The Confetti Hearts Wall is a mural in Charlotte's South End district along an otherwise boring…read morealleyway. The artwork is by artist Evelyn Henson. It is between Camden and Hawkins around the corner from Hawkers and other restaurants. Forty feet long, it is an "Instagram wall" where you can post for your perfect picture and then get an ice cream from Jeni's! [Review 2074 of 2024 - 3760 in North Carolina - 23093 overall]

Can park right outside, Such a cute spot for pictures and ice cream after , stopped here for the…read moreday and was worth the 15 minute drive

Clarity is a piece by Matt Hooker and Matt Moore (collectively known as "The Matts") on the wall…read morebehind the Charlotte Visual and Performing Arts Center. Created as part of the 2019 Talking Walls Festival, it is easily visible from the offramp of I-277. The artwork depicts the face of blonde woman combined with a lioness. Perhaps a tribute to the Charlotte Panthers? It is highly detailed and quite stunning. [Review 2091 of 2024 - 3765 in North Carolina - 23110 overall]

Located on the side of Romare Bearden Park closest to Mint Street, this welded stainless steel…read moresculpture soars 30 feet into the air like a wave. The artwork was unveiled on September 23, 2017. The caption reads, "Richard Hunt created 'Spiral Odyssey' as a tribute to his friend Romare Bearden (1911-1988). Bearden and Hunt were the first contemporary African American artists to have solo exhibitions at New York's Museum of Modern Art in 1971." "In 1963, Romare Bearden played a pivotal role in the founding of a collective of African American artists known as the 'Spiral Group' who actively participated in the Civil Rights movement. In the manner of the Archimedean spiral that advances by radiating outward to embrace all directions, the elegant spiral formed by Richard Hunt's sculpture symbolizes the widening influence of the Spiral Group. It also represents the circular nature of progress and the complexities of Bearden's multifaceted career, which even in its legacy continues to ascend." "The 'Odyssey', Homer's epic poem chronicling the hero's perilous voyage home, inspired Bearden as well as Hunt. A form resembling a ship's bow servs as the base of Hunt's sculpture. A journeying vessel, the ship alludes to forward momentum as well as the suffering experienced by enslaved Africans during the Middle Passage. The sculpture's ascending height attests to a fortitude of character - strength, tenacity and liberty. Whimsical vignettes mimicking fish surfing in the ship's wake, and generative plant life inspired by the surrounding garden, signify resiliency and regeneration." Collection of Mecklenburg County, Commissioned in partnership with the Arts & Science Council and the Public Art Commission. Funding was generously provided by Mecklenburg County, Duke Energy Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Board of Directors of the Arts & Science Council. [Review 268 of 2024 - 3525 in North Carolina - 21303 overall.]

On a quiet Sunday morning, the Union-Market Passageway in Concord felt anything but spooky, which…read moreis always a pleasant surprise because some alleys can definitely give off that vibe. But here, the white painted brick and the bright artworks made it feel open and welcoming. The murals tell the story of Concord's industrial past and how those early mills and factories shaped the city. Knowing the installation was completed in 2013 by artist Sharon Dowell made me appreciate how intentional the space feels. One of the captions, "This image shows the original Cabarrus County Courthouse, built after the Town of Concord was laid out in 1796 on a 26 acre tract of land called 'Pea Ridge' near the old Indian Trading Path. It was a modest frame structure 30 feet wide and 30 feet long with a 15 foot hip roof. It was constructed in the intersection of Union and Corbin (now Corban) Streets." Walking through with no one else around, it was easy to slow down and take in the colors and the way the artwork is framed against the clean brick walls, and the passageway felt more like a small outdoor art gallery than a cut through. It is a simple spot but a charming one, and on a calm Sunday morning, it added a nice bit of character to my walk through downtown Concord. [Review 665 of 2026 - 4753 in North Carolina - 25846 overall]

Union-Market Passageway is not just another utilitarian alleyway in an historic downtown district…read more It's historical and artsy too! located between 48 and 46 South Union the pedestrian alley is currently adorned with works by Charlotte artist Sharon Dowell titled "Momentous- A Timeline of History Shaping Sites of Concord" it includes several large pieces installed on the wall depicting places and periods significant to life in the early days of the greater Concord metro. small plaques accompany the panels providing background and context for the illustrations.

