ArtPop Street Gallery brought work by its Charlotte-region Class of 2025 to Times Square through a partnership with OUTFRONT Media. The digital presentation extended the nonprofit's Cities Program beyond North Carolina, placing emerging and established artists before an international pedestrian audience while connecting the display to a broader year of billboards, education, events, and professional support.
TheNakedNYC Coverage
Instagram: Charlotte Artists on Times Square Screens
What to Know
Twenty Artists Formed the Class
The Cities Program selected 19 adults and one high school senior. Their work appeared on donated billboards and digital screens across the Charlotte metropolitan region and at additional high-visibility sites.
Times Square Expanded the Audience
OUTFRONT Media donated the display space, allowing artists normally associated with a regional program to reach residents, commuters, tourists, and online viewers in New York.
The Class Crossed Media and Generations
Featured artists included Teresa Dunlap, Rosemary Dykstra, Karey Bancroft, Diego Alba, and student artist Ellie Ko. Their practices ranged from Catawba pottery and embroidery to abstraction, photography, and narrative illustration.
Public Display Was Only One Benefit
ArtPop paired media exposure with education, appearances, professional connections, and paid opportunities. The program treated public visibility as one part of building sustainable creative careers.
Billboards Became a Street Gallery
The project inserted artwork into advertising infrastructure rather than requiring a conventional gallery visit. That approach made visual art part of everyday movement in urban and rural environments.
The Program Entered Its Twelfth Year
Founded in Charlotte in 2014, ArtPop developed its Cities Program through partnerships with outdoor-media companies and local businesses. The organization's official site documents current artists and programs.