Artist Naji AlAli’s work at Metropolitan as part of the Talking Walls Mural Festival. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Talking Walls Mural Festival kicked off this week. Expect to see eight new murals and an art battle.
What: The fourth annual festival runs now through Oct. 24. Seven artists, many of whom call Charlotte home, will create eight murals. By Oct. 24, more than 50 murals over four years will have been created through the annual event.
This year’s participants include:
There will also be an art battle at 4pm on Oct. 23 between artists Kalin Renee, Fred Smith, Cloud Cruiser and Quynh Nhu Vu. The fundraising event will take place on the rooftop of the Metropolitan parking garage and artists will start with only black and white paint.
- Attendees will be able to purchase paint colors via cash app and card for them during the battle.
- The winner gets a cash prize.
Flashback: Talking Walls began in 2018. Co-founder and creative director Kevin Taylor told Axios the festival was inspired by what he saw in other cities. Talking Walls founders wanted to highlight Charlotte’s creative community.
- “The more murals we put up, the more that will manifest,” Taylor told Axios. “That was really the goal, to get murals up every year.”
Where to find new murals:
- Camp North End by the community garden
- Fat City Lofts
- Ink Floyd
- Metropolitan – Best Buy, Trader Joes & the former West Elm location
- Mission Gathering Church
What they’re saying: “What makes me proud about talking walls this year is that in order to help Charlotte become this art city that it wants to be so badly, we need to take a look at all the different types of arts communities that exists within this space, and figure out how we can become more inclusive of these voices,” Talking Walls chairperson Carla Aaron-Lopez told Axios.
Jen Hill paints Mission Gathering Church. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios