For instance: 

• Washington, D.C.-based Raymond Kaskey created the iconic, 15-foot-high bronze Queen Charlotte sculpture, which was previously outside between parking decks. The sculpture, originally dedicated in 1990, had a new patina put on by Carolina Bronze Sculpture before being moved inside and placed on a newly designed plinth by Kaskey, becoming the centerpiece of the new lobby.  

• Dixie Friend Gay‘s Carolina Canopy, a mosaic for the international arrival wall, “has received glowing feedback,” Stewart said. There’s a lot more to this colorful work than meets the eye. The artist did meticulous research that included interviewing botanists. Each tile was hand-glazed and hand-placed in a painstaking process.  

• Queen Charlotte is “flanked by two beautiful, suspended sculptures by Danielle Roney in the East and West Wings,” Stewart said. They’re collectively known as Meridian. The casual observer may just glance up and notice something ethereal overhead. But the piece is actually an impressive combination of art and science. It relates to flight paths of departing and arriving traffic, and Roney used actual airport data to create the patterns.   

• “Two beautiful terrazzo floor pieces were designed by artists for specific mezzanines,” Stewart said. Susan Brenner created Garden Carpet, a terrazzo floor piece made up of oversized blossoms for the West Mezzanine Skybridge. The counterpart to “Garden Carpet” in the East Mezzanine is Janelle Stanley‘s Catawba Ways. Stanley is a First Nations artist who worked with the Catawba nation to create what Stewart calls “a beautiful mandala of their historic cultural pottery traditions.”  

Additional projects (pictured below) recently completed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport include an artwork that invites visitors to direct their gaze to the skies, or at least the clerestory ceiling Concourse A. Weightless Monument, Benjamin Ball‘s 90-foot suspension of stainless steel ball chain, gently sways and dances with the soft glow of nearby windows.

At Domestic Arrivals, airport visitors are treated to the work of Nigerian-born, Brooklyn-based artist Olalekan “LEk” Jeyifous.‘ His creation, Nurture and Nature, an engaging collection of boldly hued geometric patterns is representative of Charlotte’s diverse and growing business industries and regional, native flora and fauna. Known for addressing social themes through his art, Jeyifous says this piece does more than just “solve spatial challenges,” as he told the Airport.

Getting loopy 

While the public — not ASC or individual artists — ultimately determines what’s “iconic,” Davis believes Loop de Loop has the potential to become a “standout artwork.” She considers it a “must-visit landmark in SouthPark” and said it’s already delighting kids and adults equally.

One look, and you’ll see why. People not only interact with the seven life-size, standalone sculptures, but pose with them and share the images on social media. (If you’re inclined to share, consider using #ASCPublic Art.)

The evening featured remarks from ASC president Adam Santalla Pierce, as well as Claudia Gonzalez Griffin, Culture Block’s program director, and Brooklyn Miller, ASC’s Culture Blocks program manager.  

Each ASC representative thanked those in attendance for believing in the bold vision that, ten years ago, seemed to some like an insurmountable task. But together, between ASC staff, leadership, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s creative community, we’ve collectively turned that vision into a reality.  

The work of Culture Blocks is led by dedicated ASC staff, but their diligent efforts aren’t the sole contributor to the success of the program. Indeed, it is the engaged residents, neighbors, and community leaders, alongside our creative partners, that the Culture Blocks program remains a staple of Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s cultural ecosystem. 

How Culture Blocks Function: Community-Guided, Artist-Driven 

What sets Culture Blocks apart is its community-driven approach. Programs must take place within designated block boundaries and are shaped by resident input to reflect local interests, identities, and needs.  

In conjunction with residents and artists, a diverse panel helps to determine which programs are funded, and where they will be held. A group of artists, community members, representatives from Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries and Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation staff, and ASC board members work diligently to curate cycles of programs that are engaging, informative, and, above all: transformative, and intercultural.  

Because these programs are designed with community in mind, program participants are not the only beneficiaries; artists and creatives, called “Program Providers,” are poured into, as well. 
 
“The Culture Blocks program has made the arts more accessible for our community,” says Toni Lovejoy, a photographer and Culture Blocks Program Provider. “Artists are able to share their stories and passions, and it opens doors to the community that we didn’t even know needed opening. It has sparked such joy in me.” 

For a majority of Culture Blocks program providers, it seems such joy comes from the opportunity to create space and community alongside the rich diversity that defines Mecklenburg County. 

P(ART)NERS: Collaborating with Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte 

The partnership between ASC, the City of Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County ensures one essential thing: that tax dollars are used to create public art with the community, not just for it. 

ASC’s Partnership with Mecklenburg County 
ASC proudly stewards Mecklenburg County’s Percent For Art Ordinance, which designates one percent of eligible capital project budgets for public art.  This means when the County invests in libraries, parks, or recreation centers, that investment also supports accessible, meaningful artwork in those same spaces.

ASC’s Partnership with the City of Charlotte 
Similarly, ASC administers the City of Charlotte’s Percent For Art Ordinance, applying the same one-percent model to city-led construction. From fire stations to transit facilities, and even Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, public art becomes part of the civic experience, serving residents and reflecting the diverse identities of our neighborhoods. 

Behind the scenes, one key group plays a critical role in transferring ownership of completed artworks to the City and County: The Public Art Commission.