Art is the Heart of the City Project Description

   Art is the Heart of the City was a joint project of ASC Public Art (Charlotte NC), NationsBank (now Bank of America) and Northwest School of the Arts. Lead Artist Cordelia Williams worked with 22 11th and 12th grade art students of Dean Johns.
   The project is the construction fence mural around the Visual Arts Colony (now McColl Center for Visual Art) being restored by NationsBank at the burned out First A.R.P. Church building. The fence consists of 18 4'x8' panels, plus a 4'x8' panel of acknowledgements and list of the artists. The mural will be up for one year, after which a permanent home will be found. The site is located on North Tryon Street between 10th and 11th Streets and down 11th Street in Charlotte, North Carolina.
   Art is the Heart of the City is about the contributions of artists to a beautiful and lively city, an artists' utopia loosely based on the reality of Charlotte. Visual artists, dancers, musicians and theatre people are vividly portrayed by these students, most of whom aspire to be professional artists.
   Pictured as well are other aspects of vibrant city life: Crowds, shoppers and theatre goers, people eating at restaurants and street cafes, street musicians, food vendors, a bicycle race, gardens and wildlife. There are famous Charlotte landmarks, too: the Trolley, the skyline at night, the Mint Museum and an abstract of Spirit Square. There is also a girl riding her horse at sunset through the ruins of the burned out church.
   Cordelia Williams directed the mural design and educational component of the project. She explained the mural concept and showed slides of the site from various viewpoints. This work took place during the students' regular art class at their school, September 8-25, 1997.
   Students were asked to imagine "Your ideal future as an artist living in a city where the arts flourish." The first assignment was to draw a self-portrait as an artist, making art. Many students envisioned their future studios in the arches of the restored church.
   The second assignment was "You and your friends out for an evening on the town, having a great time." From several sets of sketches, Cordelia helped each student choose a drawing to develop for their panel. As the designs progressed, the group made decisions about how the panels would flow together.
   During this planning phase, students studied the work of great mural artists, architects and utopian dreamers pertinent to the discussions and ongoing drawing. The group also explored topics of city planning such as growth and livability.

   Passersby stopped to watch the artists painting and to admire their work. The enthusiasm generated by this project was contagious and Founders Hall took on a celebratory mood. Art is the Heart of the City was installed October 10, 1997.