A few years ago, award-winning artist Monique Luck’s “Evocation” series was inspired by conversations with Charlotte community members about loss, and not just the loss of a loved one but also the loss of a home, country, job, freedom, youth, mobility, and communication among others.
Luck said it became her “community project about loss and the beauty we find when coming together.” She created a collage piece titled “It Was the Wind, It Was the Smile You Smiled Back Then” with hundreds of community participants. The piece was donated to International House in 2019, where it has inspired every client, volunteer, and staff member who has walked the halls to reflect on loss, particularly shared loss, and the hope community can bring us.
This summer, the artwork is taking a detour in the middle of International House's move to a new office!
“It Was the Wind, It Was the Smile You Smiled Back Then” is experiencing a temporary change of scenery as the Levine Museum of the New South displays it in the “Climates of Inequality: Stories of Environmental Justice” exhibition.
This traveling exhibition sheds light on the many ways low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have been disproportionately affected by environmental justice issues through multimedia stories from across North and South America.
“It Was the Wind, It Was the Smile You Smiled Back Then” fits in nicely with what the museum refers to as a public memory project since memory is a common theme in Monique’s artwork and goes hand in hand with loss and change.
Her piece is featured as part of “Climate Refugees in the City of Creeks,” a chapter of the exhibit that reflects on the environmental and climate conditions that led to displacement, resettlement, and forced migration of both local residents and the immigrant community in Charlotte. Like Monique's art, this exhibition ventures into the depths of shared loss and the community it creates.
Levine Museum is hosting the exhibit May 6–September 8, 2023.
Add this free-admission activity to your summer bucket list and check out creative pieces from local artists inspired by our city and community.
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