Mecklenburg County, N.C., requires any newly constructed public building to incorporate public art. Northern Regional Recreation Center in Cornelius met that mandate with two prominent displays on exterior structural elements that envelop the center’s waterslide — one, a network of illuminated translucent fins that ring a corrugated and perforated metal-panel silo, and the other a massive mural that graces an adjacent brick wall. The glass fins catch sunlight at different times during the day and glow at night using programmable LEDs, making the silo a focal point from great distances. Lit from above in the manner of vintage painted-brick advertising on post-Civil War cotton mills, the nearby 17-by-30-foot mural subtly suggests myriad community and recreation motifs to more up-close and contemplative passersby. In their own ways, both elements celebrate the region’s agrarian history. Charlotte’s Arts & Science Council procured the art — by internationally known Vancouver, B.C, artist Jill Anholt (silo enhancements) and UNC-Charlotte art professor Maja Godlewska (wall mural) — continuing a decades-old tradition of adding art to new public construction. “We did briefly talk to both artists about the architecture pieces we had in mind, but we don’t have any part in the design of the art. They go off and design it,” says Jim Williams, leader of LS3P’s Charlotte studio, which designed the building’s exterior. (Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture handled the interior program.) “As you drive by, the silo is the thing that catches your eye first. The mural is meant to be viewed at a walking pace. It’s just something that you can get into and spend more time on. Both are great pieces, but to us the silo was a special piece that Jill made even more special and dynamic. We’re very proud of it.”
