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Kinder-Sigmon's sketched and colored plans for the planter.

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After applying for the commission on a whim — the artist typically works with multimedia vestments and shoes — Shawna Kinder-Sigmon painted this planter in 2016. The work was one of four paint on metal planters sponsored by West Side Charleston Main Streets, Charleston Urban Renewal Authority, and private donors. Though the piece was initially completed in 2016, Kinder-Sigmon later repainted it in 2019, as the box was damaged when someone burned trash in it. The mosaic-like painting style on the planter captures elevations of real buildings in Elk City. Two sides are bathed in bright yellow sunlight, while the other two sides are cloaked in the cool blue of night. Buildings is maintained by nearby Winter Floral and Antiques.

Buildings

In the past few years, West Side Charleston has undergone a renaissance and urban revitalization. One of the clearest indicators of the progress made is the proliferation of public murals, planter boxes, sculptures, and site specific works in the area. This tour draws heavily from a tour by Charleston's Office of Public Art and was made with the office's cooperation. To learn more visit: http://publicartcharleston.org/.

Debbie Amos created Bubbles in 2011. The painted metal sculpture also has a functional use as a bike rack. Despite the sturdy material, Bubbles appears light and whimsical. The blue green paint helps Bubbles contrast from the cinder block wall and pavement that serve as its setting, while not distracting from the larger landscape of Haddad Riverfront Park. Bubbles is one of four sculptures in Charleston that serve as bike racks, the others being Chris Dutch's Bike Man, Jeff Fetty's Quiet Elements, and Ian Bode's The Passenger.

Bubbles

This piece was created by West Virginia artist Jeff Fetty in 1990. Fetty is one of the state's most celebrated artists. He was the sixth American to be inducted into the International Metal Design Annual in Germany and has created works for former president Bill Clinton, designer Yves Saint-Laurent, musician Jon Bon Jovi, and the Elizabethan Globe Theatre. Fetty has also maintained traditional Blacksmithing techniques from his home in Spencer, West Virginia, training new apprentices and creating a space for established smiths to work.King Alfred and His Court consists of five large steel and iron flowers, likely intended to be daffodils. The components stand slightly over nine feet tall and are arranged in a semi-circle on a slightly raised mound of dirt. When in season, the earth around the sculpture is rife with real flowers. In many ways, the sculpture is figurative. The vertically aligned flowers are reminiscent of a person with upstretched arms. The name further encourages connections between the flowers and people. With this understanding in mind, the sea of flowers at the base of the sculpture can be understood as the general populace, towered over by the giants of King Alfred's reign. Interestingly, this is not the only King Alfred flower sculpture Fetty made. Another work, which features a single flower, was commissioned in 1994 by the Metal Museum. The work is titled "The Real King Alfred" suggesting that this arrangement of his court is an impostor or fake version of the king.Historically, King Alfred was a Saxon king who ruled from 871 until his death in 899. Though Alfred's political and battlefield accomplishments were lauded, he is best known for his revival of the arts and literature in England. For this reason, daffodils are an appropriate choice for a work of art bearing Alfred's name. The flower is historically associated with regeneration and rebirth, as it is one of the first plants to bloom after winter. Additionally, daffodils are one of the most revered and written about plants in classical English literature, a fact many literary historians have noted. Through composition, naming, and site, Fetty's King Alfred and His Court offers more than initially meets the eye. As one moves around the piece, learns the name, and considers its interplay with the environment, new understandings emerge.

King Alfred and His Court is one of the oldest sculptures in Charleston's West Side, having been created in 1990. The piece is composed of five nine feet tall metal flowers arranged in a semi-circle. Though initially appearing rather simple, the work offers a multitude of complexities for the viewer to consider through composition, naming, and site. 

King Alfred and His Court

This planter box was designed by Bernice Deakins as part of a project to bring more art to Charleston's West Side. The Charleston Main Streets West Side Urban Design Committee commissioned four such planters, each limited to a palette of primary colors. Further funding for the project came from Charleston Urban Renewal Authority and a host of private donors. The planters were built from scratch and painted in situ. Deakins' contribution features the words "Elk City" on the front, as West Washington Street serves as the entrance to the area commonly known as Elk City. The backside of the box depicts what appear to be daffodils. The piece was completed in 2017.

