WS Chronicle

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County has launched its second year of “ArtPop” by promoting local artists’ works through the use of donated outdoor advertising space.  Artists residing in Forsyth, Stokes, Davidson, Surry, Davie, and Yadkin counties were eligible to participate, and five works were chosen to appear on billboards owned by Fairway Outdoor Advertising on major regional arteries as space becomes available..

ArtPop promotes local artists’ work through available media space. The first official ArtPop program was in Charlotte in 2014 when the works of 20 local artists were displayed on donated billboard space.  To date, more than 200 artists have been featured nationally, and ArtPop is now on the streets of 11 cities across the country with at least five more to come in 2017. 

Artists whose works will be prominently displayed on billboards throughout the region by The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County during the next year are:

*Sharon Hardin of Winston-Salem. Title of work: “Shades of Super Moon,” Medium: Watercolor

*Skyler Holley of Winston-salem.  Title of work: “The Lighthouse,” Medium – Oil on Canvas

*Barbara Mellin of Winston-Salem. Title of work: “Peony,” Medium: Watercolor

*Gary Taylor of Thomasville.  Title of work: “United we …,” Medium: Photography

*Bradley Tucker of Pilot Mountain.  Title of work: “Pacifier,” Medium: Fabricated, powder coated, steel sculpture

The Arts Council is partnering with ArtPopStreetGallery of Charlotte, the creator of the program, and the Greensboro Division of Fairway Outdoor Advertising. The Arts Council is paying for the creation of the artwork on the billboards and Fairway is contributing the outdoor advertising space.

“We are excited to bring more art in unexpected places to our community,” said Jim Sparrow, President and CEO of The Arts Council, “and by partnering with Fairway Outdoor Advertising we can take art to hundreds of thousands of travelers in and around our community. These amazing works of art will delight all who see them as they go about other daily activities.”  The works range from abstract and provocative to representational. “The highways become a gallery for everyone to experience art,” said Sparrow.

There were 42 submissions, and works were chosen through a juried process chaired by Cheryl Lindsay of  Hanesbrands and an Arts Council board member. Other members of the panel were Saul Guinto Salinas, Que Pasa Media Network; Rosa Otero, Salem College Art Department; Tammy Evans, Winston-Salem State University, Department of Art + Visual Studies; Laura Hortal, Forsyth Technical Community College Department Chair – Humanities, Fine Arts and Communication; Tiara Reynolds, Fairway Outdoor Advertising, Art Director and ArtPopStreet Gallery Founder, Wendy Hickey.

More information and application guidelines can be found at www.intothearts.org/artpop.