Celebrate Artistic Placemaking in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Through ASC Public Art Trail
By Page Leggett
Charlotte-Mecklenburg has gotten considerably more colorful over the past two decades.
Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte adopted ordinances in 2002 and 2003 that appropriate 1% of eligible capital improvement project funds for public art. Since then, murals, sculptures and other large-scale art have enlivened and elevated public spaces in every corner of the county.
You can explore nearly 20 of them through the new Celebrate ASC Public Art Trail, created by ASC and Art Walks CLT. Each of the artworks included in the trail represents an artist’s collaboration with communities.
“We thought a self-guided tour would give everyone the opportunity to go behind the scenes and learn more,” said Todd Stewart, ASC’s vice president for public art.
ASC manages the public art programs for the county and city in partnership with the Public Art Commission. The commission is comprised of an appointed board of volunteers from the arts, education and business sectors, responsible for the community-based artist selection and design review process.
Residents are at the center of the public art process, Stewart said.
“We always try to have artists work directly with neighbors on designing public art in their community,” he said.
“Public art becomes part of the built environment, part of the landscape,” Stewart added. “It lends itself to creating a landmark while also driving economic development and tourism.”
Telling art’s untold stories
Anne Wise Low founded the nonprofit Art Walks CLT in 2018. That’s when her website – artwalkslct.com – that maps out Charlotte’s murals, sculptures and street art went live. But she’d been working on her brainchild for a year prior.
And she’s been in the art world for a whole lot longer. Her background is in museum work, public art project administration and consulting.
Low’s husband is an urban planner, and they both enjoy walking and biking. And it was on their walks and bike rides that she began to notice all the art that surrounds us.
The arts educator (she’s taught art appreciation at Central Piedmont Community College for more than 20 years) envisioned ArtWalks CLT as a community engagement tool that connects people to placemaking public art.
Stewart said Lowe is an ideal partner: “Anne is so passionate about art. She’s adamant about promoting artists, and her approach is very inclusive. She’s really become an art historian for Charlotte’s public art. She helps tell the untold stories behind the art, which makes it more valuable to residents.”
Low has made it easy for anyone to find art around town. Art lovers can use the group’s Google map of public art sites, found on Art Walks CLT’s website. Stewart praises the digital tool: “It’s very intuitive and easy to use. Just click on a pin representing a piece of public art, and you’ll get background and contextual information.”
Low believes knowing about an artist’s background and intentions helps viewers better connect with art.
Her own connections to ASC run deep; she once worked as an ASC project manager for small public art projects.
A creative collaboration
Together, ASC and Art Walks CLT created the Celebrate ASC Public Art Trail.
With more than 195 pieces of public art managed by ASC throughout the county, choosing which ones to include on this trail was no easy task. Highlighted are:
- Artworks in the collections of the county and the city, including the airport
- A mix of local and nationally/internationally known artists (“One of ASC’s goals is to draw attention to the artistic talent that exists here in our community,” Stewart said.)
- A diverse geography
- The newest work – while also including some of ASC’s earliest efforts
Ultimately, the public art trail features 18 public artworks.
The “must-sees”
One that Stewart hopes people seek out is Hoss Haley’s “Old Growth” at the Wilson Air Center (5400 Airport Drive, Charlotte).
“This is part of the airport reserved for private planes,” Stewart said. “There are probably many people who don’t know it’s there. But this 40-foot-tall, Corten (weathered) steel sculpture is fantastic. I think it’s one of the prizes of our collection.
“[Spruce Pine, North Carolina-based] Hoss Haley is an artistic hero of mine,” he continued. “He’s a virtuoso metal worker. I was amazed to see the finished work, which was an exact, one-to-one facsimile of the model he made.”
Another sculpture both Stewart and Low cite (reluctantly, as neither wanted to pick favorites) as significant is “Excelsior: Even Higher” by artist/architect J. Stacy Utley and Edwin Harris of Durham-based EVOKE Studio.
“It’s one of my favorites,” Stewart said, “because the process was so inclusive and because of the long, rich history” of Historic West Charlotte. “The artists really listened to what the community had to say.”
Low agrees: “This has to be one of the best-executed public art pieces in Charlotte because Stacy and [architect and EVOKE co-founder] Edwin Harris understood what the community wanted.”
“Nested Hive” (placed at the Eastway Recreation Center in 2020) by RE:Site is another that stands out for Stewart – primarily because of its backstory.
“We worked with Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation on this one,” he said. “When we learned that the grounds surrounding the rec center would be heavily programmed and treated as an outdoor classroom, we knew we wanted the art to become part of that experience.
“This enormous sculpture looks like a wasps’ nest that fell and cracked open,” he added. “And unlike in a museum or gallery – where you absolutely should not touch the art – this sculpture doubles as a piece of playground equipment. Kids can climb on it.”
Happy trails to you
The ASC Public Art Trail is classified as a “trail” rather than a “walk.”
Low explained the difference: “An ‘art walk’ can be in a circle or a linear pathway and covers a short distance. It can be completed in 45 minutes to an hour and usually has between 12 to 16 pieces of art – an amount that’s not overwhelming.”
“Art trails” came about when Low realized many areas have multiple murals that you can’t easily see on foot. She created the MoRA Art Trail first.
“There’s a collection of 15 or 16 murals that stretch all the way down Monroe Road,” she said. “And you can only experience those by biking or driving. Art walks are self-contained. An art trail is more spread out and will take you to different locations.”
Low’s website lists about 30 art walks and six art trails. A seventh, featuring public art on the Beatties Ford Road corridor, is coming soon.
‘Everyone is equal’
How does ASC work with Art Walks CLT? The group makes Low’s work possible.
“ASC is the main producer and commissioning agency for public art in Charlotte,” Low said. “They do a great job of lifting up local artists, but they also have access to nationally known artists. It’s amazing that we have some of this work here in Charlotte. In fact, our city has an incredible, national reputation for public art. And ASC is part of that in a big way.”
Low highlights ASC’s work on her website. And in real life.
She gives tours and hosts free community events nearly every month. In February, there will be additional events for Black History Month. One is the Black History Mural Bike Ride on Feb. 17. You can register for the free tour here.
“I believe in having artists front and center,” she said. “So, I always have an artist on my guided tours because I want people to connect with them, to know they live here, work hard and ought to be cherished.”
Public art matters to Low, and she wants it to matter to everyone in Mecklenburg County.
“It can sometimes feel like we’re living in an intimidating and gray world … full of concrete,” she said. “But art enlivens our public spaces and makes you feel welcome. And it speaks to people on a lot of levels because it comes to you in a shared space where everyone is equal.”
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