"The Gantt Center has been around since 1974, presenting, preserving, and celebrating excellence in visual and literary arts, music, film, and more; but in this new building, designed by Philip Freelon, one of the designers of the Smithsonian National Museum for African American History and Culture, the museum is finally an appropriate anchor in the city's center. It has everything, from community programs to dance performances to theater, but most visitors are here to view the art, especially the nationally lauded John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art, which includes works by Charlotte native Romare Bearden, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Elizabeth Catlett, and Jonathan Green." - Stephanie Burt