Elk City

Located at the entrance to Charleston's West Side, Dreamer is a fitting welcome to an area on the rise. The work was sponsored by the Office of Public Art, Main Street Charleston, and Gardner's Drycleaning, which is housed in the building. Artist Dan Toro was selected from over forty artists after a national search. Toro travelled from his native Laramie, Wyoming to create the paint on block mural in 2019. Painting took thirteen days. Dreamer depicts a man sitting on a bench during his lunch break. He has a lunchbox, thermos, and sandwich — which is based on a reuben sandwich from local institution, The Grill. The figure appears lost in thought. This is reflected in the stenciled background, which becomes increasingly colorful and whimsical as it wraps around the building. Not wanting to further saturate Charleston's public art with West Virginia's state bird, the cardinal, Toro instead included finches in the stencil. Another symbol that appears in the work is the sugar maple, West Virginia's state tree. Finally, a painted metal finch perches on the top of the building, blurring the lines between Dreamer being two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. 

Dreamer

El Jardin del Amor, which translates to Garden of Love, was created by Jesse Corlis. The 2015 mural was commissioned by the owners of the Mexican restaurant Mi Cocina de Amor for their new outdoor dining space. Corlis designed the mural in photoshop before creating a physical sketch based on input from the restaurant's owners. El Jardin del Amor incorporates a bevy of traditional Mexican symbolism. The two faceted moon in the top left represents the owners of Mi Cocina de Amor and patrons of the mural. Three sugar skulls scattered throughout the work represent the owners' late parents, while the dog represents a beloved family pet. The Virgin of Guadalupe appears on a light pole, keeping a protective eye on diners and passerby. Mi Cocina de Amor's logo appears above the door in the center of the mural while birds, plants, and leaves swirl about the energetic work. El Jardin del Amor was one of Corlis' first major commissions and helped launch the artist's career. 

El Jardin del Amor

West Side Wonder Mural was created by Charley Jupiter Hamilton in 2014. At thirty by sixty feet, the enormous paint on brick mural took months to complete, even with significant community involvement. John Bullock, whose son owns the building on which the mural is painted, worked with his company Gaddy Engineering, the Payne family, First Bank of Charleston, and West Side Main Street to raise over $6,000 to commission and provide materials for the work. Seven colors of paint executed in Hamilton’s self-proclaimed “sloppy” style are the hallmarks of West Side Wonder Mural. This style is influenced by street art, East Village graffiti, Mexican muralism, and Primitivism. The mural is intended as a representation of Charleston’s West Side. Hamilton embraced stereotypes that the West Side is violent or crime-ridden when making the work. He felt that even if there is some truth to these preconceived notions about the area, there is still a strong sense of community and progress. Hamilton’s motto for the project was “they can never tame us.”1West Side Wonder Mural includes hundreds of figures, each one a real person. Hamilton considers the mural to be narrative in nature. “I do figurative work. I really could not [not] do figurative work because of my feelings about storytelling — I love storytelling… Art should impact and surprise people, and if you have a story to tell, why not tell it?”2 Hamilton included likenesses of widely recognizable figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, Frida Kahlo, Tiger Woods, and the Virgin of Guadalupe — the lattermost a nod to the Mexican influence in West Side Wonder Mural’s composition. Union Civil War soldiers from the 34th Ohio regiment, which was stationed in Charleston, square off against the figure of patron John Bullock, who is dressed in Confederate gray. Political figures such as West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant and former Charleston Mayor Danny Jones also appear in the work. Despite the mural’s star-studded roster, a vast majority of the figures are inspired by community members. Ten-year-old Emma Del Torto and her pet goat, Milo, is one example of a local that Hamilton chose to include. Though it is a relatively recent addition to the area, West Side Wonder Mural has quickly become an iconic representation of the community.

