Start at the "Commerce" Sculpture
Location: Intersection of Trade Street and Tryon Street
Artist: Raymond Kaskey
Date: 1994
Media: Bronze
Artist Info: www.kaskeystudio.com
Story: Funded by private community group Queens Table, the “Sculptures on the Square” mark the trading post where Charlotte’s first buildings were erected in the mid-1700s. This crossing of two Native American trading paths marks the center of uptown and is the highest geographical point of the surrounding area.
Key Formal Elements:
- Freestanding sculptures require the viewer to be engaged
- Scale - contributes to the viewer experience because the sculptures are both larger than life and raised even higher on a pedestal.
Make the Connection:
The artist celebrates several factors that influenced Charlotte’s growth. Check out the plaque in the ground on the northeast corner for more information. The title of each sculpture is at eye level when you face the buildings.
In this sculpture, the gold miner pans for gold during the first gold rush in the country of 1799. The first branch of the US Mint would be established in Charlotte and eventually house the Mint Museum.
Cross Street to "Industry" Sculpture
Location: Intersection of Trade Street and Tryon Street
Artist: Raymond Kaskey
Date: 1994
Media: Bronze
Artist Info: www.kaskeystudio.com
Story: Funded by private community group Queens Table, the “Sculptures on the Square” mark the trading post where Charlotte’s first buildings were erected in the mid-1700s. This crossing of two Native American trading paths marks the center of uptown and is the highest geographical point of the surrounding area.
Key Formal Elements:
- Freestanding sculptures require the viewer to be engaged
- Scale - contributes to the viewer experience because the sculptures are both larger than life and raised even higher on a pedestal.
Make the Connection:
In this sculpture titled "Industry," a female mill worker hides a child laborer in her skirt folds. Spindles representing the mill work cascade down the front and the figure holds a bobbin in her right hand. Charlotte and the surrounding region were home to many textile mills which fueled the area's growth.
Walk to 112 South Tryon
Location: 112 South Tryon Street Architectural Frieze
Date: 1927
Media: Sandstone
Story: The First National Bank was built in 1927 and was the second tallest building in North Carolina when it was completed. Noted Charlotte architect Louis Asbury designed the building.
Key Formal Elements:
- Sculptural type - relief sculpture
- Notice the repetition of patterns and intricate decoration
Make the Connection:
The artists created a variety of designs for the ornamental carved sandstone. There are figures from nature and some references to classical figures and mythological figures. Three animals are central to the design. Can you find the beehive, the squirrel, and the owl? Can you relate the symbolic meanings of these animals to the original purpose of the building?
Cross Tryon to "Transportation" sculpture
Location: Intersection of Trade Street and Tryon Street
Artist: Raymond Kaskey
Date: 1994
Media: Bronze
Artist Info: www.kaskeystudio.com
Story: Funded by private community group Queens Table, the “Sculptures on the Square” mark the trading post where Charlotte’s first buildings were erected in the mid-1700s. This crossing of two Native American trading paths marks the center of uptown and is the highest geographical point of the surrounding area.
Key Formal Elements:
- Freestanding sculptures require the viewer to be engaged
- Scale - contributes to the viewer experience because the sculptures are both larger than life and raised even higher on a pedestal.
Make the Connection:
In this sculpture, the railroad worker symbolizes the importance of transportation in the history of Charlotte. The #1401 is a reference to the Southern Railway route from Greenville, SC to Spencer, NC. The Eagle symbolizes flight.
"Il Grande Disco"
Location: Southeast corner of intersection on the Bank of America Plaza
Artist: Arnaldo Pomodoro
Date: 1974
Media: Bronze
Artist Info: www.arnaldopomodoro.it
Story: This is one of the first public art installations in Charlotte. Created by Italian artist Pomodoro, the sculpture speaks to the growth and energy of the city.
Key Formal Elements:
- Varied texture is used to engage the viewer
- Bronze made by the casting technique
Make the Connection:
When it was first installed, the sculpture physically rotated on an internal axis. Later, changes were made to conform to requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The sculpture is now raised on a platform and includes markers for the visually impaired. It is one of 6 “Il Grande Disco” sculptures installed across the world, from Milan, Italy to Chicago.
