ARTIST STATEMENT & BIO

Sharon Dowell is a painter with a focus on works on canvas, murals and public art. Intertwining themes course through her paintings; the energy of place, renewal, regeneration, and redemption. She believes that creative place making communicates distinctiveness and generates connections across communities. Thus, it is important for her murals and public art to also serve as a vehicle to give back and shape communities for the better.

She received an MAAA from Winthrop University and a BFA from UNCC. Sharon has curated for Gallery c3 at Alchemy and has served as an Adjunct Professor and Rowe Galleries Coordinator at UNC Charlotte and as Director for Center of the Earth Gallery. A 2014 TedX Charlotte speaker, she regularly lectures and teaches art workshops.

Her commissions include large scale mural and transit projects for Chicago, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, and Boulder, CO, and Rock Hill, SC. Her residencies include The McColl Center for Visual Art, Penland School of Craft, Vermont Studio Center, Can Serrat-Barcelona, Casa Lu-Mexico City, Tyrone Guthrie Center-Ireland, NES-Iceland, United Buddy Bear-Berlin, and the Julia and David White Colony-Costa Rica. Sharon has received multiple ASC grants and her work is in corporate collections nationwide.

RESUME

PUBLIC ART & MURAL COMMISSIONS

  • Downtown Greenway Summit Ave overpass Mural, Greensboro, NC, Fall 2021
  • Park Towne Stairs Mural, Park Towne Shopping Center, Charlotte, NC, Summer 2021
  • Lower Tuck Murals, Art Pop Street Gallery Inspiration Project for Third and Urban, Charlotte, NC, 2021
  • Hustle and Bustle Column Murals, Longfellow/Durham ID Campus, Durham, NC, 2021
  • 800 Degrees Phillips Place Mural, Charlotte, NC, 2021
  • Record Weekend Mural, Carolina Beach Mural Project, Carolina Beach, 2021
  • Lover’s Lighthouse, Collaboration with Christopher Holston, Rail Trail commission, Charlotte, NC, 2021
  • UNCC Marriott Mural, Charlotte, NC, 2021
  • NoBo Arts District Public Art Commission, City of Boulder, CO, 2021
  • Poole Rd. Streetscape Public Art Commission, City of Raleigh, NC, 2021
  • Blossoming Mural, Lakeview L Train Metro Line, Chicago, IL, 2020
  • Ernst & Young Rail Trail Murals, Charlotte Railyard, 2020
  • She Built This City Mobile Tool Lab Airstream Trailer Mural, Charlotte, NC, 2020
  • Flower Burst Mural, Collett & Associates commission, Charlotte, NC 2020
  • Electric Lady Land Festival, collaboration with Christopher Holston, Charlotte, NC 2020
  • Orphine Mural, CanJam, collaboration with Christopher Holston, Charlotte, NC 2020
  • Spread Sunshine III & III Murals, Ruby Sunshine, Gatlinburg & Chattanooga, TN, 2020
  • Spread Sunshine Mural, Ruby Sunshine, Charlotte, NC, 2020
  • Intertwined Mural & Front Porch Mural, Hub Southend, RAM Realty, Charlotte, NC, 2020
  • Eastside Pride Mural & Queen City Mural, Eastway Crossing, Charlotte, NC, 2019-2020
  • City of the Future Mural & workshop, Focus Garinger High School, 2020
  • Ending Is A New Beginning Mural, Talking Walls Mural Festival, Charlotte, NC, 2019
  • The Refinery Mural, Charlotte, NC, 2019
  • Girls Rock Charlotte Mural, community mural, ASC Grant, Charlotte, NC 2019
  • Facets Mural, Camp North End, Charlotte, NC, 2019
  • Plaza Shamrock Bridge public art sculpture, ASC Grant, Charlotte, NC 2019
  • Sheetz Road Trip digital mural artwork for gas tankers and trucks, East coast, 2019
  • Mexican Mermaid Mural, Design Center of the Carolinas, Charlotte, NC, 2018
  • Tuckaseegee Community Mural, Tuckaseegee Rec Center, ASC, Charlotte, NC, 2018
  • South End Design Center Mural, Asana Partners, Charlotte, NC, 2018
  • Creative Activator Mural, ASC, Charlotte, NC 2018
  • Arts Council of York County Mural, City of Rock Hill, SC, 2017
  • Triangle Transit Bull City Connector bus shelters, Durham, NC, 2017
  • CMPD & Teens Peace Mural, The Arts Empowerment Project, Charlotte, NC, 2017
  • Halcyon Idyl I and II, CATS Transit 11th St. & I-277 light rail murals, Charlotte, NC, 2016
  • City of Rock Hill Freedom Walkway Mural, Rock Hill, SC, 2016
  • A City On Its Side & Truss/Trust Murals, UNC Charlotte Center City Building, 2016
  • United Buddy Bear sculpture (with Berlin residency), Main Library, Charlotte, NC, 2014
  • Piano Project painting commission, ASC + Charlotte Center City Partners, 2014
  • ArtPop! Billboard, ASC + Adams Outdooor, 2014
  • News Rack Art Initiative, ASC + Charlotte Center City Partners, 2014
  • Mural, digital media on vinyl, Cornelius Arts Center, Cornelius, NC 2014
  • History of Concord Walkway Mural, digital media on metal, City of Concord, NC, 2013
  • CATS Transit, 25th St Station art design, Blue Line light rail, Charlotte, NC, 2011
  • CATS Transit TPSS, signal houses, & cc’s design, Blue Line light rail, Charlotte, NC, 2009
  • Unfolding Mural, Arts & Science Council commission, Central Ave, Charlotte, 2008