West Side Wonder Mural is a 2014 paint on brick mural by Charley Jupiter Hamilton. The figural representation of Charleston’s West Side includes hundreds of famous figures, local personalities, and community members. The mural has become an icon that acknowledges tradition in the West Side while embracing the community’s positive change.

West Side Wonder Mural

Like many of the works in this area, Elk City Mural is a community collaboration. Created in 2015 by Josh Martin, an art professor at West Virginia State University, the paint on concrete piece was enhanced by contributions from West Side locals. West Side Main Street commissioned the work as a source of pride for residents. Martin painted geometricized hills and the outline of an elk, which is defined via negative space. Community members painted small additions throughout the hills of the work. These range from cartoon figures, to flags, to objects important to their painters. The mural wraps around the building and the side that faces Tennessee Avenue features the words "Elk City." West Side has slowly grown into the Elk City moniker over the years due to its proximity to the Elk River. Martin envisioned the mural as one that combines the natural prehistory roots of the area with the current expansion and revitalization of its human culture.

Elk City Mural

This untitled graffiti wall was created by Justin "Ketchup" Withrow and fellow artist Edistsew. The paint on block works were completed in 2016. Withrow works as a graffiti artist based in Columbus, Ohio and Edistsew is a fashion designer. The two artists have also completed another work in Charleston, No Limit Fitness' Planes in Space.

Untitled

Staci Leech-Cornell’s John C. Norman Blueprints was completed in 2016. The paint on metal planter is one of four painted planters commissioned by Charleston Main Streets West Side Urban Design Committee, Charleston Urban Renewal Authority, and private donors. Leech-Cornell chose to use her planter to honor John C. Norman (1892-1967), an influential West Virginia architect. Norman was born in New Jersey and studied architecture and structural engineering at Carnegie Technical Institute. He then moved to Charleston in 1919 and became the state’s second African American architect. He was also the state’s first African American structural engineer. Over the course of his career, Norman designed a great number of residential, commercial, and civic buildings. Leech-Cornell’s tribute has the planter painted almost entirely blue to resemble architectural drafting materials. Thin white lines outline various elevations of a building. It is unclear if Leech-Cornell’s imagery is taken from a real drawing Norman created, or if it is imagined. One possibility is that it depicts the historic building behind the planter as it looked when first constructed. Regardless, John C. Norman Blueprints serves well to tie historical heritage to modern beautification.

John C. Norman Blueprints

Nichole Westfall’s Tiger Box was completed in 2018. The work consists of a painted electric box. The piece includes a cartoon tiger in front of a landscape with hills, a river,  and a rising or setting sun. The tiger, hanging lanterns, furling clouds, and clearly defined fore, middle, and background all suggest a strong Asian influence on Westfall’s style for this piece. Though the natural world elements of the work are bright and peaceful, the tiger’s expression is extremely unsettling. It’s perked ears, wide bright yellow eyes, large grin, and lolling blue tongue suggest that it is perhaps eyeing the viewer as its next prey. Westfall was born and raised in West Virginia, though they are now based out of Colorado. 

Tiger Box

One of four painted planters in Charleston’s West Side, Red Cardinal was created by Ian Bode in 2017. The paint on metal work serves as both a functional plant receptacle and aesthetic asset to the area. Bode’s work has been described as celebrating Charleston and the artist himself supports this saying, “It’s what I see. It’s how I feel about it… I think a lot of Charleston is in my art.”1 Red Cardinal is enthusiastically positive and energetic. Rayonnant lines of color, stylized cartoon hearts and stars, jagged mountains, and bright red birds all vie for space on a checkerboard background. The graphically intensive work denies a coherent narrative, though each element carries strong symbolic weight. These motifs persist throughout all four sides of the work and each side is unique. Bode’s work celebrates Elk City through image and form, allowing the viewer to connect with the work on their own terms.

