Announcing ArtPop’s 2026 Artist Cohort!
ArtPop is thrilled to welcome 24 talented local artists juried into our 2026 Artist Cohort! Throughout this year, artworks by 19 adults and - for the first time - 5 high school senior student artists will be showcased on billboards throughout the Charlotte region and beyond. This billboard advertising campaign is made possible through in-kind donations by ArtPop’s media partners, and is valued at over $8.5 million. Be on the lookout - billboard installations will begin soon and continue throughout the year!
Additional Artist Benefits Include:
$2,500 Student Scholarships - awarded to each of the 5 high school seniors.
$250 Artist Uplift Grants - awarded to each of the 19 adult artists.
Art Market Features and opportunities through other ArtPop community events.
Small Business Education Courses - details coming soon.
Mentorship - connections with ArtPop alumni artists.
Guild of Charlotte Artists Membership offered free for 1 year.
Community Capstone Project - empowering artists to give back to our community through outreach / beautification - details coming soon.
Meet The 2026 Artist Cohort
Oluwanbe Amodu
One in a Million | Acrylic on Upholstery
Mecklenburg County, NC
Oluwanbe Amodu, born in Lagos, Nigeria, began his artistic journey early and refined his skills at Yaba College of Technology. In 2007, he joined Ara Studio, mastering the Araism technique and debuting within the Movement. His acrylic mixed‑media practice using paper, upholstery fabrics, electronics parts, leather, and found objects creates culturally resonant, narrative-rich works. Featured in the 2010 101 Contemporary Nigerian Artists publication, Amodu has exhibited internationally. In 2025, he won Best in Show and People’s Choice at the Guild of Charlotte Artists Exhibition. A resident artist at Nine Eighteen Nine Gallery, he also mentors and supports humanitarian initiatives.
Danielle Arias
Barbed Knit No. 6 Detail | Acrylic paint
Mecklenburg County, NC
Danielle Arias is an emerging artist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2023, she completed her BFA with a concentration in Digital Media at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her practice centers on material experimentation and process. Through familiar materials, her work blurs the line between painting and textile while investigating boundaries and strength within feminine craft traditions.
Brett Blumenthal
Time to Breathe | Watercolor
Mecklenburg County, NC
Brett Blumenthal is a watercolor artist whose work is rooted in the fragility of our planet and the many species that share this place we call home. A realistic painter, she pairs close observation and refined detail with expressive color and textured backgrounds to create narrative-driven wildlife portraits. Story is central to her creative process, helping each piece invite emotion, curiosity, and connection. Through her work, Brett seeks to raise awareness for vulnerable and threatened species—believing that if even one person pauses, looks closer, and feels moved to care, the artwork has made an impact.
Kenna Covington
Kitchen Window | Stained Glass
Mecklenburg County, NC
Kenna Covington is an East Charlotte native whose Tiffany method stained glass art invites you to pause and explore a world of whimsy around you. Her work can be seen in the MakerSpace Gallery where she teaches stained glass classes. Kenna is the summer art teacher at Providence Day’s Creative Kids Camp and sells her work at markets like the North Carolina Folk Festival, Charlotte Pride, and the holiday market in Saxapahaw. She is a member of the Charlotte Artist Guild and recently demonstrated her craft at the Charlotte Craft Guild’s Craft Fest.
Christopher DeLange
Borealis Glitch | Hand Embroidery
Mecklenburg County, NC
Christopher is a contemporary artist whose current work centers on intricately detailed, embroidered compositions. Often characterized by surrealistic abstraction or geometric precision, his work often blurs the line between what is commonly perceived as traditional craft and fine art. Since 2018 he has honed his distinctive style and practice by translating his unique original drawings, paintings and digital output into the hand embroidered medium.
Devann Donovan
A Disregard
Quilt, yarn and sublimation print of original oil painting
York County, SC
Devann Donovan is an interdisciplinary artist and educator from Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Her work explores memory, nostalgia, and the malleability of personal history through textiles, painting, sculpture, and expanded media. Drawing from kitsch childhood imagery and pop culture, she transforms fleeting moments into tactile, labor-intensive works that feel both intimate and uncanny. Bright, playful aesthetics contrast with deeper questions of sentimentality, authorship, and recollection. Donovan earned her MFA from Winthrop University and teaches at York Technical College while actively exhibiting and supporting arts communities throughout the Carolinas.
Chris Georgalas
Call Waiting | Pencil on paper
Mecklenburg County, NC
Chris Georgalas was born in Bogota, Colombia, before being adopted by an American family. From an early age, his parents encouraged and fostered his creativity. He graduated from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, with a bachelor of fine arts degree. After college, he lived in New York City for over 25 years. The city's culture and energy lives in his work.
