Start at 3306 N. Davidson St at Salud Beer Shop
Location: 3306 N. Davidson Street side wall at Salud Beer Shop
Artist: Nico Amortegui
Date: 2012
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @nico_malol
Story: Artist Nico Amortegui is a native of Colombia. His Abstract Expressionist style of art has parallels to several historic artists. With his emphasis on abstract figures, use of line, and incorporation of elements of graffiti, the work of Amortegui connects with that of Picasso, Basquiet, and Lam.
Key Formal Elements:
- Strong use of outline in all of the figures
- Abstract figures
Make the Connection:
Salud is the name of this popular beer shop. Salud is the Spanish word for cheers, or bless you, and is used as a toast for people raising their glasses. Cerveza is Spanish for beer. The artist includes several references to the name of the business and beer in his mural. Together the figures, the dog, and the musicians all communicate the joy of having a beer with one’s friends.
On Salud wall to the left
Title: Salud Cerveceria mural
Location: 3306 N. Davidson Street
Artist: Lisette Correa
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@arrrtaddict
Story: This wall got a “Caribbean Ting” update! Atlanta based artist and illustrator @arrrtaddict came to Charlotte to paint a colorful, playful, positive mural for Salud. Prior to this mural, the artist designed many of the beer labels for this popular NoDa spot.
Key Formal Elements:
- Polychromatic color scheme
- Use of outline in the hand
Make the Connection:
Are you feeling the “Caribbean” vibe? The artist calls herself a “vibe creator” and she sets the vibe with her playful and random colors and patterns. Look for the blue fronds of the palm tree and the yellow and green leopard prints. Catch the #BLM tag and note the red, green, and black colors of the Pan-African or Afro-American flag to the left. And can you find the image of the hops plant (the plant from which beer is made)?
Mural ** Removed 9/20
Location: 3306 N. Davidson Street side wall at Salud Beer Shop
Artist: Nick Garris
Date: 2013
Media: Acrylic paint
Story: In a second mural on the side wall of Salud Beer Shop, Artist Nick Garris celebrates this art-supporting business.
Key Formal Elements:
- Symmetrical balance
- Strong use of outline and contour lines in “faces” of beer bottles
** This mural was removed in September 2020.
Make the Connection:
Two beer bottles with faces and arms tilt slightly outward to frame a sign for the beer shop. Their “hands” raise a toast to connect with the meaning of salud. Why might the “eye” of one of the beer bottles be falling out?
Walk down driveway, turn right, walk back to 36th St
Location: 3310 N. Davidson Street sculptures of water tower, faces, and paper airplanes at Mercury Apartments
Artist: Lauren Puckett
Date: 2016
Media: Stained glass and metal
Artist Info: @thepucketteers
Story: Artist Lauren Puckett designed three separate sculptures for this apartment complex. Look for the airplanes at the front entrance at 3310 N. Davidson Street, the water tower at the end of the driveway, and the faces along East 36th Street.
Key Formal Elements:
- Free-standing sculptures
- Primary colors used for the faces
Make the Connection:
The iconic NoDa area water tower is re-created in a smaller scale and marks a sense of place for this project. Along with the faces rendered in different colors and the planes, perhaps the artist is celebrating both the history of this place and idea of growth. How do you think the sculptures communicate this idea of history and growth?
Look at the corner for the trash receptacle
Location: At the corner of 35th Street and the Neighborhood Theatre
Artist: Evan Plante
Date: 2020
Media: Vinyl wrap
Artist Info:
Story: NoDaRioty, the arts committee for the Historic North Charlotte Neighborhood Association, partnered with the City of Charlotte and the Neighborhood Matching Grants Program to commission artists to design existing trash receptacles. A call to artists was sent out and eight artists were chosen to produce their designs.
Key Formal Elements:
- Free-standing sculptures
- Highlights on Nina Simone's face
Make the Connection:
Eight artists and eight different designs. Artist Evan Plante creates silkcreens of four famous musicians born in North Carolina. Be on the lookout and see if you can find all eight of the artist-designed trash cans in the business district.
On 36th Street, look up at theatre facade
Location: 511 E. 36th Street front wall of Neighborhood Theatre
Artist: William Puckett
Date: 2015
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @mr_puckett
Story: Built in 1945, the Neighborhood Theatre was originally called the Astor Theatre. At one time, it was an African-American theatre and by the 1960s it was showing X-rated films.
Key Formal Elements:
- Polychromatic color scheme
- Use of white outline around the animals
Make the Connection:
Puckett uses a variety of animal forms in this large, flowing, bold mural. The artist intends for this mural to represent the dynamic forces of the future and change, while preserving the past. What elements of the mural represent change to you? What elements of the mural represent the past to you?