Red Cardinal

Eventually Elk City and Jarrett Court artist Kayleigh Phillips got her start in graphic design and advertising before moving to Charleston from North Carolina. In addition to mural painting, Phillips also creates tattoo art. The two works here were funded by local business owner Tighe Bullock and a grant from Charleston Urban Renewal Authority. The total cost of the works was $3,500. Both pieces are paint on brick and were created in 2018.Eventually Elk City, on the left, is a reconceptualization of an early twentieth century advertisement. The painted ad was almost completely eroded when Phillips began working on the renovation. The artist was able to piece together that the original work read, "Eventually Washburn-Crosby's Gold Medal Flour. Why not now?" Below the words was a silhouette of the building and a collection of trees. In tribute to the original work, Phillips maintained the lettering style but changed the mural to read "Eventually Elk City. Charleston, WVa. But Why Not Now?" The single building was replaced by a section of Elk City's skyline. Lettering above the mural for Ray's Grocery, which once occupied the building, was left untouched.Jarrett Court, on the right, was also added next to Eventually Elk City. Jarrett Court celebrates its namesake street through the same gold lettering from Eventually Elk City, but on a Black background. The top of the work also has lettering for adjacent Washington Street. Art Deco flourishes add a timeless quality to the piece. Phillips' two works reflect common themes found in Elk City's burgeoning public artworks: a recognition and reverence of the area's history combined with an emphasis on community and progress.

Eventually Elk City and Jarrett Court are two murals by artist Kayleigh Phillips. Eventually Elk City is a reconceptualization of an advertisement from the 1900s, while Jarrett Court is new. The two murals are part of efforts to expand public art in Charleston's West Side. Both paint on brick works were completed in 2018.

Eventually Elk City and Jarrett Court Murals

Kayleigh Phillips' work Let the Good Times Roll adorns the loading dock of American Billiards & Outdoor Recreations. The mural depicts a cartoon elk — apropos for an area nicknamed Elk City — playing billiards. The lintel of building's doors serves as the billiards table. On the right, lettering in a variety of fonts reads, "Let the good times roll." Only a few colors are used in the piece: yellow, blue, pink, green and Black. Both the lettering and color schemes are reminiscent of prints, one of Phillips' favorite artistic mediums. The simple clean style of the work belies another one of Phillips' influences, old cartoons like Felix the Cat. Let the Good Times Roll is one of many hidden artistic gems in West Side Charleston. 

Let the Good Times Roll

Edgewood blooming was created in 2017 by Jim and Joan Namey, owners of Appalachian Metal Fabricating. At eight feet tall, the 475 pound steel sculpture makes quite the statement in tiny Edgewood Park. The sculpture was commissioned by the Edgewood Garden Club for a total of $5,000. It took three years for the organization to raise funds and select an artist. Though the Nameys are based out of Kenna, WV, Joan grew up on the West Side, making this project a personally significant endeavor. Edgewood Blooming was intended to be eye-catching and unique. The garden club wanted something that would beautify the neighborhood and encourage passerby to stop and admire the piece. The name of the work was chosen not by the artist, but by the club. Edgewood Blooming was chosen as a play on words. The piece depicts blooming flowers and is located on Edgewood Drive, but the name also suggests the revitalization of the Edgewood neighborhood community. In addition to the artwork itself, Edgewood Garden Club maintains the gardens that surround it. 

Edgewood Blooming

Alternately known colloquially as Portrait of a Student, Girl is a 2019 work by Debra Rayhill. Rayhill typically creates inventive watercolor portraits. This piece is paint on metal and part of the city of Charleston's IN PLACE initiative, which placed small works of public art throughout the city. Rayhill's Girl, like all other IN PLACE pieces, interfaces directly with its surroundings. In the case if this piece, the tangle of ivy and bushes serve as a stand-in for the young woman's hair. The community title of the work suggests that the figure is a student and this is supported by Rayhill's placement of Girl near Stonewall Middle School. Rayhill's work is unassuming and simple, though once one knows of its existence, the local landscape is enhanced.

IN PLACE - Girl

Tiger Portal is another IN PLACE work. Created in 2019 by Kayleigh Phillips, this piece is paint on metal. The work consists of two separate pieces of metal, one of which is placed further up a hill than the other. On the higher piece, the top half of a cartoon tiger emerges from what appears to be a doorway, while on the lower piece, the tiger's bottom half is entering an identical doorway. The implication of the work is that the two portals are link, a fact which seems to greatly confuse the tiger. This Phillips work serves to beautify an otherwise empty urban street corner. 

