MOST OF THE COLUMNS IN THIS SERIES highlight a single exhibition at a museum or gallery. This month, we visit the exploding mural scene in Charlotte and check out a few of the recent additions to the city. Much of our recent public art comes from the Talking Walls festival, an annual celebration of mural art that invites local, national, and international artists to tackle a wall somewhere in the region. It’s vital to not just think of murals as Instagram backdrops, but singular works of art. Often, in my family, it’s both.
In our “Getting the Picture” column, my 5-year-old daughter joins me on a critical adventure into Charlotte’s art venues. Each visit is an opportunity for us to hone her visual literacy, or the ability to make meaning from images. Below, Elliot and I have chosen a few murals, along with short transcripts of our conversations about each one. For the purposes of clarity, I’m identifying myself as “Dad” below, and I’ve offered no context to Elliot before she offers her insights.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
The Covid-19 Legacy
How will this generation-definind event affect our children?
Four fun things to experience with your kids this month
Four fun things to experience with your kids this month
Staying Fit As a New Parent
It’s not impossible
Autism Diet Do's and Don'ts
Autistic individuals often have difficulties with sensory processing issues, sometimes called Sensory Processing Disorder, or SPD.
Best Friends in the end
You can be friends with your child…just not yet
Therapeutic Riding
Teaching confidence, focus, and friendship, one ride at a time
A Cool Girl's Bedroom
WHEN DESIGNER JACY PAINTER KELLY, owner of Jacy Painter Kelly Interiors, took her family to New York City last summer, her 10-year-old daughter Lucy went crazy for the cool urban vibe of their downtown hotel room. It gave Lucy the itch to makeover her own bedroom in their Fort Mill home. She wanted more mature accents like silver wall sconces and velvet pillows, paired with punk rock elements like a graffiti-inspired bed frame and pink neon sign. Luckily her designer mom knew exactly how to tie it all together.
Three Charlotte Murals
An art critic and his 5-year-old daughter offer their thoughts on public artworks found around the city
Growing with Grace
Everyday etiquette for children and teenagers
The Pint-Sized Foodie
A visit to NC Red
Learning to Manage Eco-Anxiety
CHARLOTTE DUFOUR is a veteran in the fields of international cooperation and sustainable food systems. In part 3 of her interview with KALPANA SAI of the Heartfulness Institute, she focuses on our relationship with the outside world and the environment.
TAKE JOE'S ADVICE
Tips and tactics for defending your home with a scattergun.
Let's Get Personal Cliff's Notes
From vintage furniture to a koi pond and orchid garden, designer Cliff Fong's Los Angeles home checks all the boxes.
Gorgeous Gorgeous GIRLS
Is TikTok beauty a waste of time or a frontier for true discovery?
How @jack got crypto pilled
Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and Square, has a new obsession
FIFA RIVALS STREAMING COMPANIES WITH OWN SOCCER PLATFORM
FIFA is getting into the streaming platform business with a soccer version of Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Make Your Time More Valuable
You don’t always need to hire to grow your business. But you do need to rethink what makes you competitive.
BARBRA STREISAND: MY LIFE IN 10 Pictures
"IF I'D had a normal childhood, I probably wouldn't be who I am today,” confessed Barbara Joan Streisand, whose father died just 15 months after she was born. His passing led to a "very undisciplined life” where she found no supportin following her dreams as a poor girl in Brooklyn
FACEBOOK RESORTS TO OLD SMEAR TACTICS AGAINST TIKTOK
Eleven years ago, Facebook was caught redhanded after it hired a prominent public relations firm to try to plant stories harshly criticizing Google’s privacy practices in leading news outlets.
Love animates the World
CHARLOTTE DUFOUR is a veteran in the fields of international cooperation and sustainable food systems. Here she is interviewed by KALPANA SAI of the Heartfulness Institute about the role of Yoga and spirituality in mental health and wellness. She shares some solutions for a world that seems more anxious and disconnected than ever