Jerry Kirk ArtPop submission.

I am ecstatic about the 2014 ArtPop program, and I cannot wait for January to see this wonderful art around the Charlotte region. Fifteen artworks have been selected by a jury of local arts and design aficionados, but 20 artworks are slated to occupy billboard space in 2014. It is up to you to select the remaining five artists whose work will be displayed on billboards around Charlotte.

ArtPop (Art + Public Outdoor Project) is an initiative of the Arts and Science Council partnering with Adams Outdoor Advertising. The vinyls for the billboards will be used in the program for one year and could be located anywhere in the Adams Outdoor Charlotte coverage area. The 15 artists already selected for the 2014 ArtPop program include: Tina Alberni, Natalie Bork, Melody Cassen, Sharon Dowell, Jonathan Grauel, Thomas Haapapuro, Carmella Jarvi, John Knight, Flavia Lovatelli, Monique Luck, Ruth Ava Lyons, Wan Marsh, Tim Sheaffer, JoAnn Sieberg-Baker and Leigh Williams.

Public voting to choose the remaining five artists is open until Dec. 1. The results will be announced on Monday, Dec 2. To view the 10 candidates’ artwork and vote on your favorite five works visit CharlotteCultureGuide.com. Voters must have a valid e-mail address to vote, and only one vote per e-mail will be accepted.

Laura Brosi ArtPop submission.

The 10 ArtPop Candidates:

• Natalie Abrams is a visual artist who works in fiber art, fine craft and sculpture. Her work for ArtPop features an encaustic technique to create an organic structure out of wax reminiscent of bio-diverse ecologies and urban environments.  Abrams’ work is rooted in the concept of systems theory, and essentially it is about relationships.
• Mark Baranowski is an actor and visual artist whose work for ArtPop features a charcoal pencil drawing.
•  Betsy Birkner is a visual artist newly exploring the mediums of clay and fabric.  Her current work delves into the fashion of royalty and pop culture icons to examine the ability of clothes to convey power, identity and belief. For ArtPop, Birkner created a ceramic sculpture.
•  Laura Brosi is an elementary school art teacher who creates sculptures with mixed media and polymer clay. Brosi’s work for ArtPop features a wriggling mass of amorphous tubes in vibrant orange and purple.
•  Jeffrey Burger is a digital illustrator influenced by William Morris and Art Deco whose work regularly explores themes of nature.
•  Pam Cosper is a painter and member of CAL whose work for ArtPop features an urban scape reminiscent of Venice complete with gondolier and monkey.
•  Sala Faruq is a sculptural artist who works with gourds.  Gourd crafting is a traditional art form practiced by many peoples in Africa, Asia and the Americas, but Faruq moves beyond the traditional confines of gourd art to create unique sculptural fine art.
•  Jerry Kirk is an Expressionist painter well known for his landscapes of the Carolina coast and mountains. His work for ArtPop features a peaceful autumnal landscape.
•  Pauline Lamal is a visual artist working in a variety of mediums from digital art to painting and sculpture.
•  Ben Premeaux is a photographer and film maker whose panoramic image for ArtPop is uniquely engaging.

Ben Premeaux ArtPop submission.