Walk south on Tryon, turn left at Tupelo Honey
Title: Queen Charlotte
Location: Alley behind Tupelo Honey
Artist: Abel Jackson
Date: 2023
Media: Spray paint
Artist Info: @artbyabel
Story: We always love another mural by Queen City Nerve’s Best Muralist of the Year in 2021. Abel Jackson thrills us here with his luscious highlight’s on the figure’s face and intense, saturated colors. This is a Charlotte Shout commission and Jackson painted this mural in about five days. Whew! Jackson is a master with the spray paint can and this new mural of Queen Charlotte pulls us down the alley for a deeper look.
Key Formal Elements:
- Highlights and shading in the portrait
- Hyper-realism style
Make the Connection:
Jackson gives us a modern-day Queen Charlotte. Our city of Charlotte was named after Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who was Queen of Great Britain from 1761 – 1818 with her marriage to King George III. The coronation portrait of the Queen is a must see at the Mint Museum. Jackson explores ideas of the Queen’s mixed race heritage in this portrait and the flowers signify that she was known as the botanist Queen because of her interest in gardening.
Walk back to Trade and Tryon, cross Trade
Location: Intersection of Trade Street and Tryon Street
Artist: Raymond Kaskey
Date: 1994
Media: Bronze
Artist Info: www.kaskeystudio.com
Story: Funded by private community group Queens Table, the “Sculptures on the Square” mark the trading post where Charlotte’s first buildings were erected in the mid-1700s. This crossing of two Native American trading paths marks the center of uptown and is the highest geographical point of the surrounding area.
Key Formal Elements:
- Freestanding sculptures require the viewer to be engaged
- Scale - contributes to the viewer experience because the sculptures are both larger than life and raised even higher on a pedestal.
Make the Connection:
In this sculpture, "Future," a mother holds her child up in the air. Look closely at the flowers sculpted along her legs and you will see the dogwood blossom. The dogwood blossom became the North Carolina state flower in 1941.
Peek or walk inside the BofA lobby
Location: 100 N. Tryon Street in the lobby of the Bank of America Corporate Center
Artist: Ben Long
Date: 1993
Media: Fresco
Artist Info: www.benlongfineart.com
Story: North Carolina native Ben Long was commissioned by then NationsBank to create this work for the bank’s corporate headquarters. It is Long’s first non-religious artwork. Long works in the fresco painting method, which was known to the ancient Romans and prevalent during the Renaissance. Fresco painting involves painting into wet plaster directly onto the wall and is ideal for creating murals. It took Long and his assistant four months to complete these frescos.
Key Formal Elements:
- Composition - Long’s work is a triptych or 3 separate but related artworks
- Dynamic sense of space in each panel with strong foreground imagery and either floating imagery above or a second horizon line
Make the Connection:
Much has been written about the content of these artworks. The artist encourages viewers to find their own meanings in each of the panels. The three themes are “making/building,” “chaos/creativity,” and “mind/knowledge” from left to right. What features of each panel help to connect viewers to these themes?
Continue on N. Tryon
Location: “Harmony” in plaza in front of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
Artist: Julie Warren Conn
Date: 1996
Media: Polished granite
Artist Info: www.juliewarrenconn.com
Story: Artist Julie Warren Conn studied sculpture at the University of Tennessee. Her artwork is installed in museums and in public and corporate collections throughout the Southeast. The title “Harmony” perhaps refers to the music present in the Performing Arts Center.
Key Formal Elements:
- Shape - use of negative space creates variety
- Sculptural type - freestanding, abstract sculpture
Make the Connection:
While the upper part of the sculpture features abstract forms with a small suggestion of a nebulous animal form, the pedestal is different. Here the artist creates more representational images of animals in a relief format. How many animals can you find?
Walk to corner of E. 5th and Tryon Street
Location: 105 East 5th Street
Artists: Matt Hooker, Matt Moore
Date: 2015
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @hookermedia, @puckmcgruff
Story: In one of the first murals completed by the duo of Matt Moore and Matt Hooker, this mural explores with pictorial imagery related to the city of Charlotte.
Key Formal Elements:
- Focal point on the far right with a bright yellow explosion
- Asymmetrical balance
Make the Connection:
This mural is exploding with symbols. For example, the crown surrounding the bright yellow explosion represents the city of Charlotte’s namesake Queen Charlotte. Can you find one symbol from Charlotte’s past and one from Charlotte’s present?
