The push for an arts center in south Charlotte
Idea would place rehearsal, exhibition and teaching spaces under one roof
The following article appeared in the September 19, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
With Charlotte’s theaters and arts space scarce and pricey, a new nonprofit is aiming to build an arts hub in south Charlotte that’s ‘buzzing all day long’
Finding theater space for performances is a big challenge for dance and theater schools like Lumi School of Musical Theatre, which performed “Matilda Junior” (shown here) in August at The River Place, an event production venue in Fort Mill, S.C. Inset: Julia Zilke (left) and Mitchell Dudas are leading the charge to build the Charlotte Center for the Arts, which would be a new arts venue in south Charlotte. (Stage photo courtesy of Lumi School of Musical Theatre)
by Cristina Bolling
A group of Charlotte arts advocates is working to launch a new cultural hub in south Charlotte — a 100,000-square-foot Charlotte Center for the Arts designed to give arts groups and emerging performers a place to create and showcase their talents.
The nonprofit effort, now in its early stages, aims to create an “accessible and affordable” space with rehearsal rooms, classrooms, exhibition areas and multiple theaters. Organizers say the facility could serve as a destination for everything from children’s music lessons and summer theater to dance recitals, visual art shows and community events.