Title: “Pillar of Dreams”
Location: Valerie C. Woodard Center at 3205 Freedom Drive
Artist: Marc Fornes and THEVERYMANY design studio
Date: 2019
Media: Aluminum panels
Artist Info: www.theverymany.com
Story: As an ASC Public Art project, this sculpture was commissioned by Mecklenburg County through the Percent for Art program. The Valerie C. Woodard Center is the former site of the original Freedom Mall, opened in 1971 as one of Charlotte’s first enclosed shopping centers. Repurposed by Mecklenburg County, the site offers a full range of county support offices. Marc Fornes is a registered architect and leads THEVERYMANY studio based in New York City. The studio specializes in large-scale public art installations that blend art, architecture and technology.
Key Formal Elements:
Here is a look at the sculpture by the numbers – 26 feet tall and 43 feet wide, 54,000 rivets, 3500 individual metal sheets. But these facts obscure the truly magical feeling one has when standing beneath the sculpture looking up into cloud-like forms. The sculpture creates a gathering place, a place to sit and a place to wonder about light, form, space, and movement. Pro-tip: catch this at night when it is lit up!
Title: “Faces of Freedom”
Location: Freedom Drive Streetscape between Morehead and Ashley Road in multiple locations
Artist: Cheryl Foster
Date: 2007
Media: Glass, tile
Artist Info: www.cherylfosterartist.com
Story: Funded as part of the City of Charlotte’s streetscape revitalization plans and managed by the Public Art Program at the Arts & Science Council, these sculptural markers reflect community. Each of these approximately 12-foot-high markers is colorful, commemorative and connected to the surrounding community. Foster held extensive engagement meetings in the area to learn stories about people and places. Each panel is created in mosaic, with hundreds of individually placed pieces of colored glass and tile coming together to create a single image.
Key Formal Elements:
The Freedom-Wilkinson Corridor is one of six City of Charlotte Corridors of Opportunity. Significant public and private investment are supporting these thoroughfares to enhance safety, support small businesses, and improve infrastructure. Bringing art to the corridor creates pride and adds visual boundary markers.
Title: “Welcome to the Westside”
Location: 4001 Tuckaseegee Road
Artist: Leon Parker
Date: 2023
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@leonparkervision
Story: Commissioned by StarMed Healthcare, this mural was created by Charlotte artist Leon Parker, as a tribute to the history, culture and identity of the Westside. The work is layered with recognizable landmarks, neighborhood icons, and historical references. Parker is a studio artist, sculptor, designer, and digital media artist known for creating artwork that reflects community.
Key Formal Elements:
Parker provides a visual road map of the important icons on the Westside. Anchoring the left side and of great importance both historically and in the mural, is the former iconic white façade of the Excelsior Club, the famous nightclub located on Beatties Ford Road. Opened by the McKees, the club served as a gathering place for African Americans and hosted many important performers over the years. Can you find the JCS Golden Bull and the West Charlotte lion, two mascots linked to the Westside?
Title: Convenience Store Mural
Location: OT Foods at 3600 Tuckaseegee Road
Artist: Bree Stallings
Date: 2018
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @breestallingsart
Story: This is one of Bree Stallings’ very first murals and was created with 18 middle and high school students while serving as Mecklenburg County Health Department’s Artist in Residence. Stallings worked with the students on every single step of the process: design, pitching a project, creating mock-ups, how to get a piece on the wall, how to use different mediums, how to seal your work, how to use ladders and more!
Today, Stallings is an accomplished fine artist, mural artist, and teaching professional.
Key Formal Elements:
Back in 2018, this convenience store was recognized as one of the few nearby options for food and groceries in the neighborhood as this area of town is considered a “food dessert.” Part of the mission of the mural was to promote healthy options and their new produce section that accepted WIC and EBT. The portrait is of Ceasar, son of Bernard Singleton, who passed away at a young age. Bernard Singleton is an advocate for food security and traditional African food culture and is an important community leader for Enderly Park. Stallings recently secured a grant to restore this mural, so we look forward to a fresh look at the restored mural soon.
Title: People’s Porch Murals
Location: 3400 block of Tuckaseegee Road
Artists: West Side Community Land Trust and UNCC SOA
Date: 2021
Media: Acrylic paint
Story: This community gathering and event space is a project from the West Side Community Land Trust in partnership with the UNCC School of Architecture and AIA. Completed in response to a request from the community, the space includes an outdoor seating area, tables, and a shelter space with some murals. West Side Community Land Trust is a non-profit created to empower West Charlotte neighborhoods in the face of rapid gentrification.
Key Formal Elements:
This wood-frame structure was designed and constructed in partnership with UNCC and one of their design studios. Two murals add color and visual interest to the platform structure. A geometric prism-like design with a sunburst in the middle provides one backdrop. A graphic color-blocked portrait in mainly blues and pinks anchors the side wall.
