Located in one of the more upper crust neighborhoods of a town that's already upper crust itself,…read morethis sculpture is definitely political. The statue depicts a Jesus as a homeless vagrant sleeping on a park bench. Huddled under a blanket with his face and hands obscured, only the crucifixion wounds on his uncovered feet give him away. The bronze statue was purchased for $22,000 as a memorial for a parishioner, Kate McIntyre, who loved public art. The rector of this liberal, inclusive church is the Rev. David Buck, a 65-year-old Baptist-turned-Episcopalian who seems not at all averse to the controversy, the double takes and the discussion the statue has provoked. "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me." -Matthew 25:40 [Review 13405 overall, 724 of 2020.]

This is homeless Jesus I guess they have a lot of these because we have one of these in my city…read morethat I live in. So we were downtown exploring the area we came across another homeless Jesus. I guess the meaning of this is to love everyone and just respect people no matter who or what they are.

Dedicated on Veterans Day, 2011, the Veterans Monument pays tribute and remembrance of those who…read morehave served the United States. With six marble towers each dedicated to one of the branches of armed forces, there is also a polished wall that is inscribed with the names of over 1100 veterans living or deceased that are or were Cornelius residents. At the top of the monument, there is a six-foot tall likeness of Corporateal Jerry K. Crump on a granite base. Corporal Crump received both the Purple Heart and the Congressional Medal of Honor. There is a brief description of his heroic actions at the base. There is free parking across the street and a crosswalk. [Review 12627 overall, 2419 of 2019.]

What a neat place. I've been wanting to take my nieces here for years and finally had the…read moreopportunity to. I've taken my nieces to discovery kids places in other states but not this one. They had such neat and cool stuff in here. My nieces had an absolute blast on just about everything. It was neat to see different exhibits at this play center such as the firetruck, the boat, the car mechanic, the cafe, and the airline setup. My nieces could have spent all day in there if we would have let them. They also have volunteers walking around through the center cleaning up too! Although we enjoyed our time here I was surprised at how small the place was on the inside. It's two stories but there weren't many play areas upstairs. I've been to bigger discovery kids centers and I wish this one was a little bigger. My youngest niece is only 2 so she was able to play in the small kid area. Even though there were volunteers coming around the facility did not regulate age appropriate kids in the small kid play area. There were 10 Year olds and above coming in the area trying to play. I think they should be a little stricter on this. But overall a cool and fun play for kids!

We loved loved loved our visit! Since we went on a Saturday, we tried our best to arrive as close…read moreto opening as we could. I'm so glad we did! We ended up getting to play for 2 hours before it got incredibly busy. Our daughter loved the water table, crafts, the grocery store and pizza kitchen! I have worked at a children's museum before, so I have a love for them and this one exceeded expectations. I wish it wasn't so far away, but we'll be back! (It was rather expensive, and I forgot to ask if it was all day admission)

Shiny and glittering out of the corner of my eye, this large piece of public art is placed near the…read morefront of the Valerie C Woodward Center facility that houses a number of Charlotte-Mecklenburg city/county offices. From the artist's website, "Pillars of Dreams... makes a soft landing in a field of quiet moments and curious interactions. Open columns drop down from the floating canopy into a field of seating, open paths for wandering, and unbounded spaces for self-assembly. More than an idiosyncratic space for individual discovery, Pillars of Dreams establishes a public agora for visitors and employees at this important community interface between local government and Charlotte-Mecklenburg residents." The caption points out that the artist is Marc Fornes and it is powder-coated aluminum with stainless-steel rivets making up some 3564 parts and 54,000 rivets. Step into and under the center of this public art for a moment. The artist has put openings into the aluminum skin that let some light in. It reflects off the pieces and makes for a pretty sight. Shadows, projected and reflected light in the space below are lovely. Check it out when you're in the area. [Review 13437 overall, 756 of 2020.]

This is a very unique and pretty art installation. I wasn't sure exactly where to go and Apple Maps…read morearen't that helpful what you want to do is go to the front of the building and then turn right. It is on the right side of the building easily accessible if you are coming from the front. Make sure to go close up and look from underneath to see the wide array of colors.