The George Clinton Mural is located in Kannapolis, NC, aka Towel City. The city got its name as it…read morewas the leading manufacturer of textiles, particularly towels. Clinton was born in an outhouse in a segregated, poverty-stricken area in Kannapolis. This mural is #28 in the series that Scott Nurkin has been painting for the North Carolina Musicians Mural Trail. It was completed in October/November 2025. Nurkin captures Clinton in a massive close-up with such detail that his eyes follow you. It feels as if George Clinton is looking right at you, with a psychedelic, cosmic energy. It is located on the side of Towel City Tavern in the West Avenue District. There was plenty of parking the day I was there, but I wasn't there near game time at the baseball stadium. The location of the mural is symbolic and fitting, as Clinton's dad worked at Cannon Mills, not too far from the mural, removing cotton from 500-lb bales. The Opening Room was the only place where Black people could work at the company. The job was physically demanding under the harsh conditions of the heat and suffocating dust. George Clinton was born in Kannapolis, NC, although he grew up in Plainfield, NJ. George Jr. was the oldest of nine children. George's mother, Julia, was a house cleaner and babysitter and helped spark Clinton's creative side. His upbringing came out in his songs. She inspired his funk with her "funky faces" from being part of Louis Jordan's music. She also sang to him. He witnessed her resilience in the face of segregation in the South. George Sr. was a gospel singer whose music and harmonies inspired George Jr., and Sr.'s work ethic gave Jr. the drive to work just as hard. George Clinton ran a barber shop for 10 years and started a doo wop group called the Parliaments. The group moved to Detroit to audition for Motown. Clinton was a songwriter and wrote songs for the Jackson 5 and the Supremes. His biggest hit for the Parliament was "(I wanna) Testify". After the label that had the Parliament went under, Clinton created a new group called Funkadelic. Both bands overlapped for a time, sharing members and becoming known as Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk). The sound was a mix of psychedelic rock and R&B, marking the start of the funk sound. He later started a solo career and has collaborated with Bootsy Collins, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2009, he was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. In 2019, he and Parliament-Funkadelic received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2024. In 2025 was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The mural serves as a reminder that the "Godfather of Funk" began his journey in Towel City.

Located on the south side of the building that contains a beer bar, restaurant, post office and…read moremore, this large mural welcomes you to Cramerton, "Khaki Town USA." The mural features three service members including one who is obviously the pilot of the plane in the background. A nice diverse look at the military, I suppose. It includes an image of a crate of "Genuine Cramerton Army Cloth." The caption at the right reads, "The award which you are to receive today, however, is one that cannot be won by management alone. It is won by the whole-hearted efforts of all of the employees in a factory. It is won only by a plant whose workers know that they are taking an active part in the business of supplying our soldiers with the equipment that they need to crush our enemies. But I do know this - you will not let our fighting men down. You have produced and delivered the goods. You will continue to produce and deliver the goods. I am glad to present you this flag. Major General Edmund B. Gregory" Cramerton is named for Stuart Cramer, one of the most extraordinary industrialists and inventors that North Carolina has ever produced. In a span of 15 years, he either built or designed more than 150 mills and published a four-volume handbook on the subject. During that period, he also found time to obtain 60 patents; work with James "Buck" Duke to create North Carolina's first electric power company; operate Cramer Chair manufacturing; and develop the earliest version of air-conditioning to control humidity and improve air quality in the mills. He even coined the term "air-conditioning." Cramerton Mill (later sold to Burlington) was where the lightweight "khaki" uniform cloth was designed and invented. [Review 114 of 2025 - 4083 in North Carolina - 23681 overall]

Though the bridge itself is simply a means of foregoing the need of an intersection on the west…read moreside of NoDa, the beautiful mural makes it stand out and a more memorable part of Charlotte's art flavor. Brainchild of local artist Will Puckett, this gorgeous mural tells a wonderful story of Mecklenburg history. There's a brilliant explanation of this at the listed website. Though you may not find yourself walking down North Davidson Street most days, take the time to walk by and take in this gorgeous story/work of art. It's quite remarkable and more memorable up front rather than from your car window.

Hooray for public art! This used to be one of the ugliest bridges in a city that prided itself on…read moreutilitarian industrial infrastructure. But a few NoDa artists have, with the help of many grants, painted the columns with the major contributors to the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. For those of you who took history classes in the real world, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence probably isn't a familiar document. All true Charlotte citizens know that Mecklenburg declared independence from the British years before the Continental Congress. But then they lost the document and all proof of its existence so just take our word for it okay? This is especially convenient for southern gentlemen who are ferociously proud of the revolution but uncomfortable giving any credit to those damned Yankees. In the project's later stages the mural will extend beyond the bridge's columns to decorate the embankments on either side with images of the Mecklenburg Resolves, another document of unclear purpose and dubious existence. Basically, I'm saying that they could have picked some better subject matter. Like, something that actually happened. Or, if you are happy with imaginary events, why not choose something truly heroic like the day America beat back the Martian menace? But regardless, I think it is fitting that this bridge, spanning one of two routes into NoDa's arts district, be covered in an enormous, colorful mural.

As I was walking along Union Street super early on a quiet Sunday morning, making my way from the…read morehistoric courthouse towards my eventual stop for coffee, I came across "Dawn" by Sam Spiczka, one of the city's public arts commission installations, and it hit just right for that hour of the day. The piece rises in this organic, skeletal curve that feels both industrial and natural at the same time. Something about the upward reach immediately made me think of the Holocaust Memorial in Miami with its giant hand stretching toward the sky, not in a direct way but in that shared sense of striving and tenson. Standing here with no one else around, the street still waking up and most of the shops still closed, the sculpture felt like a quiet marker of transition, the kind of artwork that is a reward for being out before the world gets noisy. [Review 664 of 2026 - 4752 in North Carolina - 25845 overall]