As one of the nation’s most rapidly growing cities, Charlotte is working hard to keep up a competitive edge. And one way to do this it to keep a finger on the pulse of what is going on throughout the country. One thing we are looking at is the caliber of public art in comparison with the rest of the country and the best way to do this is with the Year in Review.
The Year in Review is the only national program that specifically recognizes top public art projects. Each year two to three public art professionals in the field jury the top 30 – 50 projects from hundreds of applicants. The selection is then revealed and presented live at the Annual Public Art Network Pre-Conference at the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention.
Ned Kahn’s Wind Silos
Charlotte has several past Year in Review selections including Thomas Sayre’s Furrow and Ned Kahn’s Wind Silos. Click here to see all the Year in Review Projects in Charlotte from 2005 – 2010.
This year, part of the HappeningsCLT crew got to attend the Pre-Conference in Chicago and witness the announcement of the 31 winners. Here are our top 5 picks from the selection! Enjoy these amazing artworks and help us bring more public art to Charlotte!
Artist: Gabriel Barcia-Colombo
Commissioning Agency: MTA Arts & Design
Location: Fulton Transit Center, New York, NY
2. Magic Carpet
Artist: Candy Coated
Commissioning Agency: Association for Public Art
Location: The Oval, Philadelphia, PA
3. Air Garden
Ball-Nogues Studio, Air Garden, 2014 (detail); photo: Josh White
Ball-Nogues Studio, Air Garden, 2014 (detail); photo: Ball-Nogues
Artist: Ball-Nogues Studio
Commissioning Agency: LAX Art Program
Location: Bradley West Terminal, LAX
4. @Large
Ai Weiwei, With Wind, 2014 (installation view, New Industries Building, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Blossom, 2014 (installation detail, Alcatraz Hospital); photo: Jan Stürmann, courtesy FOR-SITE Foundation
Ai Weiwei, Stay Tuned, 2014 (installation detail, A Block, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Artist: Ai Wei Wei
Commissioning Agency: For-Site Foundation
Location: Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, CA
5. Skies Painted with Unnumbered Sparks
Skies Painted with Unnumbered Sparks. Photo: Ema Peter
Artist: Janet Echelman & Aaron Koblin
Commissioning Agency:
Location: Vancouver, Cananda
