In uptown Charlotte, graffiti artists add messages of hope to boarded-up windows
Standing on S. Tryon Street, the words “Black Lives Matter” read across the pavement in different colors, designs and styles. If you look up and straight ahead, the wood panels of boarded-up windows are also adorned with artwork.
On June 10, over 20 artists came to S. Tryon Street between Third and Fourth streets to paint the boards with messages of hope and progress.
Property management company Cushman and Wakefield reached out to the Charlotte Art League to find ways to beautify the 86 panels covering the windows of businesses on the property.
The windows were initially boarded to prevent damage to the buildings during protests in uptown following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
“But they didn’t want to leave them vacant,” said Chandler Snipe, offsite exhibition coordinator for CAL. “It kind of makes them feel unwelcoming.”
CAL selected DeNeer Davis to lead a team of artists “who will paint the wood covering those windows with artwork that conveys non-political messages of love, light and happiness,” said CAL Executive Director Jim Dukes in a statement.
After posting about the event on social media, artists flocked to the scene and began creating. “It was so organic,” Snipe said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The goal of the murals is to “build bridges,” Snipe said. “One thing I do know is that art — it heals,” Snipe said.
CMPD artists contribute, too
Duke and Snipe reached out to Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department to paint alongside the artists. On Wednesday, officers came to the site and painted the CMPD shield and other images.
Snipe said the officer’s presence created a conversation. “People were talking to them. People who knew how to spray paint were assisting them … It definitely created a conversation, which is really what our goal is,” Snipe said.
“It’s all community,” Snipe said. “I knew what community meant, but I have an actual vision for it now.”
CAL is working on a way to preserve the panels beyond the few weeks that the windows will stay boarded-up, Snipe said. “We don’t want people to lose this feeling that they have right now,” Snipe said.
Pedestrian Tanisha Womack walked along the sidewalk, taking in each piece of art, snapping pictures of each panel and stopping for the occasional selfie.
“This means progress,” Womack said. “It just warms my heart to see everybody come together for humankind. If one person hurts, we all hurt … Even if you can’t identify with something, you’re going to empathize with it, and try to understand it.”
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 12:57 AM.
