Gracing the parking garage walls of Grubb Properties’ Link Apartments NoDa 36th in Charlotte, North Carolina, the NoDa Cloud Wall is a multidimensional art installation that not only creates a vibrant landmark but also incorporates a community wish campaign.
The developer of the 534-unit project, with one commercial and two residential buildings, worked with Charlotte-based art consultant Gökotta to select local artist Elizabeth Palmisano for the mixed-media mural. Encompassing roughly 23,000 square feet, the floating cloudscape installation covers the project’s 566-car parking garage, which is also visible by light-rail riders as they float alongside the structure.
Beyond the surface of the clouds, Palmisano collected handwritten wishes from the neighborhood and integrated these aspirations—such as healthy children, world peace, and an end to racism—into her colorful custom-fabricated metal clouds. Two swings in front of the wish-filled clouds also provide a photo opportunity.
“In a wave of Charlotte development, developers who invest in the communities in which they build stand out,” says Palmisano. “Inviting the communities to include their voices in the evolution honors them as neighborhoods develop and change.”
The project started last March and has already drawn positive feedback from the community, according to the developer. Even before it was finished, local publication Queen City Nerve awarded the mural as Best New Public Art.
