ArtPop Street Gallery

Promoting the work of local artists on available media space.

Wendy Hickey created ArtPop in 2014 to ensure "communities have never-ending access to public art, and that artists have the canvases on which to create it." Though originally in marketing and advertising for outdoor advertising companies, Wendy had always loved artists and wanted to thelp them. She told herself, "One day I'm going to quit my corporate world and work to maket artists." She was inspired to use her business acumen to "cover our streets with art. Our cities and schools are starved for art despite everything we know to be true — that art is good for your brain, your children, your community and our economy. That makes supporting art and the artists who make it one of the most important things we can do."

 

ArtPop is "quite literally a street gallery: We turn roads, highways and thoroughfares into opportunities for artistic appreciation and discovery." In ArtPop communities children look out for the bright, vibrant billboards, and for artists, seeing their work LARGE is confidence-building. The project gives hope for future generations of artists and art-lovers.

Every fall, ArtPop begins with an open call to artists in a specific area. The only criteria is that the artist must be 18 or over and must have an active website for their art. Each year one spot is reserved for a senior in Highschool who has plans to study art in college: for them, the prize includes a modest scholarship to art school. 

The submissions are judged by a panel of 7 local art dignitaries, gallery owners, and the like, with always at least one artist who has been through the program as a former winner.

Depending on the location, 6 - 30 artists are chosen for a program that lasts a year, and includes a variety of benefits--from exposure to education. The chosen artists' work features on Out of Home media in public spaces throughout the area-billboards, busstops, benches, newstands, mixed use developments, etc.

When the artists sign up, they know they'll see their work on a billboard, but the rest of the benefit package is a surprise. Things change every day for the artists, with the attention their art garners, and by the end of the year they sell more work for more money. Along with the exposure, the winning artists participate in a course known as "Artist's University," which teaches artists how to live sustainable lives as artists.  Pre-covid, the artists also participated in pop-up shows and gallery openings, which hopefully will be reinstated before too long!

Though born and formed in Charlotte, North Carolina, ArtPop has funded projects in 15 cities and 12 states ranging from North Carolina to Nevada. But despite the Geographic diversity, within each market the project is super locally-focussed. 

When ArtPop started, Wendy wanted to expand everywhere in the country, but the reality is that the amount of work and money that goes into the ArtPop process in each city is extraordinary. With their current staffing and funding it will be 2022 before they can expand to a new market.

There are no restrictions in terms of medium or subject for the entries, other than that they fit on a billboard and are eye-catching enough to work on a very big scale. However, there is a new Division of ArtPop called Inspiration Projects, which focuses all of the generous fiscal, emotional, and marketing support on one artist and one project. Inspiration Projects provides a solution to an individual or business that has an art project that needs to be completed. These projects can range from the cover of an annual report, to a corporate holiday card, to a collection of 300 9" x 12" cutting boards, to a 40-foot mural. This is a paid project for a local artist, and includes the exposure and marketing necessary to make the project a success and further the artist's career.

The project is too new to know what the future will hold, but if you can imagine it, Inspiration Projects can bring it to life.

Artspan Artist Molly Partyka is a proud member of the ArtPop Class of 2021.

When Partyka began creating art again 3 years ago, after a decade or so of raising her daughter and persuing a challenging career as a textile stylist, she dreamed of finally having the opportunity to be a fine artist. "Around the same time, in 2017, I remember being blown away by the art billboards gracing the expressways of Charlotte. I was amazed by the artwork and the fact that Charlotte was beginning to show support for the artist community here. I remember thinking, one day I hope to have my art on display to share with the public and be recognized as an artist."

In January of 2020, Partyka received a Regional Artist Project Grant from the Arts & Science Council of Charlotte to create a 6-8 large scale painting series that she called, "Change in Motion." At the time, she was creating "art of pure emotion from my personal journey of change. As 2020 progressed, revealing unprecedented changes, my painting series evolved into a more communal and global 'Change in Motion.' One of the grant paintings, 'Begin Again,' best reflected a universal landscape of peace and tranquility juxtaposed with the bright energy of vibrant colors that was needed as society moved forward after a trying year. 'Begin Again' was the perfect fit for the elongated, horizontal format required for the ArtPop Street Gallery submission. Only one piece of art can be submitted each year, so I followed my heart and my idyllic, Irish inspired landscape was sent in for review by the ArtPop Street Gallery selection board." 