COLLECTIONS

Google Fiber, Pricewaterhousecoopers, Amundi Pioneer Partners, BLT Steakhouse (Ritz Carlton), Carlisle & Gallagher Consulting, Duke Energy, Federal Reserve Bank, Fidelity Investments-Raleigh, Marriott-Chicago O’Hare, Marriott-UNC Charlotte, Renaissance Hotel-DC, SPX, UNC Charlotte, Parker & Poe, Carmel Country Club, Center City Partners, Saffron Fields Winery, 2Form Architecture, Stillwater Plastic Surgery, Charlotte Skin & Laser, Charlotte Metro Credit Union, Zero Celsius Wealth Studio, Brooks Pierce, AC Hotel-Charlotte, Wray Ward

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

  • Sharon Dowell: Re, Gallery Seventeen, Greenville, SC, 2014
  • Sharon Dowell: Against The Tide, Water Works, Salisbury, NC, 2013
  • Pendulum, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Student Union Gallery, 2010
  • Sharon Dowell: Substrata, Duke University, Louise Brown Gallery, 2010
  • Swing, Cone Center Gallery, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2002

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

  • Front Line, The Brooklyn Collective, Charlotte, NC 2020
  • Intersection, Alchemy Gallery, Charlotte, NC, 2019
  • Rod MacKillop UNCC Alumni Exhibition, UNCC Rowe Gallery, Charlotte, NC, 2018
  • Winter Show Invitational, Green Hill Center, Greensboro, NC, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2018
  • Architectonic: S. Dowell, C. Neyen & M. Steele, Gallery C3, Charlotte, NC, 2017
  • 80 x 80, Mint Museum of Craft & Design, 2016
  • Art Faculty Biennial Exhibition ’14, UNC- Charlotte, Rowe Galleries, 2014
  • Forged Landscapes, Sharon Dowell + Ahmad Sabha, Ross Gallery, CPCC, 2013
  • CATS Blue Line Extension Exhibitions, Storrs Gallery & McColl Ctr for Visual Art, 2013
  • The Green Shadow, McColl Center for Visual Art, Charlotte, NC, 2012
  • Tram Bui, Sharon Dowell, & Francisco Mora, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA, 2010
  • Kantry Days, NES, Skagastrond, Iceland, 2010
  • Crash: Sharon Dowell, Sean Richards, & Derek Toomes, Flanders Art, Raleigh, NC, 2010
  • Converging Trajectories, Modified Arts, Curator: Ted Decker, Phoenix, AZ, 2010
  • KiptonART silent auction, Friends of the Arts Benefit, Christies New York, 2009
  • Elements: Sharon Dowell & Susan Poindexter, Thomas Deans Gallery, Atlanta, 2008
  • Seen & Unseen: Sharon Dowell & Patrick Glover, Center of the Earth Gallery, NC, 2008
  • New & Hot North Carolina, Lee Hansley Gallery, Raleigh, NC, 2006
  • Generations 04, A.I.R. Gallery, Chelsea, New York, NY, 2004
  • Prevailing Human Spirit, Society of Illustrators Museum, New York, NY, 2001
  • Recycled Art juried exhibition, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL, 2000

