Enlarge Mural designer William Puckett discusses the project with a volunteer.

Posted: April 19th, 2010 James Willamor

William Puckett is no stranger to Charlotte murals. His work can be seen throughout the NoDa community. The Trips for Kids mural is the first time he has taken on the role of designer rather than artist.

“This is such a great project. I love to get people to participate in public art,” Puckett says as he looks over families and students applying paint to the wood pallets that will make up the 1,200 square foot mural. The mural will be placed on the side of Area 15, the arts and business facility in the Optimist Park neighborhood, which is home to Trips for Kids.

Inspired by the 24 Hours of Booty charity bicycle ride, the mural painting was planned as a 24-hour event. It started at 6 Friday evening. By 10 pm around 160 volunteers had already participated, with a total of 300 expected to show up by Saturday afternoon. Several small groups pitched tents and built a bonfire just before midnight as a jam band played on an outdoor stage.

Finding a way to get the community involved in the creation of the mural was one the biggest challenges faced by Puckett. The plan was to create a “paint by numbers” design which would allow anyone to participate. To keep the mural accessible to everyone, Puckett decided to have sections of the mural painted on the ground then installed later along the wall. The mural was made possible thanks to a grant from the Arts and Science Council and donations from Lowe’s and Valspar.

Trips for Kids Charlotte, a non-profit organization, seeks to promote the self-empowerment of children who live in some of Charlotte’s fragile neighborhoods. Children who participate in the program learn to build and repair bicycles, and have the opportunity to earn their own bicycle. Volunteers take the children on bicycle trips and mountain bike rides.

Groups participating in painting the mural include Hands on Charlotte, Hidden Valley Elementary, Myers Park High School, Central Piedmont Community College, and others. “We’ve had a lot of families from the Optimist Park neighborhood just show up to help as well,” says volunteer Paula Fricke.

The mural will face North Davidson Street and will brighten up a block of Optimist Park that is surrounded by a junkyard and an abandoned condo project. The mural will also let people know about Trips for Kids and the Re-Cyclery where the public can purchase restored bicycle to benefit the charity.

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