The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department will present concurrent exhibitions of sculptures and prints by Jim Malecky of Charleston, and paintings by Mason Engler of Brooklyn, N.Y., at Park Circle Gallery from Nov. 5–29, 2025. The artists will host a free public reception at the gallery on Friday, Nov. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Something Understood – Sculptures and Prints by Jim Malecky
For artist Jim Malecky, sights, sounds and tangled realities enter, impress and emerge transformed as works of art — whether in stone, wood, metal or other materials. While crafting each piece, he seeks harmony between the material and the idea he hopes to embody through art. His subject matter often serves as a point of departure, evolving alongside his growing familiarity with it — much like the relationship jazz musicians have with melody. Malecky’s discipline and joy lie in staying true to his initial inspiration while embracing the possibilities his materials present.
Born in New York City, Malecky is the son of an enlisted Navy man and spent his early years traveling. Largely self-taught, he has pursued two-dimensional art throughout his life while making a living in the building trades. Now a full-time sculptor, he lives in Charleston with his wife, a photographer. They have one grown daughter, who is also an artist.
Malecky’s exhibition, Something Understood, features sculptures and prints that affirm life even in its most harrowed states, giving no place to nihilistic inferences about existence. He believes rightness of form is kin to every other rightness we long for — and hopes his art offers solace to those who view it. Learn more about the artist at jimmalecky.org.
Elsewhere – Paintings by Mason Engler
Mason Engler is a visual artist and painter based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and a graduate of Clemson University. His work draws inspiration from everyday life and fleeting moments — quick snapshots captured on his phone while navigating the city — transforming familiar scenes into compositions that feel both slightly askew and deeply relatable.
Engler’s exhibition Elsewhere is a culmination of observation and imagination. His routines, experiences and interactions inform his creative process as he reimagines quick impressions in his studio. The physicality of his work plays a vital role — not only in subject matter, but in the texture and movement of the painted surfaces. The paint itself conveys the energy of these fleeting instances, mirroring their immediacy and emotion. Learn more about the artist at masonule.com.
The Park Circle Gallery is located at 4820 Jenkins Ave. in North Charleston. Admission is free, and free street parking is available on Jenkins Avenue and nearby streets, as well as in adjacent parking lots. Gallery hours are 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon–4 p.m. on Saturday. The gallery will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 27–28.
For more information about Park Circle Gallery, call 843-637-3565 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org. To learn more about other Cultural Arts programs and artist opportunities, visit culturalarts.northcharleston.org