CURATING

  • On Life, group exhibition, Gallery c3, Alchemy, Charlotte, NC, 2021
  • M + B, group exhibition, Gallery c3, Alchemy, Charlotte, NC, 2021
  • Modifyed, group exhibition, Gallery c3, Alchemy, Charlotte, NC, 2020
  • Prism, group exhibition, Gallery c3, Alchemy, Charlotte, NC, 2020
  • UNCC Alumni Art Exhibition, C3Lab, 2018-2019
  • Systems Go, group exhibition, Iredell Museums, Statesville, NC, 2007
  • Various exhibitions, Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, NC, 2004-2010

LECTURES & PANELS

  • Leadership Charlotte Arts Day, panel discussion, 2021
  • Lunch & Learn Speaker, UNCC Career Center, Charlotte, NC, 2020
  • Charlotte Chamber Young Professionals Art in the QC Panelist, 2018
  • PAD Planning-Architecture-Design Panelist, Crossville Studios, Charlotte, NC 2018
  • Triple Threat: Creativity & Business Panel, Advent Coworking, Charlotte, NC
  • Entrepreneurship Panel, Advent Coworking, Charlotte, NC, 2017
  • TEDxCharlotte, Sharon Dowell: Anxiety as Fuel for Artistic Creativity, 2014
  • Sharon Dowell on Public Art: An Artist’s Perspective, Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC, 2014
  • Leadership Charlotte Panelist Speaker, Foundation of the Carolinas panel, 2013
  • Guest Art Lecturer, Bechtler Museum Summer Art Camp, 2012

GRANTS/HONORS

  • Cultural Vision Grant, Arts and Science Council, Charlotte, NC, 2019
  • Arts and Science Council Regional Individual Artist Project Grant, 2018
  • Creative Activator Mural Grant, Arts and Science Council, Charlotte, NC, 2018
  • Sheetz Art Contest Winner for gas tanker & truck murals, 2018
  • Finalist, Marie Reed Public Art Project, Washington DC, 2017
  • Finalist, Piedmont Triad International Airport Public Art, Greensboro, NC, 2016
  • Project Art Aid/Knight Foundation Matching Grant, 2014
  • Arts and Science Council Regional Individual Artist Project Grant, 2011
  • Seventh Street Windows, McColl Center for Visual Art Grant, 2011
  • Arts and Science Council Regional Individual Artist Project Grant, 2009

ARTIST RESIDENCIES

  • Penland School of Craft, Spruce Pine, NC, January 2020
  • Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT, June 2019
  • Casa Lu, Mexico City, December 2018
  • Can Serrat, Barcelona, Spain, May 2017
  • United Buddy Bear Artist, Berlin, Germany, February 2014
  • Julia and David White Artist’s Colony, Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica, June 2013
  • Tyrone Guthrie Center, Annaghmakerrig, Ireland, April 2012
  • McColl Center for Visual Art, Summer Affiliate, Charlotte, NC, April-September 2011
  • NES Artist Residency, Skagastrond, Iceland, July 2010

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The Arts Empowerment Program Instructor and Volunteer, 2016-2018