IN PLACE - Tiger Portal

West Side Wellness is appropriately named, having been created for the West Side Wellness Center, a community gathering place focused on mental and physical wellbeing. Allison Butcher, a former nurse, designed and executed the paint on block mural in 2019. Butcher attended college at West Virginia University at Parkersburg to obtain a nursing degree. However, she also studied art. After graduating, Butcher worked as a nurse for several years before deciding to pursue an art career full time. She moved to Los Angeles, California, and quickly established herself as a talented muralist and multimedia artist. Despite dwelling far from home, West Side Wellness is one example of the close connection with maintains her native state.West Side Wellness covers two walls that bound a small parking lot. The piece is eight feet tall at its highest point and the two sides are fifty-four and thirty-six feet long. Though figurative, the piece is also somewhat surreal. Moving from left to right, floating lights surround an elderly woman who sits on the forest floor next to two horses. The woman appears to be holding a glowing bird skull. This scene is loosely inspired by a moment from Butcher's own life when two horses approached her. As the mural continues to the right, it fades from night into day. Several larger-than-life birds fly over a golden landscape. The bird skull, aged woman, and transformation from night into day all enhance the mural's cyclical message. West Side Wellness exhibits a theme of regeneration and rebirth through its symbolism and narrative.

West Side Wellness is a 2019 creation by Allison Butcher. The sizeable paint on block mural covers two walls of the West Side Wellness Center's parking lot. Figuratively surreal treatments of regeneration, regrowth, and healing are appropriate, both for a wellness center and considering Butcher's past experience as a nurse.

West Side Wellness

Staci Leech-Cornell's Head Wrap captures the essence of the IN PLACE project in an unparalleled way. Leech, a Nitro, WV based artist, created the work in 2019. The piece consists of paint on metal, though Leech-Cornell also manipulated the appearance of concrete blocks. The paint on metal component of the work peeks above a concrete retaining wall and depicts a Black woman wearing a bright read head wrap tied with a bow. Leech-Cornell painted the wall Black to create a negative space for the portrait, which cleverly causes the woman's silhouette to be suggested by the cracks of the wall itself. While other place such as Bob Ross and Girl use the site as their figures' hair, Head Wrap does the opposite, installing the hair but using the site for the silhouette. This seamless integration of the contrived and natural is a triumphant expression of the IN PLACE initiative's mission to incorporate art with its surroundings. 

IN PLACE - Head Wrap

West Side Tile Mural, also known as 42 West Side, was created primarily by Rob Cleland and Jeff Miller. The 2010 work was placed at a bus stop on busy Washington Street West, allowing it plenty of exposure. The piece consists of six images, each composed of 120 ceramic tiles. Cleland and Miller created central images with figures of children and adults engaged in a variety of activities such as playing, learning, and waiting for the bus. One of images states "WE ARE ONE" in block letters. Each of the central images is surrounded by tiles created by local residents, business owners, and other community members. The work as a whole is a collaborative community effort and indicative of West Side Charleston's renewed emphasis on camaraderie and solidarity.

West Side Tile Mural

Artist Amanda Jane Miller's contribution to the IN PLACE project was this piece titled Cat. The paint on metal work was installed at the North Charleston Community Center in 2019. Cat was one of the last IN PLACE works to be completed and stands at the head of the Carriage Trail. Miller typically works as an illustrator and printmaker, so the materials used for Cat are atypical for her art. However, this depiction of a feline is firmly a part of Miller's rumpled cartoon style. Though all IN PLACE works are made to integrate with their environment, Miller's is something of a departure from other works in the series. Most other pieces use natural features within the work — bushes as hair or an umbrella keeping away ivy rather than water. However, Miller's piece is "in place" not because it incorporates its surroundings directly, but because a lone cat something one would not be surprised, or might even expect, to see.

West Side Charleston Public Art Tour

Buildings

Introduction

Images

Sources

Additional Information