Project Studio
The project studio program annually gives ten Charlotte-area artists one month of free, 24/7 access to a studio. It also connects them to the community of artists working at Goodyear Arts (GYA), whether resident artists, members of the GYA artist collective, or audiences who attend gallery openings and performance-based events. Project studio users are encouraged to have their studios open during open hours so they can introduce themselves and their work and sell their art. The studio is a valuable resource in a city where most independent artists, young and old, cannot afford to rent a permanent studio. We are extremely grateful for the support of Rogers Builders and Little Diversified Architectural Consulting which made the 2024 and 2025 Project Studio program possible.
The 2025 Project Studio users are: Tess Martens, Sasha Banks, Maddie Foss, Anne Reitterer, Blaire Fullagar, Eliza Rae, Devann Donovan, Annie Heisel, Kit Crosby (Winthrop University), Susan Jedrzejewski, Zoe Gumangan (Winthrop University), Cassi Bleitz (Winthrop), Danny R. Peralta, Jason Cline, Emmy Neal (Winthrop University), and Mars Simpson (Winthrop University). The 2025 Charlotte Lit GoodLit Poetry Fellow, Olivia Dorsey Peacock, will also utilize a Project Studio.
Below are images and testimonials featuring members of the 2024 cohort:
“My favorite part of the GYA space is the people who’ve come together to create and sustain it. This generative, allied space energizes me and allows me complete devotion to my craft. It’s a privilege to have access to this place and I’m proud to be writing poems in it.” – Britt Olsen
“Being offered the space at Goodyear Arts has incited a rediscovery of self. I am in a space that pulses with acceptance. This place of radical acceptance is vital and necessary for any artist that wishes to submit to the larger forces of creation that exist within all of us. Also, I love the reverb and echo when I shout kooky things from my studio.” – Jeremy Shane
“During my time at Goodyear Arts, I am challenging myself to create bigger than my typical 6” embroidery hoop. So far, I am finishing up a 24” x 34”self-portrait and I have stretched out a piece of 5’ x 10’ fabric on the wall in the studio and have begun creating a piece that is inspired by the plants at Camp North End along with imagery from my childhood. It is so liberating to let loose and try new things so I can learn and grow in my artistic path. I am really thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to see what I’ve created at the end of the program.” – Sarah Alexander
“The project studio space has provided me with two monumental things: unadulterated time to explore my process and evidence that collaboration is valued over competition in the creative spaces I want to be in. I’ve found an extremely receptive community that has helped me push past self critical expectations of what my work should be.” – Mia Nguyen
“The project studio has allowed me to further my experimentation within my artistic practice. I have been able to further my experimentation with printmaking and textiles, which has enhanced my projects that I plan to showcase in different spaces in the future. Furthermore, Goodyear Arts has given me the opportunity to cultivate relationships with other creatives in my community.” – Tiara Tiana
