency.