PLAZA MIDWOOD ART WALK
There are 9 locations on this art walk. None are more than a 5 minute walk from the starting point at the intersection of Central Avenue and Thomas Avenue. Have a seat on the mosaic bench and enjoy the seating plaza before you start your tour.
Location: 1516 Central Avenue wall of the Coultrane’s Char Grill
Artist: Matt Hooker, Matt Moore
Date: 2017
Media: Spray Paint
Artist Info: @puckmcgruff, @hookermedia
Story: The artists celebrate the diversity and eclectic quality of the Plaza Midwood neighborhood by using themes of fantasy, children, magic, and animals.
Key Formal Elements:
•Variety rules this post-modern collage
•Polychromatic color scheme
Make the Connection: Can you make out the letters on the left of the mural and figure out what they spell? What is one object in the mural that relates to the theme of families and children? How is the idea of creativity or transformation expressed by the artists in the mural?
Location: 1510 Central Avenue back wall in the parking lot at corner of Central Avenue and Thomas Avenue
Artists: Matt Hooker, Matt Moore, Nick Napoletano
Date: 2016
Media: Spray Paint
Artist Info: @hookermedia, @puckmcgruff, @napoletanoart
Story: Large wall mural features a portrait of Brandy Alexander, a celebrated North Carolina drag queen, while also creating awareness around the HB2 conflict and discrimination against the LGBT community.
Key Formal Elements:
•Modeling or shading on the face makes the face look three-dimensional
•Floating necklace creates a sense of implied motion in contrast to her intense stare and solid stance
Make the Connection: The use of iconography or symbols in this artwork is important. Who was Pat McCrory and why is his portrait delicately included in the cameo earrings? How does the gender-neutral charm at the end of the pearl necklace relate to the HB2 issue? What may be the significance of the breaking shackles?
Location: 1228 Gordon Street on the side wall of Snug Harbor
Artist: Shurkin
Date: 2014
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @themuralshop
Story: This large wall mural draws upon the timeless story of the sirens in the Odyssey. A sailor is tied to the mast of his ship so that he cannot follow the call of the Sirens in the ancient Greek poem.
Key Formal Elements:
•Large wooden boat is focal point for the image
•Visual texture in the mountain, sky, and sides of the boat
Make the Connection:
Location: 1801 Commonwealth Avenue
Artist: Ashley Graham
Date: 2018
Media: Spray paint
Artist Info: @grahamarts
Story: Playful, fun monkeys and luscious fruit flow around two sides of the Smooth Monkey smoothie shop.
Key Formal Elements:
•Highlights present on the fruit
•Warm colors of the bananas and the oranges contrasts with the cool colors of the blueberries and raspberries
Make the Connection:
Location: 1212 Pecan Avenue, The Peculiar Rabbit Restaurant
Artist: Mike Wirth, Dustin
Date: 2018
Media: Spray paint
Artist Info: @southerntigercollective
Story: Large, outdoor, story and a half mural on the side of a popular restaurant features a friendly rabbit inviting you in for a drink.
Key Formal Elements:
•Primary colors of red, blue, and yellow
•Strong use of outline in the figure of the rabbit
Make the Connection: Check out the swirls and movement in the blue and yellow background of the artwork. The artists used the famous Vincent Van Gogh painting “Starry Night” for inspiration. According to Google Art, “Starry Night” is the most searched for painting. What is your favorite painting?
Location: 1500 Central Avenue side wall and back wall on the electrical boxes
Artists: Wall Poems of Charlotte, Graham Carew, The Mural Shop
Date: 2016
Media: Acrylic Paint
Artist Info: @wallpoems, @muralshop, @grahamcarew
Story: Wall Poems of Charlotte is an effort to integrate poetry into urban areas of Charlotte. The organization has completed over a dozen installations featuring the poetry of North Carolina artists. “Love Comes Quietly” is a poem by Robert Creeley, an influential American poet associated with the Black Mountain Poets.
Key Formal Elements:
•Notice the asymmetrical balance of the text and the mural
Make the Connection: Creeley was known for the emotions in his poetry. What emotions do you feel when you read his poem and see the art that accompanies it? How does the emotional quality of his work fit into the artwork’s surroundings? Also don’t forget to walk around the building to the Central Avenue side and look up to see the other part of the work.
Location: 1429 Central Avenue on side wall of The Nook apartment building
Artists: Matt Hooker, Matt Moore, Tucker Sward
Date: 2017
Media: Spray Paint
Artist Info: @puckmcgruff, @mattmoore
Story: Massive mural on the side of an apartment building greets you with the formidable figure of Posieden, the god of the sea in ancient Greek mythology.
Key Formal Elements:
•Primary color of blue on the left and primary color of red on the right meet in the middle and merges into purple tones
•Scale matters
Make the Connection: The artists speak about using the primary colors of red and blue in a symbolic way. In their mural, the red and the blue combine to form purple. How might this be symbolic of the divided political environment of today?
Also, the use of Posieden from the ancient Greeks brings some relevance to a 2500-year-old culture. Why make that connection? What does that say about our culture today?
Location: 1319 Pecan Avenue on side wall of Providence Auto Service
Artist: Nick Napoletano
Date: 2017
Media: Spray Paint
Artist Info: @napoletanoart
Story: This is a 250-foot wall mural starting on the far right side of the building closest to Pecan with a small girl holding a rod with fishing line. Follow the line to the left turning the corner to see the catch.
Key Formal Elements:
•Blue concentric circles create the illusion of movement in the water
•Line leads your eye to the surprising catch
Make the Connection: Stand on the water bubble floating in the parking lot to see the perspective and optical illusion that makes you question what is real.
Location: 1401 Central Avenue on the back wall of the alley behind Midwood Smokehouse
Artist:
Date: 2016
Media: Spray Paint
Artist Info:
Story: Superheros are the subject matter of this mural covering the wall hiding trash collection areas for the restaurant.
Key Formal Elements:
Make the Connection:
For more information contact www.ArtWalkCLT.com
© Art Walk CLT, Anne Low, & Anne Appreciates Art 2018
