Start at Jack Beagles
Title: "Als ich Chan: A Tribute to NoDa"
Location: 3205 N. Davidson Street on side wall of Jack Beagle’s
Artist: William Puckett
Date: 2010
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @mr_puckett
Story: This is a fantastic starting place for a walk in NoDa. One of the original NoDa art projects, William Puckett put out a call for volunteers to be included in this mural. 274 community members showed up and each one is included in the mural. Puckett is one of the first mural artists to produce substantial work in Charlotte. He estimates his murals cover over 30,000 square feet of Charlotte walls. Puckett recently moved to Scotland to purse his doctorate.
Key Formal Elements:
- Heavy use of outline around the figures
- Little negative space meaning the area is almost entirely covered with figures
Make the Connection:
The title of this artwork, “Als Ich Chan: A Tribute to NoDa” is a nod to Puckett’s interest in art history. “Als Ich Chan” is from an inscription on a painting by Flemish Renaissance painter Jan Van Eyck. It translates to “As Best I Can.” Puckett received no commission for this work, working on it for 18 months before finishing. It covers roughly 1200 square feet. Wait. Is that a water tower?
Look for Trash Receptacle Art
Location: On No. Davidson Street
Artists: Brenda Pokorny
Date: 2020
Media: Ceramic tile
Artist Info: @bapokorny,
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
- Functional art
Make the Connection:
Eight artists and eight different designs. With a nod to the spiritual, Brenda Pokorny created beautiful mosaic mandalas on hers along this street. Tinker Bird placed the letters N-O-D-A in both English and American Sign Language on his trash receptacle across the street. Look for art by Pam Imhof, Ken Knudtsen, Luvly, and others. See if you can find all eight in the business district.
Continue on N. Davidson Street
Location: 3215 N. Davidson Street front wall of Stu’s Barrell Shop
Artist:
Date:
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:
Story: Salvador Deli is the former business located in this building and the original commissioner of the mural. The name of the deli was a play on the name of famous Surrealist artist Salvador Dali. You can find the face of Dali, with his signature handlebar mustache, incorporated into each of the wine bottles on the upper part of the wall.
Key Formal Elements:
- Symmetrical balance created by the placement of elephants
- Warm colors of yellow, orange and red form the background
Make the Connection:
This mural is an appropriation of one of the more well-known Dali paintings. Dali challenges the usual view of elephants as symbols of strength and stability by giving them thin, spindly legs. This encourages the viewer to question our assumptions and enjoy the playful and illogical schemes of the Surrealist artists.
Fibonacci ** Removed 8/20
Location: 3221 N. Davidson Street side wall of former Solstice Tavern
Artist: Jonay di Ragno
Date: 2017
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @jonaydiragno
Story: This mural is part of a collaboration between three artists and Brand the Moth, a local non-profit creating community-based public art projects. Jonay di Ragno completed the mural on the far left of the side wall. Di Ragno describes himself as an Abstract Expressionist artist and was raised in both Spain and the Caribbean. Fibonacci refers to the Fibonacci Sequence, a mathematical series of numbers. The numbers are often expressed in nature and are seen to have divine or perfect meanings.
Key Formal Elements:
- Focal point in the center of the spiral
- Loose, expressive splashes of warm and cool colors
** This mural was removed as of August 2020 and a new mural is being painted in its place.
Make the Connection:
Di Ragno uses the familiar form of the spiral. The spiral is one of the oldest known symbols in art and is often associated with suggestions of life, death, the rising and setting of the sun, and creation. Here the loose bands of the spiral draw you into the center to suggest an energy source and connect to the name of the former Solstice Tavern. This mural has its own Instagram @noda_charlotte_mural_fibonacci. Take your picture and post it!
Mural ** Removed 8/20
Location: 3221 N. Davidson Street corner of former Solstice Tavern
Artist: Georgie Nakima
Date: 2017
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @gardenofjourney
Story: This mural is part of a collaboration between three artists and Brand the Moth, a local non-profit creating community-based public art projects. Georgie Nakima completed the mural at the corner of the building. Nakima’s background in math and the sciences is often expressed in her work through the use of geometry, patterns and nature.