Regional Individual Art Grants Panelist, ArtsGreensboro, 2015

Condom Couture Fashion Show Fundraiser Planning Committee, Planned Parenthood, 2015-18

Community Supported Art Grants Panelist, Arts and Science Council, 2014

Exhibition Program Committee Member, McColl Center for Visual Art, 2013-2016

Cultural Project Grant Panelist, Arts and Science Council, 2009

DNC Project Public Art Committee Member, 2012

Mayor’s Legacy Village Artist, Democratic National Convention, Charlotte, NC 2012

YMCA Junior High Kids Exquisite Corpse Art Project, McColl Center for Visual Art, 2011

Big Sister, Big Brother Big Sister Program, 2004 – 2008

PRESS & PUBLICATIONS

Sharon Dowell Profile Video Interview, Charlotte Star Room, July 2020

The Biscuit CLT, “Sharon Dowell Shows Her Eastside Pride,” Nov 2019

WFAE.org, “Weekend In Entertainment: Where The Wild Women Art,” Feb 2019

Inside UNC Charlotte, “The Muralist,” October 2018

Charlotte Observer, “What’s up this week in Charlotte’s visual arts?,” July 2018

Charlotte Observer, “On the Charlotte mural tour: Sharon Dowell,” August 2017

Charlotte Magazine, “Movers & Makers: The Future of C3Lab?,” June 2017

Charlotte Lit, 4×4 CLT, A. Van Jordan poetry and Sharon Dowell art poster series, April 2017

Charlotte Five, Where to find 3 LGBTQ murals in Charlotte and what they represent, Sept 2016

Charlotte Observer, “Art Comes to the Blue Line,” Jan 2016

QC Exclusive Magazine, “The Exclusives: Abstract,” Jan/Feb 2016

Charlotte Observer, “Charlotte City Council Oks artists for light rail,” Jan 2015

Charlotte Viewpoint Magazine, “Capturing The Energy Of Place In Paint,” Feb 2014

QC Exclusive Magazine, “The Exclusives: Meet The Artists,” Jan/Feb 2014

Made In The Carolinas: Sharon Dowell, Time Warner Cable News video feature, 2014

Creative Loafing, Cover with John Love, Jr., Thanksgiving 2013 issue

WFAE Interview-Julie Rose: “New Take On Collecting Gives Donors A ‘Taste’ of Local Art,” 2013

Charlotte Business Journal, Cover, Dec 2012

WCNC News, Sonja Gantt interview of Sharon Dowell and John Hairston, Jr., Sept 2012

Charlotte Observer: “Sharon Dowell: Painter and Public Artist,” Nov 2011

Charlotte Magazine: “Who’s Next?” Cover and feature article, Sept 2011

McColl Center for Visual Art Youtube: “Sharon Dowell: 2011 Open Door Interview”, 2011

Studio Visit Magazine-Volume 10, featured artist

Art Business News Preview, Cover, March 2005

RELATED EXPERIENCE * full experience upon request

Painter and Public Art Commissioned Artist, 2002 – present

  Sharon Dowell Art, Charlotte, NC

  • Design, create, and install projects, ranging from paintings, murals, sculpture, mosaics, glass windscreens, metal, digital media & light installations

Gallery Curator, part-time, 2019 – 2021

  Alchemy Gallery, Charlotte, NC

  • Curate and promote exhibitions focusing on regional, established and emerging artists

Arts Plus Instructor, part-time, 2016 – present

  Arts Plus, Charlotte, NC

  • Conduct community art workshops, collaborative murals, and pop-ups

Rowe Galleries Manager + Adjunct Professor, part-time, 2012 – 2015

  College of Art and Architecture, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Corporate Art Consultant + Social Media Coordinator, part-time, 2011-2012

  RedSky Gallery, Charlotte, NC

Gallery Director, 2004 – 2010

  Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, NC

EDUCATION

MA in Arts Administration degree, Winthrop University, 2017

BFA degree, Cum Laude, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2002