Chris says, "Creating, whether sculpting or painting, has always calmed me. In my work, I sample ideas, colors, words and visuals of anything and everything around me. I can relate to the musician who uses turntables to blend or sample words, sounds and noises. I have always enjoyed creating artwork and look forward to developing my technique and style."
Will Gold
Carolina Wren ( A Pause of Reflection) | Acrylic/Wool felt
York County, SC
Will Gold is a multimedia artist working in a variety of mediums including acrylics, oils, inks, and fiber arts. He often incorporates fiber work into his paintings to contrast different elements and to tell a deeper story through texture. Art for him is used as a way to navigate his own mental health and to process his struggles and fears through the art making journey itself or from a revelation of the final piece. Will’s art invites the viewer into a world of whimsical juxtaposition where color and subject tend to be out of the ordinary.
Junior Gomez
Power Divinity | Acrylic on Wood
Mecklenburg County, NC
Junior Gomez is a Charlotte-based multidisciplinary artist known for blending graffiti roots with refined craftsmanship. Originally from New York City, his work explores themes of awareness, perspective, and gratitude through murals, wood sculptures, and ongoing creative exploration. By combining bold color, layered materials, and light, Gomez creates pieces that invite reflection and human connection. His practice bridges street influence with contemporary design, resulting in work that feels both expressive and intentional. Through public art and studio work alike, he aims to inspire dialogue, elevate environments, and encourage viewers to see themselves and their surroundings differently.
Mel Hamilton
Signs, Signs, Everywhere Are Signs | Oil on canvas
Mecklenburg County, NC
Mel Hamilton’s artistic practice blends painting, 3D assemblage, and text-based work — gently (or not so gently) deflating nostalgia and bourgeois pretension. After a successful 20+ year career in higher education, she transitioned into the visual arts and earned her MFA in Painting from SCAD. Hamilton also serves as a professor of painting and drawing at CPCC. This past year, her work has been featured in juried and group exhibitions including ArtFields in Lake City, SC; as well as Sovereign and The Audacity, both at the McColl Center, where she is a studio/coop artist.
Amellia Hausmann
Front Porch Steps | Oil on Canvas
Mecklenburg County, NC
Amellia Hausmann is a figurative artist who explores an interest in the everyday and the overlooked in her work. She brings intrigue to normal, repetitive, even seemingly mundane moments by capturing the small gestures, the gaps, and the glances in dynamic compositions with loose brushwork. The identity and settings of the figures in her work are often left ambiguous, leaving room for mystery and reflection as they fade in and out of understanding like a memory.
Alexis Howard
Walnut Trio | Walnut Salt Jar, Spoon, and Bowl
York County, SC
Alexis Howard is a fine artist based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where she actively participates in her local arts community and maintains a dedicated studio space. Alexis’ work is rooted in observing and highlighting everyday moments and objects that often go overlooked, bringing attention to them through photography, wood, and found objects. After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Winthrop University in 2016, Alexis has exhibited her work across the Southeast, curated numerous exhibitions, and collaborated with a diverse range of artists to document their artwork and gallery exhibitions.
Angela Lubinecky
The Gossiping Zebras | Acrylic
Union County, NC
Born to a German and Spanish family, I spent my childhood immersed in a spirit of adventure when my parents relocated us to East Africa. I was raised within a vibrant, multicultural expatriate community across Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya. Experiences that would profoundly shape my perspective and influence my art. After graduating from the German School in Nairobi, my path led me across continents - from France to England and eventually to Los Angeles. I earned a BA degree in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA. My journey since has been anything but linear, ultimately bringing my family and me to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Kelly Lucarelli
Morning Glory | Acrylic
York County, SC
Kelly Lucarelli is a painter and teaching artist based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, near Charlotte. Inspired by nature’s ability to calm and transform, she creates expressive paintings through luminous color, atmospheric light, and intuitive mark-making. Drawing from her own photographs and lived experiences, her work explores moments of quiet transformation, inviting viewers to pause and reconnect. She is the owner of Luca Studio & Gallery, where she fosters creativity through workshops and classes. With a background in graphic design and art education, Kelly brings both technical skill and a deep understanding of creative practice to her work and teaching.
Tanya Murphy
Duality II
Mixed Media (Photo Ink Transfer, Leaf Metal Foil on Canvas)
Cabarrus County, NC
Charlotte resident, Multidisciplinary Artist, Tanya Murphy was born in Philadelphia, PA but with deep southern roots. Her photography often implements alternative processes as well as mixed media.
Tanya earned a BFA degree from Tyler School of Art, of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Her artworks are notably held at the Fogg Museum, Harvard, MA, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Phila., PA, the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum, Havre de Grace, MD.
