Art In Transit

​0:06
welcome to the cats lynx blue line public art tour the lynx is a 15 station light rail line
0:13
that runs 9.6 miles from uptown charlotte to the intersection of i-485
0:19
and south boulevard you will find art integrated at every station of the lynx blue line that is intended to provide a
0:26
unique experience for the transit user whether they ride the line daily or only
0:32
on special occasions on this tour you will learn about the art and the 13 artists who were inspired
0:39
to make charlotte's light rail line a ride unlike any other this tour will
0:45
involve both walking and riding so please follow the safety regulations
0:50
that are posted in the light rail vehicle and on the station platforms you will need a round trip or one day ticket
0:58
which can be purchased from ticket vending machines on the station platform or online at www.ridetransit.org
1:09
you will begin the tour at the 7th street station and end at the i-485 and
1:14
south boulevard station feel free to pause the tour at any time if you would like more time to view a
1:21
specific artwork the entire tour will take approximately two hours please check the links blue
1:28
line schedule before you begin at www.ridetransit.org
1:35
let's get started
1:40
this tour begins on the platform of the 7th street station located between the bank of america parking garage and
1:47
imagine on standing on the southbound platform you can see art by three different artists
1:54
look across the tracks to the passenger shelter area artist sean cassidy has designed
2:00
the etched glass of the windscreen and the mosaic column cladding he also created the leaves in the fence
2:07
between the tracks the veins of each leaf have been replaced by a street map of the area
2:13
surrounding the station placed at different angles within the fence the leaves bring to mind eroded
2:20
foliage blowing down the platform the implied movement and the altered skeleton of the leaves gives transit
2:27
users a way to contemplate change in relationship to both nature and the city
2:32
of charlotte you will experience more of cassidy's leaves featured at nine other stations
2:38
on the line and in the light rail vehicle all leaves are native to the area
2:44
listen to the artist describe what inspired his art that is now providing you with an experience
2:50
one of the experiences that influenced my work for the blue line in the most
2:55
significant way was a walk i went on with my wife in
3:01
lansford canal state park in south carolina and on that walk i found a leaf an eroded leaf
3:07
where all of the the meat of the leaf had been eroded and just the skeletal veins of the leaf were left
3:14
and i picked this leaf up and and took it home put it on my desk and set it next
3:20
to a by pure accident by next to the map of the um
3:26
of the of the stations where cats were proposing that uh sculptures be built
3:31
and there was an incredible visual similarity between the characteristics of the leaf and what a map looked like i
3:37
was deliberately trying to make use images that would be accessible to everybody so a leaf everybody has some
3:44
understanding of trees and leaves and some association or memory of of
3:49
interacting with trees and leaves so that was the starting point and then within that that idea i tried to make it
3:56
a more layered experience so for example in the in the leaves in the fence
4:02
the leaves in the fence represent both growth and decay with the green being growth and the the skeletal veins being
4:08
decay and the veins in the leaves also represent maps around the community so
4:14
it's a kind of layered experience some people will just see leaves some people will see growth and decay some people
4:20
will recognize that it's a map and it may take several times on the light rail to actually
4:27
penetrate those three ideas next to the passenger shelter you will
4:32
see a bench by asheville artist haas haley titled river rock
4:38
you will see four more of his benches later in the tour at both ends of the station casting the
4:45
low concrete walls that separate the light rail tracks from the platform called a cheek wall is a ball relief
4:52
that continues the use of the ginkgo leaf there are 47 bar reliefs throughout the
4:58
system depicting ginkgo hornbeam and skyrocket oak leaves
5:03
these 16-inch release transform an abundant material in the light rail system concrete into a unique element at
5:11
every station and the relief is cast by using a rubber mold provided by the artist
5:17
the artist alice adams who is from new york city was influenced by the
5:22
charlotte tree canopy and designed her reliefs and other elements in homage to the charlotte arboretum or place of
5:30
trees now turn right and follow the sidewalk to the ctc arena station you will cross
5:38
over both 6th street and 5th street before you arrive at the station
5:43
press pause until you are standing on the station platform
5:52
when you arrive at the ctc arena station you are surrounded by the work of well-known public artist andrew lester
6:00
his work at this station together with his work at time warner cable arena create an environment made up of several
6:07
elements that are united by a common theme the history of the textile industry in charlotte
6:23
first look down at the platform the bold pattern under your feet is the
6:29
zigzag reverse twill weave that lester discovered in the american cotton
6:34
handbook the artist translated the traditional weaving pattern into a grid for six inch
6:41
concrete pavers as a tribute to the hardworking mill employees of the textile industry in charlotte
6:49
the long and narrow platform is an ideal site to display the pattern
7:00
locate the designated pedestrian crossing at the north end of the tracks
7:05
carefully cross over the tracks to the other side of the station when you are there look over the railing at time
7:12
warner cable arena plaza
7:19
looking east from the platform you can see another work by lester in time
7:24
warner cable arena plaza he was commissioned by the arts and science council to design the four
7:31
brightly colored ceramic and brick towers called flying shuttles in 2005.
