Meet Chalice Meikle | Artist & Art Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chalice Meikle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chalice, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When opening Unorthodox Studios back in 2017, I will admit, I wish I had more knowledge on ‘how to properly run a business’. All of the expenses came from my own account, I made sure to give proper payment, but I was not taking enough money in order to make profit. I didn’t even consider applying to be a non profit because I was told it was impossible to get accepted.

I truly want to create an affordable workspace for all artists to explore their creativity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I grew up drawing and painting, and visiting art museums and galleries was something we did almost monthly as a family. The ‘creative gene’ does exist within my family; we have a long line of painters, embroiders, metal smiths, wood craftsmen, and maybe an underground brewery. I recently learned that a distant relative is the Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at the MoMA in New York.

Working through life and daily routine, I have heard fellow artists mention that ‘creativity is something you either have and if you don’t practice, you lose it.’ I want to say that your creativity is something you can find just for you. It doesn’t have to be for the viewer.

In 2017 some friends and I started a working art studio called Unorthodox Studios. We offered solo exhibitions for local Charlotte artists, print-making workshops, and figure-drawing classes. The Unorthodox name Studios still exists, but the business side shut down officially in May 2020.

My creativity became stunted in 2019, and 2020 didn’t improve it. I got so caught up with Unorthodox Studios that I put my art-making to the side. I still study still-life and the figure here and there, but nothing from the heart. In 2021 I craved creating and went back to the basics of line, color, composition, and shapes. The series ‘Testing’ is just that; I was relearning how to create and enjoy the moment.

Creativity can be lost, but like any muscle, it can be rehabilitated.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If we strictly stay in Charlotte, NC, this is what we would do.

Make sure to visit in the spring or fall for either SHOUT, Talking Walls, BOOM, Hart Witzen: Free For all Exhibition, or the CIAF (Charlotte International Art Festival) art events. These events take months to plan, including many artists, and cover the city.

Go on a mural art walk with Lo’Vonia Parks, Elizabeth Palmisano, or Rebbeca Lipps. This tour covers the entire city to several of the my favorite muralists.

Depending on the day of arrival of sed guests, I host figure drawing at McColl Center on Tuesdays from 6 to 9 pm and Free Range Brewery on Sundays from 11 am to 1:30 pm. I am sure we can attend both.

First Friday for McColl Centers Front lawn Friday. McColl Center opens its studio doors to meet and greet with the artist, and it’s a family-friendly event.

Spend the first Saturday of the month at the VAPA Center. This art organization holds roughly 180 solo artists, with 11 nonprofit organizations. There’s an Off-Broadway theater, comedy theater, dance studios, photographers, painters, muralists, sequential artists, writers, cooks, and more! We would also have to step into the Nine Eighteen Nine Studio Gallery to see what Jaonne Rodgers is up to. There’s always art on the walls, activity at work, or another organization she is working on a large project with.

View whichever artist is on display at the Artisan’s pallet in NoDa, and make sure to come on a third Saturday for their drag brunch.

Have a glass of wine at Rosie’s Garden in NoDa, this was the historic art town back in the day. You can also catch a lovely rotating graffiti gallery on the trains that go by.

And then maybe a beer at Free Range, Divine Barrel, Weathered Souls, 26 Acres, Lenny Boy, or Heist brewery. These breweries host artist exhibitions and art markets and offer exclusive beer labels created by artists.

If there is time, I would probably drag the friend to Asheville for more adventures if we have time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My education in painting from Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA, is why I am an established artist. The lessons I still carry with me in the studio are from Prof. Jason Hoelscher, Prof. Vanessa Platacis, Prof. Stephen Knudsen, Prof. Natalija Mijatovic, Prof. Vivian Majkowski, Prof. Tekleab Kebabish, Prof. David Rousseau, and Prof. Todd Schroeder. I have learned from three other artists and treasure their advice: Lee Vasu of the Dacia Gallery, Marshall Jones from New York, NY, and Andy Braitman from Charlotte, NC.

Website: https://www.therealchalice.com/

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