Completed Projects

​Ruth Ava Lyons & Paul Sires

Charlotte, NC

Welcome to Nodaland

Station color, smalti glass mosaic, granite bench, laminated windscreen glass, passenger canopy columns

​​​​2018


The red chosen by artists Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires is intentionally unique to NoDa and the 36th Street station.  It signifies the residents' passion for their neighborhood and a creative spirit that uniquely sets it apart.  Early on, both artists requested that all the vertical metal elements be painted red, including the large bridge beams supporting the elevated platform, the canopy steel and roofs, fencing, and light poles. They also made bold color choices for the painting of the metal portions of each standard bench and for the metal column cladding at each passenger shelters on the platform.  


​

​

​




Approaching the station platform, riders are welcomed by Ruth Ava Lyons' large mosaic NoDa Lotus and Paul Sires' band of colorful dark and light square mosaics depicting recognizable NoDa imagery. The Lotus specifically is a universal symbol for renewal and growth. The mosaics borrow compositions and colors from Lyons' paintings and Sires sculptures. ​

 The glass windscreens are divided between these partners.  Lyons imagery and color are recognizable in her art glass alongside Sires blue and white art glass in the center canopy.  A Sires' carved granite bench is installed at ground level near the 36th St bus stop.   ​



 

The artists celebrate the diverse and eclectic nature of this art district on North Davidson, known as NoDa, in which they played a lead role in creating over time.  Their message is that many parts must work together to make a beautiful whole.​

​

Artist Bios

Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires have created art throughout the southeast both together and independently. Ruth Ava Lyons’ paintings are in the collections of numerous corporations and museums including the metropolitan Museum of Art, Bank of America, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Paul Sires has designed and fabricated public art for the federal reserve bank of Richmond, VA, the Morgan Square Revitalization in Spartanburg, SC, and the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, among others. Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires earned their MFAs from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan and their BFAs, Cum Laude, from Kent State University in Ohio.

​