7:38
walk left to the end of the platform and down the ramp
7:55
then turn right and go down the stairs into the plaza of the arena to get a
8:00
better view of flying shuttles lester also created 23 glazed ceramic
8:06
sculptures incorporated into the facade of the arena
8:16
turn right again stop when you are standing underneath the light rail bridge
8:26
here lester designed the brick cladding for the six support columns of the light rail bridge over trade street
8:34
using three colors of brick the artist created patterns and shapes reminiscent
8:39
of bobbins of thread an artifact from the textile industry the artist talked about the importance
8:46
of using a common theme at the light rail station and in the plaza well i
8:51
think that one has to think of one aspect of public art is its
8:57
usefulness in in um knitting disparate things together it
9:02
has a it has a kind of urban design function so when for instance when wanna get to
9:10
the trade street station you look out over the railings and you see the flying shuttles and so there's a kind of an
9:16
environment that is being created there a spatial environment with these with these little
9:23
objects that are very great uh if you will independent and quite unique but they
9:30
all come they're a family of forms that are connected in terms of their theme
9:36
and i think uh and by that sense they claim a whole
9:43
space and that space becomes if you will infused with the kind of
9:48
intention of those works and the theme of those works cross under the bridge and take the
9:55
elevator on your right up to the station pause the tour until you are once again
10:01
standing on the southbound platform
10:19
when you are back on the station platform you will find sean cassidy's cottonwood leaf and the fence between
10:25
the tracks look for the solid black dot to locate your present location in the street map
10:32
that sean has used to replace the veins of the leaf now look to your right and you will see
10:38
that there is a sidewalk all the way to the next station walk toward the 3rd street and
10:44
convention center station pause the tour until you are standing under the translucent green canopies of
10:51
the third street platform
10:59
welcome to 3rd street and convention center station the artwork at this station is unlike
11:05
any other station because as you can see the standard shelters have been replaced
11:11
by 20 brightly colored sculptural canopies these canopies were designed by
11:17
well-known public artist jody pinto titled light station each of the green
11:24
and berry colored fiberglass canopies and benches are transparent
11:29
at night when lit from within or when light from the sun filters through during the day the transit rider is
11:36
surrounded by a dramatic glowing landscape pinto also designed the paving pattern
11:42
to complement the shadows cast by the glowing canopies light has always been a central factor
11:49
in my work whether it's natural light or fabricated
11:54
light it right is something that
11:59
puts people on on stage in a sense it awakens them
12:06
it it makes them see and realize the surroundings around them in a in a
12:12
different way depending on the time of day and depending on even the color of the
12:20
sky so as i was traveling around charlotte and as i was thinking about what i wanted to
12:27
do i knew from the beginning that light was going to be a central factor
12:33
for whatever i i was going to design pinto said that she views public art as
12:39
a theater and is intent on engaging the audience providing drama light and props
12:47
the fiberglass material is a performing material with light from the sun and internal lighting that shoots down the
12:54
hollow trunks of the canopies as one of the busiest stations in uptown
13:00
light station creates a dramatic link between passengers and the contemporary urban landscape and may cause them to
13:07
contemplate the future of the city of charlotte press pause until you board the next
13:13
southbound train but don't forget your ticket when the train begins to move
13:18
press play
13:31
now that you are inside the light rail vehicle look up to the ceiling this is another work by sean cassidy
13:38
here he continues his use of leaf shapes native to the area the changing colors convey the four
13:45
seasons and the parallel line suggests a sense of continuous movement
13:50
one of the things in my own work i suppose is i often try and make work that looks
13:56
like it's undergoing some kind of change or or transformation so the leaves
14:04
look like they're growing and they also look like they're decaying and the ceiling graphic on the inside of the
14:09
trains was deliberately designed to kind of reflect the changes of the season so
14:14
if you look up in the ceiling on the trains the the leaf pattern changes colors and the colors kind of
14:20
correlate in my thinking from colors that would equate to spring to summer to fall
14:26