Key Formal Elements:
- Geometric patterns evoke African art
- Saturated use of warm colors of the sun creates focal point of the goddess
** This mural was removed as of August 2020 and a new mural is being painted in its place.
Make the Connection:
Nakima has the toughest task of the three artists in this collaboration with the job of connecting the other two around the corner of the building. She connects to the side wall painting through the use of some circular patterns but opts for a strong and dominant goddess figure at the corner to balance the equally strong profile to the right of the door by Napoletano. What similarities can you find that connect or unify all three of these separate paintings?
Mural ** Removed 8/20
Location: 3221 N. Davidson Street front wall of former Solstice Tavern
Artist: Nick Napoletano
Date: 2017
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @napoletanoart
Story: This mural is part of a collaboration between three artists and Brand the Moth, a local non-profit creating community-based public art projects. Nick Napoletano completed the mural on the front facade facing N. Davidson Street. Classically trained and educated both in the United States and Italy, Napoletano works in Charlotte and other cities all over the country.
Key Formal Elements:
- Complementary colors of yellow and violet produce a dramatic effect
- Symmetry is provided with the orange sun at the left and the yellow sun at the right thus linking Nakima’s and Napoletano’s work
** This mural was removed as of August 2020 and a new mural is being painted in its place.
Make the Connection:
This painting is an exploration of contrasts. The stability and anchor of the stationary portrait of the young woman is contrasted with the free-flowing movement of the bluish, purple ribbons. Perhaps that is a metaphor for the neighborhood. Look closely at the ribbons. Small, outlined symbols are scattered in the ribbons. Their designs came from a social media call put out by the artist. Napoletano’s interest in “Augmented Reality,” or AR is evolving and eventually these murals will move.
Turn Left at Corner at 36th
Title: Evening Muse Mural
Location: 3227 N. Davidson Street
Artist: Stencil Spray, Jbird.the.vandal
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@stencilspray, @jbird.the.vandal
Story: Commissioned by the owner of Evening Muse, a live music venue, @jbird.the.vandal and @stencilspray painted this mural as an homage to music. @stencilspray is founding member of the Tough Ass Crew, an artist’s collective and @jbird,the.vandal is one of their artists. Step around the corner and pop into their gallery located at 3225 N. Davidson Street. You can see more of these two artist collaborations at CanJam CLT, one of the next stops on the artwalk.
Key Formal Elements:
- Complementary colors of yellow and purple
- Asymmetrical balance
Make the Connection:
The owner and the artists brainstormed about a mural of a musician from the Carolinas. Dizzy Gillespie, born in South Carolina, is pictured in one of his iconic poses. Pouched cheeks and bent instrument, Gillespie is known for his musical innovations, creation of Bebop music, and as a trumpet virtuoso. Enjoy the art of stenciling on this large wall!
Continue on 36th
Location: 436 E. 36th Street
Artist: Mike Wirth with Brett Toukatly
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @mikewirth, @b_twokat
Story: Mike Wirth is often working behind the scenes on projects, so it is fun to highlight his work in front of the building this time. As a co-founder of the Talking Walls city-wide mural festival and a co-founder of the Southern Tiger Collective, Wirth is a local leader in the mural scene. He also teaches graphic design and digital arts at Queens University of Charlotte.
Key Formal Elements:
- Variety
- Polychromatic color scheme
Make the Connection:
On the side wall of the Industrious NoDa location, Wirth wants to “represent that energy, action, and richness of the NoDa neighborhood” as the foremost arts district in Charlotte. The abstract colors and shapes bounce across the side wall and create movement and activity. Wirth’s signature flow fields unify the composition.
