Public Art and Community Design

Trajectory, 2005; Thomas Sayre, Artist; Uptown Arena, Charlotte NC; Ellerbe Becket, Kansas City, MO, Architect; Epoxy Terrazzo with Glass, Marble and Aluminum aggregates; Photo by Thomas Sayre

Trajectory, 2005
Thomas Sayre, Artist
Uptown Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina

"The difference between utility and utility plus beauty is the difference between telephone wires and a spider web."
-- Edwin Way Teal, naturalist and author

Public art was once defined as artwork located in a public space. The notion that public art is just a memorial or sculpture placed on a plaza has given way to art forms incorporated into the fabric of the community and defined by citizen participation. When properly integrated, public art enhances the environment, create a sense of place, expresses a community's values and identity, and can bring creative people together find solutions to a community's infrastructure and social challenges.

As part of the overall community design, artists can build a visual vocabulary of places, forms, patterns and materials that describe a community's unique qualities.
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For more information, contact:

Brendan Greaves
Public Art and Community Design Director
(919) 807-6509
brendan.greaves@ncdcr.gov