to winter so as you move down the length of the train it's almost as if you're moving through time and
14:32
and season to create this art for the train ceiling cassidy produced an original work using
14:39
a unique layered painting process he developed i'd lay down layers and layers
14:44
and layers of paint and then i put two layers or three layers of white paint on the top and then i take an electric sander and i
14:51
sand through the layers of paint to reveal the drawing underneath so it's almost like a reverse process of drawing
14:58
not normally in drawing it's an adding process where you make a mark on a piece of paper and in my case what i'm doing
15:04
is a reversal of that by taking away material i'm actually making a mark
15:10
now look down at the seats of the train where cassidy has designed a pattern fabric that reiterates the leaf beam of
15:17
his other art the overlapping leaves and the monochromatic palette create a soothing
15:23
and unique pattern these artworks are subtle yet the artist has used them to
15:28
create an experience for the rider that is far from ordinary i would like
15:33
viewers or riders on the trains to be momentarily disrupted by the artwork
15:40
that they encounter on the light rail system and by this i mean just momentarily taken to a different place
15:48
so when they see something on the ceiling or they see the fabric design or they see you know thomas says
15:54
discs out the window it just momentarily adds to the excitement
16:00
and curiosity of the day i suppose in a sense so that often when you're riding on a train you're just daydreaming or
16:06
you're thinking about all the stuff you have to do and these artworks i think are an opportunity for to be kind of
16:12
taken outside of that line of thought and to think about something new that you might not have
16:17
considered
16:31
as the train begins to move out of uptown and across the i-277 bridge you
16:37
will pass by the stonewall station here you will find another one of sean
16:42
cassidy's leaf sculptures maple the first station in charlotte south end
16:47
neighborhood is carson station do not get off the train but take a look out
16:53
the window or the door and view the column cladding in windscreens designed by leticia huerta
17:31
the windscreens depict swirling waters and gold mining pans while the column
17:37
cladding shows intermittent flecks of gold in the mosaic tile this gold mining
17:42
imagery represents j h carson owner and operator of the rudisil gold mine which
17:49
was located under center city charlotte in fact the first documented gold
17:54
discovery in the united states occurred only 25 miles from charlotte and at one
18:00
point in time the gold mining industry was the second most common employment in
18:05
north carolina in 1835 charlotte became the home to a
18:11
branch of the united states mint producing over five million dollars in gold coins before the civil war
18:19
continue riding south to the bland street station pause the tour until you exit the train
18:26
and are standing on the southbound platform
18:46
at bland street station you will notice the intricate patterns in the mosaic column cladding platform paving patterns
18:54
and the etched glass windscreens designed by leticia huerta the winding rose patterns on all three
19:01
are inspired by floral fabrics and the victorian architecture of homes in the
19:06
surrounding south end neighborhood of dilworth walk south to the end of the
19:11
platform and turn right where you will see a low wall with a series of four
19:16
small bronze sculptures by washington dc artist eureko yamaguchi titled
19:23
dreamkeepers the intentionally ambiguous shapes allow pedestrians walking by to wonder is it a
19:31
bird or an umbrella is it a flower or a musical instrument
19:37
the artist has called this project a visual riddle offering viewers an opportunity to use their imagination and
19:44
create their own stories for these elusive but slightly familiar objects
19:52
as you turn to make your way back to the platform you will find a water fountain that has much more to offer than a cool
19:59
drink new york artist nancy bloom created the sculptural drinking fountain basins for
20:06
every lynx blue line station as you bend down to take a drink you will see a fibonacci spiral representing
20:13
natural growth patterns bloom chose to include the blossom of the dogwood tree because it is the state
20:21
flower of north carolina cast in bronze the basins will develop a
20:26
rich patina over time return to the platform and carefully
20:32
cross to the other side of the station to see another of hoss haley's river rock benches
20:38
haley replaced five of the standard benches on the line with a hand polished
20:43
concrete version inspired by smooth stones found in the streams and rivers
20:49
of north carolina the artist creates both a reason and a space for contemplation focusing on
20:56
comfort as a key element haley said that he wanted any part of the art to conform to the body in a way
21:04