Cross RR, turn left into parking area
Title: Meta
Location: 424 E. 36th Street entrance
Artist: Ruth Ava Lyons
Date: 1995
Media: Glass tesserae and concrete
Artist Info: @ruthavalyonsart
Story: Ruth Ava Lyons and partner Paul Sires are artist legends in Charlotte. The artists found studio space in the NoDa area in the early 1980s, invested in properties and artists, and started the artistic renaissance of the neighborhood. Their gallery was called Center of the Earth Gallery and was located on N. Davidson Street. Lyons created her mosaic piece in 1995 but it recently found a new home in a permanent location in NoDa.
Key Formal Elements:
- Radial balance
- Cool colors in the background
Make the Connection:
Lyons works in the mosaic method which involves placing individual, small, squares of glass in concrete to create an image. The individual pieces of glass are referred to as tesserae. Lyons includes a butterfly as the central image as a sign of transformation and connection to the NoDa renaissance. She encircles the butterfly with symbols of the area’s past as a textile mill village. What symbols can you find? A textile mill? A spindle? Cotton?
Walk into parking lot, look to right
Title: Confetti Stripes Mural
Location: 424 E. 36th Street next to Jeni's Ice Cream
Artist: Evelyn Henson
Date: 2019
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @evelyn_henson
Story: Charlotte artist Evelyn Henson captured our hearts with her “painting happy art to brighten your day” recent South End project. Now we are seeing stripes in NoDa! Henson started painting 6 years ago and this mural marks her second public art project. I’d say she’s found success at this mural thing.
Key Formal Elements:
- Repetition
- Polychromatic color scheme
Make the Connection:
Instagram walls. Who knew we needed them. Henson makes the transition from her brightly colored more intimate scaled art to work on a public mural and enter the popularity of Instagrammable walls. This spot may eventually rival the “Fibonacci Mural” in NoDa as Charlotte’s most popular Instagram mural. Which is your favorite? Make sure you use the tag #confettistripeswall and #artwalksclt if you take a selfie.
Walk around building to side facing 36th
Location: 416 E. 36th Street
Artist: Brett Toukatly and Mike Wirth
Date: 2019
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @B_twokat, @mikewith
Story: Brett Toukatly and Mike Wirth collaborated on this massive mural on the side of Wooden Robot’s The Chamber. Toukatly, an illustrator and muralist, was the winner of the inaugural Battle Walls competition in 2019. He was also a featured artist in the Mint Museum’s ConstellationCLT exhibit in Fall 2019. Wirth, founding member of both the Southern Tiger Collective and the Talking Walls Mural Festival, incorporates his signature flow fields.
Key Formal Elements:
- Symmetrical balance
- Heavy use of outline
Make the Connection:
What’s in a name? Breweries often have fun names and Wooden Robot does not disappoint. With the opposition of tradition and innovation in the wood and robot combination, the name reminds us to keep both present in our lives and to attempt the impossible sometimes. I mean, can you build a robot out of wood?
Also, Toukatly’s powerful, slightly menacing robots contrast with the fun, colorful patterns and shapes of the flow fields.
Best viewing spot is from the light rail platform
Location: 424 E. 36th Street Parking Deck Panels
Artist: Holly Keogh in collaboration with Goodyear Arts
Date: 2017
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @hckeogh, @goodyeararts
Story: Developer Crescent Communities commissioned artist Holly Keogh to cover the side of the parking deck located at the NoDa light rail station and the NOVEL Noda Apartments. The parking deck provides much needed parking for the mixed-use development as well as public parking for the neighborhood. Keogh created the design and worked with artists from Goodyear Arts, a local non-profit providing artist residencies, to implement the mural.
Key Formal Elements:
- Scale – this is a massive mural measuring almost 280 feet wide and 60 feet tall
- Highly saturated and flat colors provide a playful feeling
Make the Connection:
In this design, Keogh considers a familiar, yet nostalgic image of two people talking on the phone as a way to suggest connection. The artist suggests both the newly found literal connection provided by the long-awaited light rail line and the connection provided by a new community. The iconic NoDa water tower is included. Can you remember how many times artists have used the water tower in their work in NoDa?