Continue walking to corner, cross N. Davidson
Location: At the corner of 36th Street and N. Davidson Street
Artist: Torian Parker
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:
Story: NoDaRioty, the arts committee for the Historic North Charlotte Neighborhood Association, partnered with the City of Charlotte and the Neighborhood Matching Grants Program to commission artists to design existing trash receptacles. A call to artists was sent out and eight artists were chosen to produce their designs.
Key Formal Elements:
- Non-objective style
- Primary colors
Make the Connection:
Eight artists and eight different designs.
Perhaps artist Torian Parker was inspired by roads and maps or maybe Mondrian, the Dutch modernist painter.
Paste-Up ** Removed 3/21
Location: Corner of N. Davidson and 36th Street
Artist: Poet Was Taken
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint and paste up
Artist Info: @poetwastaken
Story: Los Angeles-based street artist Poet Was Taken combines stencils, paste ups, and text to create a type of guerilla lovefare. All in the color PINK. NoDa just had a poetwastaken take over and three pieces were created in the central business area and one new mural was created at CanJam across the railroad tracks.
Key Formal Elements:
- Limited palette
- Installation
As of 3/21, this mural was removed.
Make the Connection:
The quote here comes from a popular line from the movie, “Mean Girls” and is illustrated with a paste up. The paste up technique allows a graffiti artist to put up a rather detailed design quickly using a piece of paper and wheat paste which is an adhesive made from wheat flour. It is a temporary installation and will disappear in some months depending on the weather and conditions.
On Side Wall of Blind Pig
Title: Dolly Parton mural
Location: At the corner of N. Davidson and 36th
Artist: Dustin Moates
Date: 2021
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @dstnmts
Story: Long story. On the side of the Blind Pig here in NoDa, one of Charlotte’s earliest murals told a bit of NoDa history. The original mural by Rosalie Torres-Weiner was removed in early 2020 for a mural announcing the coming of the Carolina Equity Festival. Then COVID. So, in 2021, the festival organizers decided to move forward with their mural even though now the festival is scheduled for 2022. Painted by Dustin Moates and the Southern Tiger Collective, the mural was also sponsored by Hearts Beat as One Foundation.
Key Formal Elements:
- Asymmetrical balance
- Cool colors of blues
Make the Connection:
It’s our first Dolly Parton mural. Dolly is a big deal in case you didn’t know. And that doesn’t mean just musically. Of course, singing at the Grand Old Opry at age 13 and multiple Grammy awards in her long career make her a musical superstar. But she is also a philanthropist. Parton has long supported literacy efforts, veterans, food insecurity, and in 2020 gave $1 million to fund the Moderna COVID vaccine. Paired with the “Love is Love” quote against the backdrop of her beloved Blue Ridge Mountains, Dolly reigns on this corner.
Mural ** Removed 3/20
Location: 453 E. 35th Street side wall of The Blind Pig
Artist: Rosalia Torres-Weiner, with David Merck
Date: 2014
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @redcalacastudio
Story: Artist and activist Rosalia Torres-Weiner is a native of Mexico. Commissioned by The Blind Pig, a popular NoDa bar, this mural juxtaposes episodes from NoDa history with images of its new emergence as an arts area.
** As of 3/20 this mural is painted over in anticipation for a new mural to be painted.
Key Formal Elements:
- The large scale of the white spindle of cotton and the artist’s hand and paint brush balance each side of the painting
- Note the one-point linear perspective of the streetscape
Make the Connection:
On the left side of the mural, Torres-Weiner draws upon Charlotte’s textile manufacturing history. In the early 20th century, North Charlotte became Charlotte’s largest mill village. Highland Park Manufacturing Company Plant No. 3, just down the road, housed 30,000 spindles and employed over 800 laborers. Torres-Weiner skillfully draws attention to the oppressive working conditions in the mill with the bent-over woman laborer surrounded and engulfed by white cotton spindles. Is the artist making a statement connecting mill history and the emergence of the New South skyline above it? Oh, and yep, it is another water tower.
Continue on N. Davidson
Location: 3307 N. Davidson Street mural in front of Dog Bar
Artist: Terry Hanney
Date: 2016
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: Facebook Terry Hanney and Dog Bar Dog Mural
Story: Neighborhood dogs are painted on this 60-foot fence enclosing the Dog Bar. The artist invited dog owners to bring their special loved ones for a sitting to be included in the mural.
Key Formal Elements:
- Representational details are included in each portrait
- Grid of the fence provides a natural way to organize the panels
Make the Connection:
Puppies. After the heavy look at the importance of women laborers in the creation of our New South city, it is nice to look at puppies.