She is an author, educator and affiliate of the National Conference of Artists, Detroit, MI, the Brandywine Workshop, Phila., PA, the Charlotte Studios Artists, Charlotte, NC.
Deon Oliver
In Full Bloom | Photography
Mecklenburg County, NC
Deon Oliver is a photographer from Cleveland, OH who now resides in charlotte, known for crafting bold, editorial imagery rooted in culture, style, and storytelling. His work has been featured in Forbes and Essence, with collaborations including BOSS. Outside of photography, he can be found chasing adrenaline on the tallest rollercoasters.
Dimeji Onafuwa
Academy of Beauty and Culture | Oil on Canvas
Cabarrus County, NC
Dimeji is a Nigerian-born artist based in the United States whose practice explores how people live together across geographies, identities, and histories. He creates evocative scenes of assimilation, dissonance, and spiritual presence, drawing from African and American contexts and inspired by artists such as Amy Sherald and Wole Lagunju. Influenced by Yoruba concepts including Ona, Ara, Ere, and Pipe, his work emphasizes embodiment, improvisation, and completeness. Using restrained yet intentional color, he reveals moments of memory, melancholia, and transformation, approaching figurative painting as layered storytelling rooted in what he calls the politics of community.
Hogan Schrader
A Touch Of Hope | Charcoal & Graphite
Mecklenburg County, NC
Hogan is a 22 year old Charlotte, NC native studying in his senior year at Virginia Tech. His work, primarily composed in graphite and charcoal, seeks to establish an inspired photorealism that captures a thorough and honest portrayal of his subjects. Hogan is a dedicated creative in all that he does, and commits fully to the emotional connection found in every drawing. As a self-taught artist who began drawing during the Covid-19 pandemic, he has dedicated himself to learning, experimenting, and producing work of the highest quality.
Sephine
Guided | Digital Painting
Mecklenburg County, NC
Sephine is a Charlotte native who enjoys freelance and nonprofit work. She graduated with an AA from Central Piedmont Community College, a BFA from Appalachian State University, and briefly studied at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, China with a focus in traditional painting. Although that was her primary focus in school, Sephine delves into multiple forms of art. This includes, and not limited to, digital painting, comics, sculpting, printmaking, videography, music and dance. To her, expression and the experiences that come with it, can happen through the various forms.
Eva Adhikari
Stepping into the Unknown | Digital
High School Senior Student Artist
Mecklenburg County, NC
Eva Adhikari is a high school senior who creates digital collage-style mixed-media work inspired by how young people see the world. She wants to share her perspective on life that is loud, colorful, and always changing. Usually carrying a Moleskine sketchbook and a handful of pens, she’s always trying new styles like linocut and watercolor. She also values collaboration and wants to create spaces where people can explore different media and realize they’re creative, even if they don’t think they are.
Finn Boggs
Sun-Steeped Memories | Cyanotype print on tea bags
High School Senior Student Artist
Mecklenburg County, NC
Finn Boggs is a high school artist based in Charlotte who works in painting, mixed media, and collage. Their practice focuses on observing and reimagining everyday life through still life, personal imagery, and small, often overlooked moments. They are interested in themes of memory, nostalgia, and emotional connection, using their work to explore how ordinary subjects can carry personal meaning.
Kaitlyn Kittle
Sunset over Alftavatn | Photography
High School Senior Student Artist
Mecklenburg County, NC
Kaitlyn Kittle is a 2D artist whose work explores emotion and perspectives through a focused lens. Drawn to overlooked details, she creates compositions that invite viewers to reflect on the quiet, often unnoticed aspects of the human experience. Her practice is driven by experimentation, as she continually explores new techniques and values collaboration as a way to expand her creative perspective. Kaitlyn is currently pursuing a degree in Painting and will attend the Savannah College of Art and Design this fall, where she will continue developing her artistic voice and advancing her professional practice.
Bryn Stickley
Therapy | Gouache and prismacolor pencil
High School Senior Student Artist
York County, SC
A fun and bright artist known for her colorful gouache painting and wearing copious amounts of jewelry. She dabbles in many forms of art, but mainly focuses on painting, jewelry making, and sewing. Currently in high school, she's working on a series of self portraits full of saturated colors and texture exploring her close relationships and connections throughout her life. She will continue working on her artist abilities in college as she pursues a career in art therapy.
Jayden Tremblay
Growing Wings | Mixed media sculpture
High School Senior Student Artist
Union County, NC
Jayden is an 18 year old high school senior and mixed-media artist who lives just outside of Charlotte. He specializes in sculptures using natural and recycled materials. He is endlessly inspired by transformations in nature and humans. He strives to create art that is both visually and emotionally stirring. Jayden enjoys not only creating art but also teaching art classes and has been doing so for the past four years. He plans to continue creating and learning about art in the future as he starts film school in the fall.
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