that was pleasing without dictating how one would sit on it the familiar shape and the smooth finish
21:11
provide an inviting place for passengers to sit while the organic form contrasts
21:17
the symmetry and strong geometric lines of the station platform
21:22
look in between the tracks to find another of sean cassidy's leaves pin oak
21:28
turn left and walk down the sidewalk to the east west boulevard station
21:33
press pause until you are standing on the station platform
21:51
when you arrive at east west boulevard station locate the stairs at the north end of the platform go down the stairs
21:59
and look to your left down camden road
22:07
here you will find a 360 foot wall featuring 33 mosaics by area artist tom
22:14
thone by laying out the mosaics in the shape of machine cogs the artist makes a
22:20
reference to the machinery of the textile mills please use caution as you walk along
22:26
camden road to view this artwork to create his mosaics thone used the
22:31
trenches method in which irregular shards of ceramics are reused for large
22:36
mosaics in order to collect materials for the art cats and the artists initiated a
22:43
community collection inviting charlotte mecklenburg residents to participate in the artistic process by donating their
22:50
own whole or broken pieces of china glassware or ceramic pottery
22:56
the community responded enthusiastically by bringing their items to phone studio
23:02
at mccall center for visual art when they came to donate they also
23:07
shared the stories and significance of each piece with him
23:12
by incorporating the collected materials into his designs he preserved the
23:17
personal stories of the community members who donated their treasures from a wedding anniversary picnic plate
23:25
that survived a fall from a lindville gorge bridge to melted marbles from childhood from blue willow dishes and
23:33
even a sugar bowl that once held the ashes of a beloved grandfather the memories of the community are
23:40
intermingled with the history of the area that the wall as a whole outlines
23:46
there are cogs that honor the history of charlotte from the revolutionary war
23:51
through the textile and tobacco industry and even to the present day development
23:57
spurred on by the light rail
24:03
in addition to the community collection there are also original pieces by local
24:08
artists terry shipley patrick robertson and the late david ray chisholm
24:14
the artist also led workshops with students from charlotte montessori school trinity episcopal school and the
24:22
west boulevard ymca teaching them about mosaics and incorporating their original pieces into
24:28
the wall watch for cars and carefully walk to the
24:35
end of the wall then turn left to return to the station platform
25:08
as you walk observe the paving patterns in the concrete column cladding and
25:14
windscreens also designed by leticia huerta they feature a depiction of the cotton plant
25:20
cotton was a commonly grown crop in north carolina and made this area ideal
25:26
for textile manufacturing charlotte was home to many successful textile mills including the atherton
25:34
mill in the south end not far from where you are standing now where to research this historic industry
25:41
and many of her designs are based on textile patterns this particular design was based on an
25:48
intricate quilt pattern that she found in a book about quilting traditions in north carolina
25:55
press pause until you board the next southbound train
26:09
do not exit the train at the new burn station but as you pass by be sure to
26:14
notice the different shape of the pavers at the station the leaf shapes used in the platform
26:21
paving mosaics and etched glass windscreens are by leticia huerta
26:27
entitled renewal the three elements complement each other and create a living room effect and
26:33
provide a sense of identity at each station
26:40
after you pass the new burn station the train will travel under an archway
26:45
this arch is actually the cat's vehicle maintenance facility every night when the trains stop running
26:52
they are brought here and are cleaned inspected and prepared for the next day
27:11
as you are approaching the scaly bark station you will be greeted by a work made up of six sculptural disks by north
27:18
carolina artist thomas sayer entitled furrow this project was featured in several
27:25
national art publications including sculpture magazine and was a public art
27:30
network year in review selection in 2008 sayer was inspired by the shape of a
27:37
harrow disc an agricultural tool used to cultivate farmland the title furrow
27:44
refers to the cultivation trench or v left in farmland behind a plow
27:50
each 18-foot tall disk is cast from carolina earth weighs 11 tons and is a
27:57
monument to the agricultural past of the scaly bark neighborhood
28:02
the theme of the piece uh came from experiences of living in the south of knowing something about the
28:08
development the urbanization of the south which was echoed uh surprisingly or not surprisingly in
28:15
in a public meeting that was designed to for the artist to hear something from the public and at that meeting there are
28:22
actually several but i heard from people who are in essence neighbors who remember when
28:28
that area of charlotte was plowed field and the concept of the piece
28:35
came from that notion of once there were plowed fields right there within you know yards hundreds of yards of the
28:42
scaly bar station and now there is light rail which is all about spawning density in urban environments
28:48
where you want density to occur when the artist proposed his project he said
28:54
the implicit nature of the disk and their placement within the rapidly developing median of south boulevard
29:01
causes the viewer to think of what are we farming now and what does the light rail system mean
29:07
to the future of charlotte and to its history light rail is cultivating this
29:12
development the work is intentionally speaking to the change in land use from rural to
29:19
suburban and the ongoing relationship of the people to the land
29:24
furrow was sculpted using the artist's original technique called earth casting
29:30
in which the forms were created from carolina earth reinforced with concrete and steel rebar and cast in the ground
29:37
in proximity to where they will be permanently installed the entire process took five months to
29:44
complete including three months curing time where the sculptures were left to bake in the location that is now the
29:52
park and ride lot after the sculptures were dry they were installed by lifting
29:57
each disc out of the ground in one piece with a crane and placing it onto a 10
30:03
foot deep concrete footing the artist created the texture of the discs by throwing rocks at the surface
30:10
during the casting process do not exit the train but when it comes
30:15
to a stop at the station take a look at the station platforms column cladding
30:21
and windscreens designed by leticia huerta the platform paving the glass windscreens and the
30:28
mosaic column cladding patterns at this station resemble mexican bingo cards
30:34
influenced by the growing hispanic population that lives around the scaly bark station as well as her own heritage
30:41
where to said that here she wanted to design art that would bridge the gap between two cultures
30:49
each image has both english and spanish text and she sees them as a teaching
30:54
tool she said that in her approach to public art in every neighborhood you have to
31:00
talk about something that relates to the people there
31:11
as you pass the woodlawn station you will see more windscreens column cladding and platform paving by leticia
31:19
huerta titled leaves and another river rock bench by hoss haley do not exit the
31:26
train here but look toward the parking lot to see a landscape designed by alice adams called orchard
31:34
alice adams and mark raynis were two design team artists who worked with the
31:40
lynx blue line project team to develop an art plan for the light rail corridor
31:46
they identified a common theme of my place my choice my ride my story and
31:53
laid out specific art opportunities for other artists throughout the line their involvement ensured a sense of
32:00
continuity throughout the stations it was alice's deep interest in the
32:05
local tree canopy that inspired an arboretum theme that you see echoed in
32:11
many of the other artists work arboretum means place of trees
32:17
by designing a site-specific landscape plan for the park and ride lot and
32:22
concrete stamping and scoring on sidewalks in bus bays adams not only pays homage to the local
32:29
tree canopy she also activates the transitional space that the transit
32:34
patron will pass through to access the station and creates a wayfinding system
32:41
an experienced public artist who has been working on transit design teams since 1985
32:47
alice said that her goal in creating art for transit system is to make interesting the spaces that most people
32:54
will take for granted press pause until you arrive at the tyvola station
33:17
when you exit the train at tyvola station walk right and go down the stairs as you walk down you will see a
33:25
sculpture nearly two stories tall entitled reconstructed dwelling
33:31
this sculpture by dennis oppenheim is made of common home building materials
33:36
and incorporates recognizable elements of a house a set of stairs a roof walls
33:42
and windows by reorganizing the known elements of a house and setting them above a floor
33:49
plan of a typical home in the neighborhood oppenheim is challenging the viewer to rethink the conventional
33:56
idea of home the artist has said that this project is art becoming architecture and
34:03
architecture becoming a stage
34:16
during construction of the station the general contractor installed the piece using detailed plans and instructions
34:23
from the artist dennis oppenheim is a well-known public artist with work all over the united