ArtPop Street Gallery has very specific guidelines for each submission. They have created a an easy-to-follow, step-by-step video explaining exactly how to create your art submission for ArtPop Street Gallery. Partyka selected to subscribe to the Adobe Creative suite for the year to use Adobe Photoshop to crop and size her painting for the ArtPop Street Gallery submission. The ArtPop Street Gallery submissions must be cropped specifically to 24” in Width x 5.5” in Height with a Resolution of 300dpi and saved as a jpeg in the CMYK color mode for the wide, thin format of the printed billboard. "After 3 years, I can submit again to ArtPop Street Gallery. I believe 2 of the artists selected this year were previous ArtPop Street Gallery artists. The 3 year waiting period allows more artists the opportunity to be selected."

"It is hard to express in words how thrilled I am to be selected for ArtPop Street Gallery. I am still in awe each time I view my art billboard or see one of the 7 digital displays around Charlotte. Also, to have my art viewed by millions in the Charlotte Douglas Airport and on newsstands in Downtown Charlotte is amazing to me. To me it feels like winning a Grammy or an Oscar when I see my mini display of my art billboard in it’s mini metal stand. This opportunity allows me to share my art with the Charlotte community at large who may not go to art museums or galleries. As an ArtPop Street Gallery artist, I feel I have been recognized as a working fine artist. It also shows my art students that art has many platforms beyond the walls of a gallery, museum, or one’s home. I still pinch myself each time I see my painting 36 feet long! It is amazing and a dream come true! The artist community in Charlotte has so many great artists that have had their art grace the roadways and I feel honored to be among such talent.

"The reaction from family, friends, and my school community has been so positive and supportive. Being an ArtPop Street Gallery artist allows me to share my painting with more people in the last two months than the last three years. I have obtained a new art show for 6 weeks at the Catalyst Lobby Gallery in downtown Charlotte. I have also hosted an Artist’s Talk at the Bill & Patty Gorelick Gallery, CPCC, Levine Campus, where 'Begin Again' and my other 7 paintings for my ASC Charlotte grant paintings are displayed until June, 2021. The absolute best reaction is the ones from my art students, who daily tell me they saw my painting on the way to school this morning, and when they say they wish to one day have their art on a billboard. To inspire others and share the joy of creating art is the best reward of all."

Artspan member Mary Zio was also chosen, along with 19 other artists, from a group of around 140 submitting artists to represent the Charlotte area for 2021.

Rather than submit a body of work, Zio selected one bright  eye-catching abstract. "You only get to submit one image for consideration, but you include your website link along with the submission." 

Like Partyka, Zio explained that there are certain specifications or requirements to entry, considering the image would be displayed at such a great size. "ArtPop Street Gallery has a very specific submission process, here is the video that has the instructions."

Zio describes the first time she saw her piece very large in a very public space as "Absolutely amazing! It was crazy to see my painting on a billboard! My original painting was 12'x 36,' my billboard image is 14’ x 48’!" And she says the response from the community has been gratifying as well. "I love it when someone tells me they saw my billboard! I get a lot of positive and fun feedback on it.  All the ArtPop Street Gallery billboards are truly incredible, the billboards are giving ‘Art’ to the community, they aren’t there asking the public to buy something.  It’s a crazy amount of exposure, it’s almost surreal!

The billboards are not the only place the artworks are displayed, ArtPop Street Gallery teams up with different  digital billboard companies as well, along with newsstand displays, so artist artworks are seen in many different locations and venues!"

ArtPop's Cities Programs and Inspirations Projects "turn average, ordinary streets into galleries lined with stunning, thought-provoking and inspirational works of art." We look forward with great anticipation to where the ArtPop journey takes us next, because int he words of founder Wendy Hickey, "I want to inspire our communities and cover our streets with art--because we need it, now more than ever."

Learn more and donate to support ArtPop Street Gallery.
 

Artspan first in a series about non-profits/organizations supporting artists.