It has taken a while to figure out what this artwork is named and now I know so I can share. This…read moreis "Stem" and it is by artist John Grade. Grade was born in 1970 and works in Seattle. According to his bio, "Kinetics, impermanence and chance are often central to the work." This large sculpture stands in Marsh Park in Pineville https://www.yelp.com/biz/marsh-park-pineville?hrid=hyiA3qTqzfDLTksPCbSdHQ. The park has a paved trail, bridges and boardwalks that allow an overlook of the marshes. There are some seating areas nearby and parking. While this artwork screams out to be climbed on, it is absolutely not for climbing. "Derived from a magnified cross-section of the rhizome [plant stem] of a common sedge indigenous to Marsh Park, Stem is sited along a walking path at the edge of a reclaimed wetland. Purpleheart hardwood was chosen for the sculpture for its durability as well as for its heavy weight. The site floods periodically, temporarily submerging the lower portion of the sculpture under water." [Review 19694 overall - 3425 in North Carolina - 666 of 2023.]

A photography gallery in Uptown, right next to the 7th Street LYNX Station. When I arrived, the…read moreplace was quite desolate. The security guard had me wait in the lobby while he went in to the gallery to turn the lights on. I got the impression that there wasn't a whole lot going on here. It's a good thing that it's free, because 30 minutes of looking at pictures wouldn't have been worth much. And even at 30 minutes, I was still moving pretty slow. When I visited, the exhibit was "Streetwise", a collection of pictures of America's troubled 60's. Capturing images of not just our troubled times, including Boston's "Combat Zone" and close-ups of the Black Panthers, there were also shots of just regular people and places. All in black and white, which gave it a feel of being very like a documentary. Pictures of the pictures are not permitted, but I took that as meaning not taking a picture of the individual pictures. Instead, my wide shot of the gallery doesn't give away the detail but helps you see what you're going to see there. I might come back for the next exhibit, but I think this is a "See it once" kind of thing.

I had never been to The Light Factory and saw there was a very interesting reception called A…read moreShared Elegy. I was so happy I made it out to see what it was all about since I live so close by. Great intimate space, the artist were so insightful and the crowd genuinely appreciated the artist panel and the photography. It was very well curated. Great space, seasoned artists. Well done.

There isn't much to do here except look at a few metalwork statues and perhaps a hundred feet of…read morenicely painted murals. It was interesting and enjoyable, but didn't occupy very much time.

We were with some family from out of state and were showing them things in the area when we…read morediscovered the "Spin" scooters downtown. As we explored, this small park caught our eye and we decided to stop and walk through. We took a few pics as we checked out the metal structures and the mounded grass on either side of the pathway. This is a small relaxing retreat in the middle of busy downtown area.

One of two identical statues that were installed in 2013 outside Jerry Richardson Stadium on the…read morecampus of the North Carolina University Charlotte. Nearby are other sculptures representing baseball, men's and women's basketball, distance/cross country, golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field and volleyball. The statue was donated by long-time University benefactor Irwin Belk and were created by artist Jon Hair. If you're here for a game or just touring the campus, check it out. [Review 16944 overall - 3266 in North Carolina - 460 of 2022.]

I'm not sure why this ground level sculpture is titled "Otter Out of Water" but I nearly tripped…read moreover it as I returned to my car after visiting Sally Fox Park. It looks more like a long eel but hey, that's just my opinion. Installed in 2017 and surrounded by low shrubbery, it would be a little hard to find if you didn't know it's here. As well, it's not in the park itself but on a triangle shaped piece of land across the street. If you've seen pictures of the Loch Ness Monster, or at least the tails of it, that's what we have here. But definitely not an Otter. Odd. The caption gives us the title and the name of the artist, "Harry McDaniel" and that it was installed by the City of Hickory Public Art Commission. And as tempting as it might be, please don't climb on it! [Review 15870 overall - 3088 in North Carolina - 1374 of 2021.]