Title: “Traces of Enderly”
Location: Bette Rae Recreation Center at 2921 Tuckaseegee Road
Artist: Shaun Cassidy
Date: 2005
Media: Concrete
Story: Commissioned by Mecklenburg County and managed by the ASC Public Art Program, artist Shaun Cassidy created a cast concrete seating wall based on the outline of an oak leaf. Cassidy is a prolific public artist with multiple projects completed along the CATS Blue Line and he is a professor art at Winthrop University in Rock Hill.
Key Formal Elements:
Coming soon.
Title: “The Garden”
Location: 2710 Tuckaseegee Road
Artist: Ashaki Ali
Date: 2025
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@artbyashaki
Story: Artist Ashaki Ali is a 2025 QCFT Culture Bearer and a 2025 Mural Cohort artist for the Here for Good Business Cooperative. The Mural Cohort apprentice program, led by muralist Bunny Gregory mentors emerging artists with the tools, techniques and opportunity to create their first mural. Working closely with the business owner, Ali developed a garden-themed design, reflecting growth and natural beauty. This was her first time working with spray paint, and we’d say she nailed it.
Key Formal Elements:
Although Ashaki Ali is best known for her portrait work, nature is a recurring theme throughout her art. Lush tropical foliage and large hibiscus flowers anchor the composition, while smaller flowers and vines move through the negative space. Don’t miss a closer look at the serene portrait peeking out through the greenery. This was incorporated by the artist as a nod to her figurative style.
* Photography by Michael Maxwell.
Title: “Tapestry”
Location: 1198 Berryhill Road
Artist: Douwe Blumberg
Date: 2024
Media: Welded aluminum and magnesium alloy
Artist Info: www.douwestudios.com
Story: Funded through the City of Charlotte and the Percent for Art Program, this large free-standing sculpture was installed in 2024. Blumberg is a Kentucky-based sculptor with completed art commissions all over the country. Located in the center of a traffic roundabout, the sculpture is a focal point at the intersection of Tuckaseegee, Berryhill and Thrift roads.
Key Formal Elements:
This monumental sculpture represents the many individuals that come together to form a community. At first glance, it appears to be one unified face, but a closer look reveals it is made up of thousands of small circular metal rings. The varied color finishes on the sculpture reinforce the idea that together we create something stronger and more meaningful than any one part alone.
Title: “The Bloom”
Location: 1201 Berryhill Road
Artist: Mountain Art Works
Date: 2023
Media: Painted steel
Artist Info: www.mountainartworkswv.com
Story: Beacon Partners commissioned a West Virginia based sculptor to complete this sculpture based on the poem by Tupac Shakur titled “The Rose that Grew from Concrete.” Shakur was an American rapper and actor and influential musical artist before he was killed at the age of 25. His poetry collection was published after his death.
Key Formal Elements:
Taken from Tupac Shakur’s poem, here is the inscription in the base of the sculpture. “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny, it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared.” What do you think the rose and the concrete symbolizes in the poem?
Title: “Response”
Location: 4427 Wilkinson Blvd
Artist: Vicki Scuri Siteworks
Date: 2017
Media: Concrete, weathering steel, LED lights
Artist Info: www.vickiscuri.com
Story: Artist Vicki Scuri transformed the required concrete safety barriers in front of the MEDIC headquarters with her site-specific public sculpture. Eleven cut-metal screens cover concrete bases that reference the star shape of the MEDIC shield. The screens undulate in a pattern to mimic electrocardiographic vital signs. Washington-based and nationally recognized, Scuri is known for her symbolic pattern work. Here she connects the dots by applying artistic form to function.
Key Formal Elements:
This sculpture is part of the ASC Public Art Program and funded through their Percent for Art ordinance with city and county projects. Community Engagement is a crucial aspect of every project managed by ASC. Commissioned artists are required to work with members and stakeholders who live in the geographic region where the project will be installed. Community representatives participate on Artist Selection Panels and community involvement is facilitated through artist-led workshops, surveys, and presentations.
Title: 2030 Smoke Shop Mural
Location: 2415 West Morehead
Artist: Irina Tach
Date: 2024
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@irina_tach_art
Story: Irina Tach painted three complete sides of the building at 2415 West Morehead in an exploration of Arabian themed genre scenes that fit the business at this site, a smoke shop. Tach is a Russian artist who emigrated to American with her husband and paints murals and specializes in painting fun holiday windows.
Key Formal Elements:
One panel features architectural forms inspired by Islamic design, including minaret towers and arabesque patterns. Minarets are the tall, slender towers traditionally associated with mosques where the call to prayer is announced. Arabesque refers to flowing, interwoven geometric ornamental designs. Another panel features traditional smoking pipes like hookahs. The artist has created a colorful landmark at this important intersection of Morehead and Wilkinson.
