Did you know the City of Gastonia has a new Arts Committee?
The City of Gastonia Arts Committee is working to support artist growth and expression in our City. The committee is working to advance both visual and performing arts in our community for everyone to participate in and enjoy the arts and experience all they have to offer.
Our goals are to ...
- Increase public art throughout the City.
- Provide educational and cultural arts opportunities to citizens.
- Help our civic non-profit arts organizations through small grants.
- Attract more economic dollars and opportunities through arts events.
Explore public art throughout our beautiful city
CALL FOR ARTISTS: Rotary Pavilion Public Art Showcase
The City of Gastonia Art Committee is seeking 12 Gaston County artists to participate in the rotating public art display at the Rotary Pavilion in downtown Gastonia. Six artists will be featured during each rotation, with two rotations per year. Selected artists will receive a $200 payment for their participation. Artwork may be new or existing and can be created in any medium that can be digitally reproduced. Selected pieces will be digitally reproduced and enlarged for display in the Rotary Pavilion's permanent outdoor frames. For complete submission requirements, artwork guidelines, and selection information, please review the full Call for Artists/RFP
Who can apply: Artists of all experience levels who currently reside in Gaston County.
Application deadline: Friday, November 13, 2026 11:59 EST
Submit applications to: juliann.lehman@gastonianc.gov
Please Read Before Applying
Artists are encouraged to carefully review the full Call for Artists/RFP before submitting. To ensure that all proposals can be reviewed consistently, applications must follow the submission requirements outlined in the call.
Please make sure your submission:
- Includes all required artist contact information
- Includes a clear image of the proposed artwork
- Is submitted as one PDF document
- Is emailed to the designated email address before the deadline
- Meets the artwork and public-display guidelines outlined in the call
Incomplete applications or submissions that do not follow the required format may not be eligible for consideration. Please allow enough time to combine your materials into one PDF and confirm that your submission has been successfully sent before the deadline.
Arts Committee Grant Program — FY 26/27 Grant Applications are closed, next round will open up late spring
Grants range from $1,000 to $10,000 and support arts programming and projects that benefit Gastonia residents.
Who can apply Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status that maintain a permanent office, practice/performance space, or physical address within Gastonia city limits. Organizations that already receive City of Gastonia funding are not eligible. Eligible arts include dance, drama, music, painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, crafts, photography, film, video, architecture, design, and literature.
How to apply Download the Grant Application and Program Guidelines or request them by email. Complete applications — including a proposed budget, proof of 501(c)(3) status, board member list, and recent financial document.
Questions? Contact Ben Bogle, Economic Development Project Manager, at benjamin.bogle@gastonianc.gov.
Community Canvas - installed May 2026
This new public art installation, located across from Trenton Mill at the corner of Clay and Main, was funded by the City of Gastonia Arts Committee as a creative space where artists of all skill levels can paint and share their work. The installation is open to the public as a temporary art space — artwork may remain for weeks or change within hours.
Rotary Pavilion Public Art Display
This project rotates replicas of art, from local artists twice a year.
FY 2024/2025 Art Committee Accomplishments
Funded through the Arts Committee for a year-long lease and located at Walker E. Reid III Park (1001 S. Marietta Street, Gastonia)Celestial Serenade was created by Lawrence Feir in 2024. It weighs approximately 250 lbs.
Lawrence Feir is of Canadian origin and currently lives in Greensboro, NC. He attended Parsons School of Design in New York and UMASS, Amherst, where he studied painting, drawing, jewelry design, and photography. Lawrence enjoyed an earlier career in aerospace photography and became the chief photographer for Airways International magazine, traveling the world to photograph large commercial jets. Since 2011, he has concentrated in welded steel creating copper and stainless kinetic sculptures as well as figurative works.
Funded through the Arts Committee for a year-long lease, Earth Water Wind Fire #2 was created in 2017 by Hanna Jubran. It weighs a total of 2300 lbs. Hanna Jubran received his M.F.A. in Sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is currently a Sculpture Professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Hanna’s work addresses the concepts of time, movement, balance and space.
Become a Friend of the Arts Committee
Would you like to receive information and announcements from the Arts Committee? Contact Candice Owenby at Candice.Owenby@gastonianc.gov
Check back to see what's coming up and how we are highlighting great arts projects in the City of Gastonia.
Thank you for supporting the arts in Gastonia!