5 Things You Didn’t Know About the VAPA Center
Get to know this visual and performing arts center in Charlotte.
by Loán Lake
Pride Magazine
This article is in partnership with Pride Magazine.
Nestled on the edge of Uptown Charlotte is the VAPA Center, a locally run arts space for the visual and performing arts. Since 2021, the VAPA Center has emerged as an artist collective in the heart of Charlotte that is home to more than 20 arts organizations. Learn more about the VAPA Center and its contributions to Charlotte’s arts scene.
VAPA Center Supports Hundreds of Local Creatives
Home to more than 370 creatives of various crafts and backgrounds, the VAPA Center is a hub for musicians, dancers, culture bearers, painters and potters to showcase their creativity in an affordable and communal way. As you step foot onto the premises, you are greeted with vivid paintings, woodwork and photography depicting various aspects of life. A stroll through the hallways reveals the work of myriad artists at every turn.
“We envisioned a creative space where local artists could showcase and sell their work without the worry of exorbitant rents. Now, each artist is coming in and bringing their network with them to be a part of the VAPA community,” said VAPA executive director Arthur Rogers Jr., whose vibrant paintings are also featured in the space. “We probably have every demographic in the building – Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, veteran, woman owned…”
VAPA Center was Founded by Local Artists and Performers
VAPA Center was founded by 11 local artists and performers who now make up the organization’s Board of Directors. What started as an idea during the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a multi-story nexus where artists can create masterpieces and share them with the community.
Some of these founding members include Rogers Jr. and his wife Joanne, owner of Nine Eighteen Nine Studio Gallery; Will Jenkins of BLKMRKTCLT; Alli Celebron-Brown, former president and CEO of McColl Center; Natalie Frazier-Allen, founder and CEO of The Arts Empowerment Project; and Anne Lambert, founder of Charlotte’s Off Broadway.
“We have created the heart and soul of independent artistry in Charlotte,” Lambert said. “The VAPA Center is the coolest, vibe-iest facility, and we are a part of the economic infrastructure of this city.”
VAPA Center Took Over the Hal Marshall Building in Uptown
After Spirit Square closed in 2020, a select group of arts leaders and organizations seized the opportunity to utilize Mecklenburg County's Hal Marshall Building to house a new arts collective. This group met regularly for about a year and a half to solidify the concept, holding fast to the vision of a space where local artists could work collaboratively and support one another. Today, the 158,000 square-foot facility has something for everyone, from multimedia to murals with empowering messages to art galleries, theaters, rehearsal space and art studios for individual artists.
VAPA Center is Growing…Fast
“We have seen an increase in visitorship of over 2,300% since January 2024, and it is proving that there’s so much of a need for this type of venue so that artists can connect to the community," Rogers said. Mecklenburg County recently awarded a $1.7 million grant for improvements on the building. Rogers has ambitious plans to secure more long-term space that could be built to suit the way their artists work and accommodate crafts such as pottery and metallurgy.
VAPA Center Hosts Weekly Events
The VAPA Center is open seven days a week. Check the center’s calendar for events and workshops, such as an acting workshop on Mondays, live music rehearsal on Wednesdays, comedy classes and improv shows on Thursdays, and more. VAPA Center also hosts open studios on the first Saturday of each month, giving visitors an opportunity to view the artists in their workspaces.