34:30
states europe and south america his work has been featured in exhibitions in
34:36
milan athens barcelona new york san francisco and paris
34:43
take the next southbound train to the next stop archdale station pause the tour until you are standing on
34:50
the station platform
35:01
after you exit the train at the archdale station locate the elevator at the south
35:06
end of the platform as you approach the end of the station you will see the only art in an elevator
35:13
on the lynx blue line called tower of light the artist the late richard c elliott
35:21
has been recognized for his large-scale installations using small plastic industrial reflectors
35:28
the work marks both a point of entry and exit to the archdale station platform
35:34
ride the elevator down to the plaza under the platform
35:46
from inside the elevator the 36 separate panels comprised of two layers of
35:51
colorful industrial reflectors create the visual effect of stained glass as
35:57
light passes through them as you ride down the elevator and the patterns are revealed to you you will
36:04
experience a prismatic display of color light and motion
36:09
sunglass was intentionally left blank on either side of the elevator to give the rider a view of the surrounding
36:16
landscape
36:25
once you are under the platform on the plaza look north toward the bridge and then south toward the long wall
36:33
here you see two boldly contrasting colors on the bridge columns piers and
36:39
walls chosen by local artists marek rayness to create continuity throughout
36:45
the line from woodlawn station to the i-485 and south boulevard station
36:51
he also chose the form liners that add texture to the retaining walls and bridge piers
36:57
the colors that rainish chose are meant to reference the rich color of red carolina earth and the blue gray of the
37:05
southern sky also on this plaza alice adams has
37:10
designed a sculptural concrete bench that incorporates a planter where the transit rider can rest and reflect
37:18
go back up onto the platform and pause the tour until you have boarded the next
37:23
southbound train
37:34
as the train moves south to our final stop on the tour you will pass by the
37:39
arrowwood station do not exit the train but as you go by take a look at the
37:44
mosaics etched windscreens and platform paving also designed by leticia huerta the
37:51
patterns here are references to the native american pottery of the catawba indians the catawba indians were the
37:58
original inhabitants of this area living along the catawba river between north and south carolina
38:05
the black snake that you see coiled around the column cladding is one of the oldest images used in catawba indian
38:12
pottery the catawbas historically tattooed this symbol on the shoulder blades of
38:17
respected war captains
38:26
the next stop you will pass is the sharon road west station do not exit the train here but as you
38:34
pass look out the window at the large wall and bridge that surround the park
38:39
and ride lot here marek rainis chose a different form liner and color combination for over
38:46
twenty five thousand square feet of wall
38:58
here the texture of the walls resembles tree bark and foliage reiterating the
39:04
arboretum theme and complementing alice adams butterfly circle landscape
39:10
pause the tour until you reach the i-485 in south boulevard station
39:45
the i-485 in south boulevard station is the final station on the lynx blue line
39:52
at this station you will find art by latisha huerta alice adams nancy blue
39:58
and marek rayness leticia huerta responded to sterling elementary school that is in proximity
40:05
to the station the school's playing fields are actually located on the roof of the i-485 parking garage
40:13
where to visit sterling elementary school to involve the students in the station art
40:18
the graphic geometric shapes of the windscreens and the bright primary colors of the mosaics and paving
40:25
patterns were inspired by children's playground games
40:30
alice adams influenced the design of the landscape on the sloping hill deliberately complementing where to
40:36
station art the best view of the landscaping can be seen from the pedestrian bridge at the south end of
40:42
the station
40:51
i hope you enjoyed this tour of the links blue line public art you will conclude your tour here at the i-485 and
40:57
south boulevard station to return to the 7th street station make sure that you have your round-trip or
41:04
one-day ticket and board the next northbound train this podcast was brought to you by the
41:10
charlotte area transit system art and transit program i am katie stegall art and transit
41:16
program assistant and producer of this tour i hope that this tour has encouraged you to continue writing public transit and
41:23
noticing the art that makes the lynx blue line a ride unlike any other
41:28
to learn more about cats and public art visit us on the web at wwe
41:53
you