ART WITH AIR

Alexander Newman Hall is a first-generation American storyteller and creative innovator whose work bridges the digital and physical worlds to craft immersive, narrative-driven experiences. Shaped by his unique perspective as a first-generation American with roots in Jamaica, Alexander transforms overlooked elements of life into powerful symbols of possibility and transformation.

Central to his recent work is the cowbone, an artifact from his family’s land in Jamaica. Reimagined through technology, the cowbone serves as both a personal and artistic metaphor—an ordinary object elevated into a source of creative power. In the fictional universe Alexander is building, the cowbone powers time travel, enabling journeys through history and the future in the CAYA Lab, a space where imagination and innovation converge.

As a multidisciplinary artist, Alexander combines digital interactivity, storytelling, and immersive design to create windows into other worlds. His work invites audiences to embrace the unknown, explore new perspectives, and reimagine what’s possible when technology and narrative come together.

Nava Lubelski was born and raised in New York City and currently lives in Asheville, NC. Creating pieces that engage a variety of materials and techniques, her work focuses on hybridizing notions of masculine/feminine, art/craft, painting/sculpture. Her embroidery works contrast the accidental with the meticulous by hand-stitching over stains on fabric.

Her work has been exhibited widely at museums such as the Queens Museum of Art; the Museum of Arts & Design; the San Diego Museum of Art; the National Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Oslo; the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC and the Asheville Art Museum. She has shown solo with Tracey Morgan Gallery in Asheville, LMAKprojects in New York, OH&T Gallery in Boston, P|M Gallery in Toronto, and in 3-person shows at Luis de Jesus in Los Angeles and Margaret Thatcher Projects in NYC, as well as larger group shows throughout the US and abroad.

Her work has been reviewed in The New York Times, LA Times, Toronto Globe and Mail, Art Forum, ArtNews and The Village Voice, was the subject of a feature in American Craft, and has been included in many international contemporary art books, such as Radical Decadence, (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017) and De Fil en Aiguille (Paris: Pyramyd Editions, 2018). She has received grants from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Center for Craft and the North Carolina Arts Council. She received a degree in Russian Literature & History from Wesleyan University and spent a year as a student in Moscow, Russia.

Julianna Chioma is a Nigerian-American emerging artist working out of Asheville, NC. Through the interdisciplinary gestures of painting, ceramics, textiles, and installation, her work explores myth and narrative surrounding themes of sex, power, identity, cultural and social perceptions, trauma, suffering, and modes of healing. By casting mythological characters adapted from their favorite cartoons in the role of avatars of the psyche and forebearers of truth, the work unfolds to reveal an epic journey of loss, discovery, and growth. Inspired by the trick mirror play of psychological horror, surrealism, and Nigerian folklore, she builds up stratified renderings encased in stitches, paint, and mud in an effort to communicate the complex tapestry of black womanhood.

Mitch Capps has defined his work as Cappstract art. (He loves him some wordplay.) More specifically, he creates in the realm of abstract impressionism, by putting his instrument on the page and seeing where it goes. He finds inspiration for his art in music and the natural world. His love for trees and goofy, abstract characters result in a tendency to make little dudes with simple shapes and wiggles. With a motif in mind, the tangles of shapes, lines, and dots coalesce to tell a story consistent with the motif.

While busking where he lives in Asheville, he began creating as the “doodle dude,” and structured commissions as the ‘dollar-a-minute doodle dude'. This process lends itself to creating work on a myriad of different objects; from shoes, to hats, to backpacks, to flood wreckage. Anything that can hold ink or is smooth enough to be painted on with paint pens runs the risk of being reimagined into art by the doodle dude. Lately, he’s noticed that the objects themselves tend to have a story they want to tell, and Capps brings that story to life by manifesting it in doodles on the surface of whatever the object may be. If you look into the doodles, you’ll see a wide range of abstract fellas. It’s up to your imagination and your interpretation as to what the fellas, dudes, and goobers are up to. His commissions stay open, and he loves to welcome new projects.

As an artist, dreamer, and provocateur, Xcvi’s art is an invitation to dive deep into the maze of identity—unmasking and re-masking, reflecting and refracting. With a signature "96," their work blends bold colors, raw textures, and hidden symbols, inviting us to ponder the layers we wear to navigate the world. Through canvas, video, and whatever else sparks curiosity, Xcvi explores ego’s tightrope walk: the balance of who we are and who we show to others. In a world of constant self-curation, Xcvi’s pieces ask, “What’s real? What’s just for show?” Playful yet introspective, each work is a call to explore the edges of selfhood.

Makayla Binter is a creator, organizer, and catalyst based out of Charlotte, NC who received her undergraduate degree in Biology and Studio Art at Davidson College and her Master’s Degree in Urban Design at UNC at Charlotte. She has collaborated with organizations and brands like Converse, The Carolina Panthers, Champion, TD Bank, Ally and ACC, Adobe, Sierra Nevada and The Charlotte Hornets for digital art, paintings and live art activations. She currently works for Charlotte Is Creative as the Communications Catalyst where she hosts events, curates shows and creative experiences, facilitates workshops and manages the social media accounts.

DeNeer Davis is an educator, muralist, speaker, and sneaker artist born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. A graduate of UNC- Pembroke, Davis earned a BA in Exercise Sports Science and was an NCAA Division II Athlete. After dreams of playing professional basketball were sidelined by an ACL tear, Davis explored a new talent and discovered a passion for art. Davis believes art serves a valuable role as a vehicle for self-expression, to start conversations, and be a voice for the voiceless. Davis approaches life with an ever-present goal to inspire and be inspired by other artists, students, and the community.

Jake Summerour is an illustrator and muralist based in Charlotte, NC. His artwork is light-hearted and playful, exploring a world filled with stylized creatures, characters, and bright colors. The pieces themselves explore imagination and themes of perspective – often feature subtler details, inviting viewers to take a closer look and explore a bit longer. Jake’s artwork has been featured across the country as part of the 2024 ArtPop Cities program and his murals continue to pop up around the greater Charlotte area.

Raised in the era of Reaganomics and hip-hop culture, Hairston uses a mixture of street art, expressionist sensibilities, and vibrant colors to create an aesthetic all his own. He participates in dozens of group gallery shows across the country and has hosted almost a dozen solo art exhibitions. Hairston is a firm believer in art and activism, and can be found hosting workshops working for numerous nonprofits around the country.