A Photo Tour of NoDa’s New Trash Cans

By Tim Miner & Brooke Brown

Unlike any other area in Charlotte, NoDa is a place where the hands of artists are immediately visible.

Murals may be the big ticket, but every inch of NoDa is covered in some form or creative expression, from stickers on power boxes and street signs, to pop-up art installations on the street and yarn-bombed fences. This summer, thanks to a grant from the City of Charlotte, even the trash cans that line the streets are in on the act.

“The City recently gave us $150,000 as part of their COVID Partner Support Grant to help put artists to work during COVID,” said Jacob Horr, president of the NoDa Neighborhood and Business Association (NoDa NBA). “This is funding a bunch of art projects in NoDa, Plaza Midwood, Historic West End and more.”

According to Matt Alvis, business committee liaison and social media manager for the NoDa NBA, the association bought with trash receptacles in 2018. They were unadorned. And, the NoDa NBA wanted to correct that.

With the grant in hand, NoDaRioty Committee issued a request for proposals for Charlotte creatives to transform the trash cans into functioning pieces of art. Out of that process, the group selected eight artists to put their spin on one of the trash cans.