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"Worth the Walk" under the light rail to warehouse
Title: Can Jam CLT
Location: 3224 Benard Ave at Unorthodox Studios
Artists: Varies Each Year
Date: 2016 - 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Event Info: @canjamclt
Story: Can Jam CLT is a street art experience. Started in 2016 by local artist Osiris Rain, Can Jam CLT brings local artists together to paint an entire wall of a building. It is an invitational event, meaning artists are selected and curated by the organizer each year. Its goal is to connect the street art community, celebrate the artists and street art family, and increase awareness about street art in the community.
** Note: In 2020, due to COVID-19, the artists are practicing social distancing and only painting one or two at a time instead of a large public event. If you visit, be aware of current safety guidelines and stay safe.
Key Formal Elements:
- Scale
- Variety
Make the Connection:
The back wall of the Unorthodox Studio building facing NoDa proper is divided off and each artist is given a space to work. Viewing from the light rail platform or The Chamber is spectacular. You often have to travel around the city to see a lot of work by different artists. The best part here is that you can see all the artist’s styles, tendencies, and trademark features in ONE place. There’s a Rain female portrait with eyes closed (trademark feature), Mike Wirth flow fields, a Matt Moore wolf, a Jen Hill pop art female. And so many more. Go get to know your Charlotte artists! And make sure you walk all the way around the building to see the graffiti wall!
Walk back to the Novel Apartments along RR
Location: 424 E. 36th Street loading dock mural at Novel NoDa Apartments
Artists: Matt Hooker, Matt Moore
Date: 2017
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @hookermedia, @puckmcgruff
Story: Matt Hooker and Matt Moore are some of the more prolific mural artists working in Charlotte. They bring diverse styles to each project. Here the artists cover loading dock doors with a hyper-realist portrait of a real woman @amandataylor80 and a writing quill. The mural was commissioned by @liveNOVELnoda.
Key Formal Elements:
- Face is entirely modeled using gray scale tones
- Notice the areas of highlights on her tip of her nose and her lips.
Make the Connection:
Look closely at the face of the woman. The shadows of the face are created using delicate cursive writing. In the painting of the writing quill, notice the same technique in the band of red. In descriptions of the work, the artists use the hashtag “#writeyourownstory. How does this hashtag help the viewer connect with potential meanings of this piece? Now can you connect that to a sense of place in NoDa?
Turn left onto 35th and look for sculpture
Location: Along E. 35th Street in front of parking lot
Artist:
Date:
Media: Metal
Artist Info:
Story:
Key Formal Elements:
- Variety rules this composition
- Texture is provided with different metals and shapes
Make the Connection:
The artist incorporates a variety of tools, blades, pipes, rebar, chains, and sheets of metal to visually connect the viewer to the industrial history of NoDa. With the textile mills and machinery parts being reused in the area’s renaissance, the neighborhood’s industrial history lives again. This time it is a simple, functional screen to hide vehicles in a parking lot.
Fat City Mural ** Removed as of 1/20
Location: 3123 N. Davidson Street side wall at Fat City Lofts
Artists: OBSOE, REBUS, ALOHA, JAFAR
Date: 2008
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @joeyobso, @bigtroublestudios
Story: On the side wall of Fat City Lofts condominium complex, four artists created a mural with connections to the former Fat City Deli. Look closely at the N. Davidson Street facade and you can see the historic storefront of the iconic neighborhood deli and music venue incorporated into the new building. The deli’s original side wall was covered in graffiti but was destroyed during a severe storm.
* As of 1/2020 this mural is painted over in anticipation for another mural. Stay tuned.
Key Formal Elements:
- Heavy use of outline
- Polychromatic color scheme
Make the Connection:
Fat City Lofts developers used a unique process to choose the artists for their project. Knowing that they wanted to honor the graffiti art heritage, they designed a ballot with images of graffiti examples by local artists. Voting took place during a NoDa gallery crawl night when they distributed the ballots. Rather than pick just one artist however, the developers settled on all and paid for their painting expenses. The artists branded themselves as #bigtroublecollective.