Continue to 111 W. 5th
Title: “Salute” Wall Poem
Location: 118 W. 5th Street
Artist: Jennifer Garrison, Scott Nurkin
Date: 2014
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@muralshop
Story: Wall Poems of Charlotte is an effort to integrate poetry into urban areas of the city. The organization has completed over a dozen installations featuring the poetry of North Carolina artists. “Salute” is a poem by A. R. Ammons, a noted poet who grew up in rural North Carolina. The wall was designed by Jennifer Garrison and painted by Scott Nurkin of the Mural Shop.
Key Formal Elements:
- Limited color palette
Make the Connection:
Ammons published over 30 collections of poetry in his lifetime and much of his work is connected to the Transcendentalist movement and explores themes of idealism, unity, and his belief in the purity of insight. So linger over this short poem and each word as you gaze up at its installation.
Turn left on Church, walk toward Trade
Title: Flower Mural
Location: 151 Church Street
Artist: Natacha May Platt
Date: 2023
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@surfaceofbeauty
Story: Commissioned by Crescent Properties and WXLL Space, New York based, and nationally known artist Natasha May Platt painted a stunning mural along this parking deck wall. With close to 3500 square feet of flowers, this is the largest mural painted by the artist. She completed this huge wall in the space of about 10 days.
Key Formal Elements:
- Scale
- Strong positive shapes of the flowers against a good deal of negative space
Make the Connection:
Take a minute to think about the challenges of painting a 30-foot-tall flower. And then add another 30-foot flower. For this artist, scaling up her work meant rethinking some of the steps involved in prepping her wall and executing her design. Rolling on background colors in a variety of hues gave her wall some depth and saved some time. Layering then with spray and then finally some brushwork allowed this artist to work efficiently on a huge scale without sacrificing any of her signature detail.
Cross Trade, cross Church, walk half block
Title: “Royal Dog” at the Grand Bohemian Hotel park
Location: 201 W. Trade Street
Artist: Charles Strain
Date: 2006
Media: Bronze
Artist Info: @strain_sculpture
Story: The Grand Bohemian Charlotte hotel opened in 2020 and features art-inspired spaces. This outdoor sculpture was purchased by hotel owner Richard Kessler in 2006 and installed in the outdoor park in Charlotte when it opened. Artist Charles Strain studied art in the Midwest and Florence, Italy and specializes in casting bronze sculptures.
Key Formal Elements:
- Free-standing sculpture
- Organic forms
Make the Connection:
As you peek your way into this lush garden space, you can see that Strain’s abstract form of a dog is centered perfectly at the end of this green. His organic forms recall those of Henry Moore, a famous British sculptor. The circular nature of the forms is the perfect contrast to the very geometric forms of the garden. What about this sculpture makes this royal? And what about it makes it seem like a dog?
Walk into 227 West Trade Street
Location: 227 West Trade Street inside the Carillon Building
Title: "Cascade"
Artist: Jean Tinguely
Date: 1991
Media: Mixed media
Story: Internationally famous and critically acclaimed Swiss artist Jean Tinguely traveled to Charlotte three times to make sketches, plans, and to execute what would turn out to be his last creation before his death. This dynamic yet controlled sculpture made of machines, junk, chains, lights and most anything else you can think of, is constantly moving and changing.
Key Formal Elements:
- Variety - Assemblage type of sculpture
- Kinetic
Make the Connection:
Tinguely uses place as an inspiration. Find the lion’s head plaque. It came from the historic Hotel Charlotte which was torn down to make way for the Carillion Building.
Fun Fact: In 1988, magician David Copperfield filmed a television special in the building minutes before explosives were detonated and the building collapsed.
What other elements in the sculpture do you see that connect to the city of Charlotte?
Go to 333 W. Trade
Location: sculpture at 333 West Trade Street
Title: "Zygos"
Artist: Sally Rodgers
Date: 2007
Media: Stainless steel and granite
Artist Info: www.sallyrogers.net
Story: The word zygos is Greek for joining together in balance and teamwork. This artwork is a joint commission of the Public Art Commission and Axiom Architecture. Rodgers spent time as an artist-in-residence at the Penland School of Crafts here in North Carolina, and currently lives in state.
Key Formal Elements:
- Line - multiple lines and angles create dynamic movement
- Note the different actual textures of the steel and granite
Make the Connection:
This sculpture is a contrast of circular forms and straight lines. Think about the title of the artwork, “Zygos.” How do those forms influence the meaning of the artwork?