The City of Charlotte unveiled “Charlotte Rising,” in January, 2017, a new sculpture funded by a Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and PNC Foundation Public Art for Communities Grant. The sculpture, located at the corner of Lovett Street and Cochran Avenue in downtown Charlotte, was designed and created by Frank Balluff, a Charlotte native.
When thinking about what represented the city of Charlotte, Balluff couldn’t help but be drawn to the theme of unity. Charlotte is an emerging and very strong community and Balluff wanted to make something that represented individuals coming together to form something bigger and stronger.
The new sculpture comprises three stainless steel towers that stand next to each other in a triangular layout. Each tower is made up of small figures that represent individuals of the city coming together to form a strong community. The shortest tower stands at 9 feet, and the other two towers reach 10 feet and 11 feet. The variation in size symbolizes growth and diversity, while the cubes themselves represent the building blocks of the city.