Charlotte muralist Georgie Nakima has a new exhibit at the Gantt. Learn her inspiration.

Go any direction in the Queen City and you’re likely to run into one of visual artist Georgie Nakima’s recent works.

From her multi-year community-building art initiative, “Kindred,” in historic West End, to the parking structure turned vibrant six-floor mural at Camp North End (created with Atlanta’s Neka King), to her first sculpture “Mwanzo,” displayed at East Town Market — her canvas keeps expanding.

She was among many local artists to create the Black Lives Matter mural in 2020 following George Floyd’s death — an African American man killed by a Minneapolis police officer. But the Charlotte native is drawing national attention too.

Her murals have popped up in cities stretching from Providence, Rhode Island to Emeryville, California. She’s also gaining prominence as a digital artist.

No matter the medium, Nakima sees her work as a continuous conversation. Through it, she aims to uplift untold stories of Black heritage, look toward the future and explore our own interconnectedness with nature.

These themes are on display in one of her newest works, “Earth Keeper.” The exhibit opened in September and it’s the first permanent mural commissioned by the Harvey B. Gantt Center for Arts + Culture.

The artwork overlooks the museum’s grand lobby. It’s available to view for free over the next few months, since admission to the traveling Smithsonian exhibition “Men of Change” is underwritten by local sponsor Wells Fargo through March 12.

Nakima spoke to The Charlotte Observer about this latest project, what inspires her art, and how her work continues to evolve.

Condensed and edited for clarity.

Tell me about “Earth Keeper.”

Working on this project at the Harvey Gantt Center has meant so much to me. As an Charlotte-based artist, growing up in the Queen City, it’s a full circle moment for me. This piece is also super important for who I am as an artist.

The title was inspired by my name, “Georgie”— George, which means earth keeper. It was also inspired by a book I was reading, “Parable of the Sower,” by Octavia Butler. I listened to it on Audible while I was painting.

We’ve been dreaming this up since last December. David Taylor, the Gantt Center’s president and CEO, had reached out to me for some ideas. We sketched out what themes we wanted to bring, the energy, the purpose. And a lot of it was, of course, our heritage. A lot of it was something colorful and striking. I wanted to bring those together but in a futuristic lens so that it could age well over time.

Can you talk about your use of color and geometry and some things that people should look for in the artwork?

I’m super inspired by color theory. Certain colors have the capacity to bring out emotions within us, whether it’s emotions of well-being or connectivity. The blue and green — I was really inspired to bring those earth colors forward but also have those strong neon yellow to bring light and vibrancy into this building.

I think as a community, we’re pivoting from how we see the value of artwork beyond just an institutional lens. Street art is trending worldwide. It’s been such a shame that it’s left out of the conversation. But now you see the Harvey Gantt Museum, the Mint Museum, a lot of institutions trying to bridge it back to where it started. I wanted to bring in a lot of color. We have these white walls. We want to make a conversation out of that.

I really like to layer realism with color theory with geometric details and indigenous patterns. For me, it’s a way of looking through what we normally see and finding something deeper, more intimate and more interconnected.

You seem to have a love of nature. Can you share more about that and how it appears in your artwork?

I went to school and I studied life sciences. (Nakima majored in biology and minored in chemistry at Winston-Salem State University.) Honestly, having in-depth research about the gateways of life, how formulated they are and how intrinsic those thresholds of life that keep us alive are, was very powerful for me. Subconsciously, I carried that into my outlook as an artist.

Society has us thinking we are separate from nature but really, we are nature. Nature is within us. As much as I love to paint powerful women and powerful men throughout the African diaspora, I think it’s super important to bridge the natural elements into it. It’s not just human focused. We see ourselves as part of the ecosystem.

What drives you as an artist?

I spent half my childhood in Charlotte and half in eastern North Carolina. I feel like a lot of stories are untold. I grew up with a lack of representation. When you don’t really see an elevated version of yourself, you can fall into seeing yourself how the media portrays you. You can fall into seeing yourself dwarfed.

Thankfully, because of my family, I got exposed to art at a very young age. It inspired me to create the world as I see it and hopefully, to uplift others and give that dynamic elevation we all need.

Can you talk a little more about the importance of representation?

I really want to champion what this uplifted version of ourselves might look like. Often our story begins with slavery. And slavery is not our history. Slavery is the interruption of our history.

It’s not that we shouldn’t hold these conversations, but I think it’s important to go beyond and show the story of our resilience, our rest, our artistic talents, our innovation.

I kind of want to say that—without saying — that through my artwork, and beyond the image, connect to who we are as people. Whatever nation you come from you still can connect with it, because you see yourself through it.

You’ve been working in some different mediums than before. What’s that been like?

I did my first sculpture, which was really amazing. It’s made of aluminum but I also painted it with polyurethane. That project I did through Charlotte’s Placemaking Program. What I love is it’s functional. It’s like a throne and you can actually sit on it. I like art that is interactive, where you become part of it

I have another sculpture that I’m hoping to put together in 2023. That’s a medium I want to continue exploring.

I worked with the AT&T Black Future Makers for Black History Month of this year. The idea they had was not only to give a historical lens but to be future-oriented and celebrate the current community of future-makers. I love that, as an artist who thinks about time, a lot.

I did 32 mixed media portraits — using photography with digital art. It lives on the website and Instagram via #DreaminBlack. That was an incredible experience. So much of my work has lived on murals, on public art but I definitely have a drive to do more digital work.

What’s next for you?

I have a few projects that are lined up for 2023. My goal is to be a lot more intentional.

I’m working on something with Hornitos Tequila. I’m designing their packages for 2023. I designed everything digitally. I’m super happy about it. I’m doing some “activisions” with them and I can’t wait. I also have a few murals that are popping up, some locally and some that are not.

But you know, same old, same old.

Follow artist Georgie Nakima on Instagram @gardenofjourney or visit gardenofjourney.com

Want to go:

The “Earth Keeper” is a permanent mural commissioned by the Harvey B. Gantt Center for Arts + Culture on display at 551 S. Tryon St.

The exhibit is free until March 12 during the “Men of Change” exhibition. After that, visitors will need to purchase the museum admission fee to see it.

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This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 6:00 AM.