Remarkable Impact: ASC Completes 10 public artworks in 2025
Artist Mary Carter Taub thinks many of us sleepwalk through our days.
Her art is designed to wake us up, or as she said, to “break through the doldrums.”
The Chapel Hill-based artist achieves that goal with her new work, Loop de Loop, which is one of 10 public art projects ASC managed in 2025. It was installed in its highly visible location – in front of the SouthPark Regional Library with a ribbon cutting ceremony held in August.
This has been a year in which public art has had a remarkable impact on the community and a year filled with “curated moments of wonder in unexpected places,” according to Randella Davis, ASC’s Program Director for Public Art.
New public art is installed throughout the county each year, and ASC shepherds through each project from inception to installation. It’s been that way for 30 years. That’s how long ASC has been entrusted with managing the process.
It was 1992 when the city and county adopted a joint resolution to support public art as part of public infrastructure, which means our local government considers public art essential to a vibrant region. That’s why the Mecklenburg County Commissioners and the Charlotte City Council appropriated 1% of eligible capital improvement project funds for it.
In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, public art is truly public. ASC doesn’t choose the project sites or budget; the city and county do. Government officials don’t choose the art; citizens have had a say in all 208 (and counting) public works that have become part of the environment over the past three decades.
ASC’s leadership helps ensure that the art chosen is high-caliber and reflective of the community. The right work of art can transform a public space into a vibrant, inspiring experience. It can, as Taub said, “jolt us out of the day-to-day and into the sublime.”
Of the 10 public artworks selected in 2025, six have been installed to date. The listings below include the artwork’s title, artist, location and whether it was funded through the city or county.
- Loop de Loop, Mary Carter Taub, SouthPark Loop (7015 Carnegie Blvd.), City of Charlotte (Installed January 2025)
- Weightless Monument, Benjamin Ball (Ball-Nogues Studio), CLT Airport Concourse A Phase 1, City of Charlotte (Installed March 2025)
- Carolina Canopy, Dixie Friend Gay, CLT Airport International Arrival Wall, City of Charlotte (Installed April 2025)
- Responder, Blessing Hancock, Fire Dept. Firehouse #45 (5800 N. Tryon St.), City of Charlotte (Installed June 2025)
- Generations of Growth, Bree Stallings, Naomi Drenan Recreation Center (750 Beal St.), Mecklenburg County (Installed August 2025)
- The Four Elements, Ed Walker, Fire Dept. Firehouse #30 (3019 Beam Rd.), City of Charlotte (Installed September 2025)
- Nurture and Nature, Olalekan Jeyifous, CLT Airport Domestic Arrival Wall, City of Charlotte (Anticipated Instillation November 2025)
- Wildflower, Oliver Lewis, Park Rd. Park Pavilion (6220 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210), Mecklenburg County (Anticipated Instillation November 2025)
- Wings, Meredith Connelly, Ezell Farm Park (4101 Mintwood Dr, Mint Hill, NC 28227), Mecklenburg County (Anticipated Instillation December 2025)
- A Couple of Trees, Walter Hood/Hood Studios, Discovery Place/Nature Museum (658 Sterling Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209), Mecklenburg County (Anticipated Instillation December 2025)
Getting loopy
While the public — not ASC or individual artists — ultimately determines what’s “iconic,” Davis believes Loop de Loop has the potential to become a “standout artwork.” She considers it a “must-visit landmark in SouthPark” and said it’s already delighting kids and adults equally.
One look, and you’ll see why. People not only interact with the seven life-size, standalone sculptures, but pose with them and share the images on social media. (If you’re inclined to share, consider using #ASCPublic Art.)
Its location along “The Loop,” a currently-in-progress walking and cycling route in SouthPark just steps from the high-traffic SouthPark Regional Library, means it’s seen by countless people; day after day, week after week.
And it’s nearly impossible to resist. Passersby are beckoned to “make the fun, almost playful choice of which piece to explore first,” Davis said. “The bright, vibrant colors are visible from a distance, sparking curiosity and igniting the imagination. Each sculpture showcases a whimsical, wonky style, offering multiple perspectives for visitors to interact with.”
Her colorful, organic shapes rising out of the ground turn a “pass-through space” into a destination. Encountering it is as sudden and welcome as the boss announcing that everyone’s getting Friday off. In a sea of red brick, here’s a touch of the artists tropical roots (Taub’s family lived in Puerto Rico when she was a young child.)
Taub’s work is a free-wheeling and fun addition to the landscape. And ASC is excited to have introduced locals to her work. She’s one of six artists new to the program this year; Bree Stallings, Oliver Lewis and Meredith Connelly are repeat artists.
A VERY GOOD YEAR
How does 2025’s total of 10 works stack up against other years? It’s close to a record.
The 11 installations in 2020 set a record. There were 10 one other year – in 2021. The year with the fewest was 2019, when five works were installed.
That number isn’t controlled by the ASC; it’s tied to each project’s construction schedule. Delays caused by weather and other factors can shift the installation date.
If you’re looking for a bright spot in what has felt like a chaotic year, ASC brought Mecklenburg County residents 10 of them. That’s 10 moments of wonder where you least expect them.
Davis characterized 2025 as a “landmark year … defined by collaboration, creativity and community pride.”
Public art breathes life into the landscape and into a community. The best public art can even create a sense of community. And it can, if only for a moment, inject joy into an otherwise humdrum day.
Learn more about public art on ASC’s website, artsandscience.org and see photos of some of the work ASC has helped bring to life.
And, consider giving to ASC. When you give, you help Charlotte-Mecklenburg serve as North Carolina’s public art powerhouse.
“Although city and county ordinances fund the public art program,” Davis said, “donations play a vital role in keeping the organization running and supporting its mission.”
ABOUT ASC
The Arts & Science Council (ASC) is Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s cultural leader, serving as a resource hub, funder, and advocate for arts, science, and history.
A supporting organization of Foundation For The Carolinas, ASC champions local creatives by investing in the arts, sciences, and culture to drive economic growth, community retention, and cultural engagement.
Our mission is to build inclusive, sustainable, and culturally rich communities where creativity drives belonging, growth, and opportunity. From artist support grants and public art stewardship to free Culture Blocks events and partnerships with local schools and universities, ASC invests in a thriving, accessible creative ecosystem for all.
