Ideas for Creating Culture, Temporary and Permanent, in Charlotte

[Reverie39]

52 minutes ago, NcSc74 said:

I know some of you don't like nascar but I just saw a commercial about the nascar all star race to be held in Texas.  I thought the all star race was part of the coca cola weekend in Charlotte.  It may be a little niche but Nascar is Charlotte culture.  NC frustrates me.  Embrace what you have; make ityour own.  Nashville leaned in to country music; some folks look down on it.  But they are laughing all the way to the bank.  Can someone explain it to me.  Last thing; why does Oklahoma City have a gasoline alley "district" and Charlotte doesn't.  Frustrating.....

Very much agree. Charlotte is, or should be, the racing city of the US. Yet I feel like other cities have done more to build their reputations on racing.  

[carolinaboy]

1 hour ago, NcSc74 said:

I know some of you don't like nascar but I just saw a commercial about the nascar all star race to be held in Texas.  I thought the all star race was part of the coca cola weekend in Charlotte.  It may be a little niche but Nascar is Charlotte culture.  NC frustrates me.  Embrace what you have; make ityour own.  Nashville leaned in to country music; some folks look down on it.  But they are laughing all the way to the bank.  Can someone explain it to me.  Last thing; why does Oklahoma City have a gasoline alley "district" and Charlotte doesn't.  Frustrating.....

I'm sure you'll get your explanation soon................

[KJHburg]

3 hours ago, carolinaboy said:

I'm sure you'll get your explanation soon................

we lost the All Star race to Texas when during Covid the race could only happen with very limited attendance here.  Texas Motor Speedway also owned by Bruton Smith was an easy switch.  But out went millions in revenue for hotels, restaurants and tax revenue.   It is shame since most of the teams are based within 50 miles of Charlotte Motor Speedway and they got to stay home and race for 2 weeks in a row.  We need to work on getting it back. 

Indy would compete for us a racing city but we are the NASCAR hub all the fans know that.  Even met an Australian in Fiji when I said I was from Charlotte he immediately said "Nascar"

5 hours ago, NcSc74 said:

I know some of you don't like nascar but I just saw a commercial about the nascar all star race to be held in Texas.  I thought the all star race was part of the coca cola weekend in Charlotte.  It may be a little niche but Nascar is Charlotte culture.  NC frustrates me.  Embrace what you have; make ityour own.  Nashville leaned in to country music; some folks look down on it.  But they are laughing all the way to the bank.  Can someone explain it to me.  Last thing; why does Oklahoma City have a gasoline alley "district" and Charlotte doesn't.  Frustrating.....

the All Star race would have been this weekend in Charlotte with the Coca Cola 600 Memorial Day weekend and yes it is  loss for this region because it puts Heads in the Beds for  our hotel industry. 

[JacksonH]

Time for some humility.   Progress is being made in Charlotte but still some ways to go.  The perspective from outsiders:

 

[KJHburg]

""If I could live in any US cities I have visited I would live here" says Joel  BINGO we are not a huge spot for tourists we all know that.    But boy are people moving here.  they visited uptown on Saturday in March and sure it is not too lively.  They did go to Sixth St Market and seem to like it.  They did visit the Epicenter.   Overall including this video they make the case for visiting more typical American city as opposed to a world city like NY or Miami.  

They did both mention they thought the food was good here.  I sure wish I would have run into these two.  

 

[SydneyCarton]

The museum buildings are really good.

Although the NASCAR HOF is not part of it, it’s such a great structure.

 

[SydneyCarton]

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article271318447.html



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[KJHburg]

this 30,000 sq ft immersive arts center should go into .............................. the Epicenter or whatever they are calling it now.  It could revitalize it and there is parking there.   This could change the whole image of that center.  

[JRCLT]

Here’s an important question… what architect said, “hmm… I think we should just plaster walls here and that’ll look great!! oh! But let me add some windows here and there…can have it too windowless.”