Title: “Tealona”
Location: 2326 Arty Avenue
Artist: Lo’Vonia Parks
Date: 2023
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@lovoniaparks
Story: Lo’Vonia Parks is a Charlotte/Sacramento artist, and she has completed several other murals in Charlotte around South End, Uptown, and Historic West End. Her work is based on a caricature illustration style and carries an emphasis on line and color. Here she explores a great deal of movement and symbolism in a very painterly style. Pauline’s Tea Bar is a cozy space with rotating art exhibits from local artists and an excellent tea selection. Take the time to step inside for more art and to enjoy a delightful cup of tea!
Key Formal Elements:
At the heart of the mural is Parks’ creation of Tealona the tea goddess, modeled after the owner’s daughter. Holding a rainbow teacup, she radiates a sense of clam warmth, and intention. The surrounding floral accents are just as meaningful. Blue hydrangeas are included as a connection to cherished family gardens. And the yellow blossoms are for the chamomile tea served inside.
There are two accent panels that go with this piece. You’ll see uniquely patterned teacups (a Pauline’s signature) filled with peace and love.
Make sure that you head outside to see the installation of twelve painted doors at the edge of the parking lot. This project called doors OUTdoors was created in 2025 and each door is painted by a different artist.
Also, notice the labyrinth in the ground. A labyrinth is a meditation guide. It features a network of winding passages with one single path that leads to the center. Walk the path as you meditate on the journey you walk.
Title: “Moving on” Bus Shelter Wind Screen
Location: West Morehead at Arty Avenue
Artist: Michelle Tejuola Turner
Date: 2010
Media: Etched windscreen glass
Artist info:
Story: Federal Transit Administration Circular 9400.1A encourages the inclusion of art in transit systems. According to the circular, "Good design and art can improve the appearance and safety of a facility, give vibrancy to its public spaces, and make patrons feel welcome." In other word, design matters. For the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), up to 1% of design and construction costs is set aside to create public art. CATS Arts in Transit program hires artists as part of design teams. The resulting art is often functional and integrated into the architecture.
Michelle Teujola Turner is a storyteller, and her primary medium of painted gourds connects to her exploration of African American traditions. Turner was selected to create a series of 26 etched glass wind screens along the Sprinter bus line, which runs from the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Key Formal Elements:
In her designs, Turner draws inspiration from the interesting history of each neighborhood. The Arty Ave bus stop references Camp Greene, a WWI Army training camp that once spanned most of Enderly Park. Her design honors that history with the image of a uniformed “dough boy” soldier from a 1918 picture postcard and the abstracted wagon wheel design. Wagon wheels were manufactured at the camp and Turner learned that many of the families that lived in the neighborhood had sons who trained at the facility.
Title: Turning Pencils into Possibilities
Location: 2116 Wilkinson Blvd
Artist: Various
Date: 2025
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: Check out www.charlotteiscreative.com for more info
Story: Since opening in 2002, Classroom Central has distributed over $100 million in free supplies to teachers. Way to go! To celebrate this important milestone in their commitment to equity in education, Classroom Central commissioned a mural. With support from Link Logistics and project management from Charlotte is Creative, local teachers and artists came together to paint this mural. The artists are Austin Keith-Grant, Ben Verner, Carole Drummon-Johnson, Megan Hill, Thelathia Singleton, Courtney Riley, and Johari Huggins.
Key Formal Elements:
Classroom Central is a Charlotte non-profit dedicated to equipping students with the tools they need to pursue their dreams. Sometimes those dreams begin with a pencil and a piece of paper. Other times, they start with a marker, a calculator, a soccer ball, a guitar, or one of the many colorful objects painted onto this wall.
We love that creative collaboration gave CMS teachers an opportunity to participate in painting a mural, many for the first time.
Title: Warehouse 242 mural
Location: 2307 Wilkinson Blvd
Artist: Georgie Nakima
Date: 2017
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @gardenofjourney
Story: This is an early Georgia Nakima mural, and it is a delight to see her formative style truly flourish on the wall of Warehouse 242, a community space and worship center. Nakima is a nationally recognized Charlotte artist completing mural commissions and exhibiting across the country. Her interest in bold colors, tribal geometric patterns, plants, and the emphasis on the female figure mark her signature style.
Key Formal Elements:
The mural honors the rich cultural heritage of Charlotte’s West Side while acknowledging a neighborhood that continues to evolve. With bold color, symbolic imagery and reference to both the African diaspora and indigenous cultures, Nakima preserves the many histories that have shaped the community and reminds us that they remain and essential part of its future.
At Marian House which is 2916 Parkway Avenue, artist Quincy Woodward completed the mural across the front of the house as his project for the 2025 Mural Cohort.
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Located at the Sojourner Truth House, there is a mural by Hoan Rahlan and Dioveris Lopez.