And I was here thinking engineers were the only ones who liked boring old boxes…

[tozmervo]

On 1/20/2023 at 8:21 AM, JeanClt said:

Here’s an important question… what architect said, “hmm… I think we should just plaster walls here and that’ll look great!! oh! But let me add some windows here and there…can have it too windowless.”

And I was here thinking engineers were the only ones who liked boring old boxes…

I mean, most of the Epicenter is architecturally problematic. I think better quality materials and more thoughtful design would have helped keep it relevant for longer than it was.

That said, the blank walls are where the movie theater and bowling alley were. 

[KJHburg]

1 hour ago, tozmervo said:

I mean, most of the Epicenter is architecturally problematic. I think better quality materials and more thoughtful design would have helped keep it relevant for longer than it was.

That said, the blank walls are where the movie theater and bowling alley were. 

would not that make a great place for this interactive arts center?  The one at Biltmore has no exterior windows and of course most of these shows need dark spaces.  I still think Epicenter Queen City Quarter is the best place for this.  It would revitalize the center, physically close to Blumenthal, parking underneath and transit at the doorstep.  

[Rickybobby]

Wouldn't Campnorthend also be an easy fit for this? Still very close to uptown and has parking. The space they built for Van Gogh has been used many times over already. 

[SydneyCarton]

This Picasso exhibit looks great.



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[QCxpat]

Today's CBJ,  "Duke Energy's New Uptown Charlotte HQ to feature three major public art works" by John Downey

Excerpts:  "Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) has commissioned a Charlotte artist to create one of three major public artworks at its new headquarters in uptown."  "Ivan Toth Depena is behind a pair of abstract sculpture-and-light installations depicting photons — the smallest particle of light — at the main entrance of Duke Energy Plaza, at 525 S. Tryon St.  The tallest structure is 45 feet and looming behind it will be a six-story panel with a silhouette of Depeña's “photons” as a backdrop."  "Depeña says he was drawn to the photon, which transmits light and is actually the particle responsible for converting sunlight into electricity in a solar panel.  It seemed like a perfect subject."  “When I'm working, I like to consider things starting both from a natural standpoint and also from a scientific standpoint,” he says.  His approach to public art for the Duke headquarters was, “What can we draw from the natural world to create something that has a representation for or some kind of conceptual relationship to what the building is about? ..."

"In addition to Depeña’s installation on Tryon Street, the Brooklyn Village Avenue facade of the plaza will display a three-dimensional mural by Nigerian native and Brooklyn, New York-based artist Olalekan Jeyifous."  "The main lobby will  ... include a work titled "Journey of the Sun" — a sculpture of 85 colorful, translucent glass discs that will be suspended from the ceiling in a slender,  figure-eight curve representing the sun's path across the sky over the course of a year."  "Duke describes it as a piece of immersive art by the Chicago-based art duo Luftwerk."

"Installation of Depena's photon sculpture is scheduled to begin in early February and continue through March.  The Brooklyn mural and interior Experience Hall are scheduled to begin installations this summer."  "Not only does public art help a community build its cultural identity, it also helps residents build a sense of belonging," said Lauren Harkey, owner and director of Hodges Taylor" (Charlotte's longest-running contemporary art gallery). 

Link:  https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2023/02/07/duke-energy-depe-a-public-sculpture-headquarters.html

Enlarge

Image - Duke Energy Corp.  "Charlotte artist Ivan Toth Depeña will have his abstract installation of a photon particle erected at the main entrance of Duke Energy Plaza."

Twitter image  -  Artist,  Ivan Toth Depena

Edited February 8, 2023 by QCxpat

[KJHburg]

Did we ever find out what will happen to the lighted piece on the side of the old Duke Energy building on S Church?  I hope it finds a home either in that redevelopment or somewhere.   It was the first big light display in uptown.  

[KJHburg]

Checked out the Picasso exhibit at the Mint.  It was the most crowded I have ever seen the museum.  Be sure to catch this show before it leaves in May.  Plus it includes a lot of Romare Bearden paintings.  

https://www.mintmuseum.org/exhibition/picasso-landscapes-out-of-bounds/

Plus your ticket gets you into the rest of the museum and saw some new exhibits today including the Mint's own collection of clothing from 1760s to today.  

This Picasso exhibit is only stopping in 3 places in the US and one of them is Charlotte.  

[KJHburg]

I will put this here as there is really no other thread to put this in.  Some have said Charlotte has no aquarium.  Of course that is only correct if you mean city limits but at Concord Mills literally right over the Meck/Cabarrus county line is the Sea Life aquarium.   We are talking 25 minutes from uptown Charlotte.    I paid a visit today with a friend and I had forgotten what a great aquarium this is for our area (being the only one)  and is comparable in size the NC Aquariums on the coast.  So if you have kids or friends visiting from out of town don't forget about SeaLife.  This is a largest commercial owned chain of aquariums in the world and is owned by the Merlin Entertainment Group out of the UK.  

Some photos and highly recommend the back access tour at the top of the tanks and so forth.  They have multiple sharks, a tube through a big ocean tank, a touch tank, sea turtle rescue area with one from the NC coast,  new eel they got from Atlanta's Georgia Aquarium.   

https://www.visitsealife.com/charlotte-concord/

and you can take transit there take LYNX to university area and catch a CATS bus to Concord Mills. 

[QCxpat]

Uptown 12:35 p.m.  -  Charlotte SHOUT!  March 31 - April 16 

Edited April 6, 2023 by QCxpat

[KJHburg]

I caught the tail end weekend of Charlotte Shout which by the way is a great way to get people intown and uptown.  People enjoyed it I could tell from all the photos people were taking.  

I hope this continues for a long time.  Easter eggs, The crown.  The see-saws. 

[Reverie39]

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-diverse-cities/12690
 

Charlotte named the 8th most diverse city in the US by WalletHub. #4 among large cities. 

[rancenc]

Upcoming culinary event that I personally was not familiar with.  Apparently it has been in place in the past.

https://v1019.com/2023/04/24/grilled-cheese-festival-coming-to-charlotte-north-carolina-this-weekend/

[KJHburg]

at the Mint today uptown.  Very interesting exhibit on chairs and some you could sit it and others more a piece of art.   (and who does not like a good chair) 

The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design - Mint Museum

there was a huge game of musical chairs in the atrium space.  

[KJHburg]

Charlotte Shout is going on now and there are so many things to see.

Uptown Charlotte is by far not a ghost town on Fridays.  As many of the people I saw walking around uptown were office workers I know because I saw their ID cards and so forth.  

And pieces of art are all over uptown from First Ward Park to Levine Ave of the Arts by the Mint.   Check out illumination alley. 

[Professor]

On 5/20/2022 at 7:07 PM, JacksonH said:

Time for some humility.   Progress is being made in Charlotte but still some ways to go.  The perspective from outsiders:

 

That was 15 minutes of wasted time I will never get back. They didn't seem to realize that they are in the business district of the city and the hordes of people are at work or if visiting on a weekend day things  could liven up at night when people are dining out, going to sports events, in bars, or maybe enjoying a play. They are young and not very worldly yet, more the Asheville/post-millennial types. I will be in Frankfurt in a couple weeks. Frankfurt is like Charlotte. It isn't a tourist center and the uptown is mostly for business, It has an airport about as busy as Charlotte's where lots of people are stopping to visit other places down the Rhine, Baltic, the Alps or "party towns" like Berlin or Hamburg. But, like Charlotte, Frankfort has tons of activity if you know the city and that is good enough for most here and there.  I lived in London when it was the sleepiest big city in the western hemisphere. There wasn't much cool besides Piccadilly and Soho and that was totally for tourists. I hope this couple at least visits South End before moving on. I'm not saying that we live in the most exciting place on earth, but I do believe that they are leaving without doing a very sensible evaluation. This is just my opinion and if you disagree with me, you likely have your justifiable reasons.  By the way, this video is a couple of years lold and silly individuals were still running around with surgical maskks on their faces (most pulled down below their noses). It was a quiet time of recovery mostly. in the UK, some would call them "silly Nillys).  Tata. 

 

 

Edited April 7 by Professor