ArtPop Street Gallery Supports Charlotte’s Artists and Sustainability

By Amber Larkins, OOH Today

Companies like RareForm may make handbags from used billboard vinyl, but one organization is taking upcycling to the next level by using billboard vinyl to create couture fashion.

ArtPop Street Gallery was founded 11 years ago by Wendy Hickey, a veteran of Adams Outdoor, where she dedicated 16 years across various locations before settling in Charlotte, NC. She has been the full-time Executive Director at ArtPop since 2018.

Twenty-two years ago, while she was still working for Adams Outdoor, Hickey joined the Board of Directors for the Poconos Art Council. She asked Adams Outdoor if they could donate billboard space to local artists. Back then, it was very grassroots. They would go around and talk to local artists, and if they could get funding for the vinyl, the billboard would go up.

What started as a passion project expanded to other cities-though now it only exists in Charlotte. Hickey transferred to Charlotte and made it official. Though ArtPop Street Gallery has been around for 11 years, she’s only been full-time with the nonprofit since 2018.

Since its inception, ArtPop Street Gallery has grown to include three and a half full-time staff members and has expanded into four divisions: Cities, Inspiration, Upcycling, and  Events.

“They are not just employees, my staff. They’re extraordinary. I’m fortunate. It’s allowed us to really deepen and grow the mission,” Hickey said.

ArtPop achieved official nonprofit status in 2015. Its mission has expanded to encompass education, marketing, advertising, scholarships, and more to support local artists and small businesses.

ArtPop Cities Program

Every fall, an open call is posted to the public in the greater Charlotte region. The Charlotte DMA includes 11 counties in North Carolina and three in South Carolina. Through a juried show, ArtPop selects 19 adult artists and one high school artist to support them for an entire year. Sixteen billboard companies donate $8 million in ad space for the programs.

“It started with Adams as our partner and now it’s grown to so many companies,” Hickey said. “The twenty local artists selected for a year are featured locally, regionally, nationally, and sometimes internationally.

This division also provides artists with business education to ensure local artists can succeed in their small businesses and live sustainable lives with one job as artists.

Adams Outdoor provides 20 printed billboards. The rest are digital. The artists’ work shows on different screens depending on avails. The artists are featured for 365 days, but the locations and durations could change.

ArtPop Inspiration Program and Events Program

The newest division is Inspiration Projects. ArtPop acts as a “for hire” project management firm. Businesses hire them to complete any art project. It could be a customized award, mural, annual report cover, or anything else you dream up.

They offer comprehensive project management and choose the right artist for the job. This new division has created $67o,000+ commissions paid to local artists so far. The Inspiration Program allows ArtPop to expand its help to local artists beyond those featured in the Cities Program.

The Events Division creates selling opportunities for artists through pop-up galleries. All proceeds from the events go to the artists.  

ArtPop Upcycling Program

The Upcycling Division ensures retired artist billboards avoid landfills through an annual fashion show. 

“This annual fundraising event makes or breaks our ability to return with our mission the next year,” Hickey said. “We’ve been so fortunate that our tickets sell out every year, and every year, we need to go to a bigger venue.”

The 20 billboards donated by Adams are printed traditional out-of-home.

“When those retire we have promised that those 20 vinyls will not go to a landfill,” Hickey said.

They have upcycled the vinyls into everything from drink koozies to tote bags. For the last four years, they have used the vinyls to create couture fashion from billboards. The nonprofit hires local designers to use the vinyls to create high-end fashion for the show.

“You would believe that you’re at the Met Gala,” Hickey said.

After the show, event sponsors can have a piece of fashion to keep, so it continues avoiding the landfill.

On September 14, 2024, the fashion show will be held at the brand new Sullenberger Aviation Museum in a hangar on the Charlotte Airport runway. It will be the second event ever held at the museum.

Taking Artists’ OOH Beyond Charlotte

Beyond ensuring that local artists are seen by their communities, Hickey feels it’s important that their families can bask in their artists’ accomplishments. She had one artist from Seoul, South Korea, in the program who returned to visit her family. Hickey leveraged her connections in the OOH industry to ensure the woman’s family saw her billboard. A similar story happened with an artist from Toronto, Canada. Thus, ArtPop has gone international.

“We see artists as small businesses,” Hickey said. “We want them to be able to make a living with one business as an artist so they don’t have to work four jobs and do their art in the middle of the night.” 

ArtPop Street Gallery has gained past fame and notoriety through a partnership with Outfront. They were featured on 90-foot billboards in Times Square.

Benefits of ArtPop

ArtPop has supported and promoted over 300 artists. Hickey said there are likely 1000s more in the Charlotte region. She says the program has a great effect on the artists.

“Our artists start with a newfound sense of confidence. They are known and seen in our community. They start selling more of their work and are able to sell their art for a higher price than before,” Hickey said.

The entire community benefits from the nonprofit’s work because they have 24/7 access to art. Whether on their feet, scooters or in their cars, they can see a variety of art all the time at no charge on digital screens in their communities.

“Everything that is a visual art is part of our gallery,” Hickey said.

The nonprofit has $8 million in OOH space that has been donated towards its mission to support every type of visual artist imaginable, from painters to photographers to ceramics to metal workers. This is fitting because OOH encompasses so many formats and mediums. Shouldn’t an OOH nonprofit that supports artists do the same?

Get Involved with ArtPop

Want to learn more about ArtPop and how you can get involved? Email Wendy@ArtPopStreetGallery.com. ArtPop has active social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. They are also always accepting donations. Contributions from the OOH industry help support the artists. For example, the OAAA FOARE’s contributions of $5,000 yearly over the last five years have funded business education courses for ArtPop’s artists.   

“We are always open to more OOH Media partners. Our greatest need is fiscal support. We have sixteen companies supporting us now, and we would be happy to have 100,” Hickey said.

Wendy’s commitment to the industry extends to volunteering for the OAAA creative committee and supporting initiatives like the Student Obie Awards. Wendy is joyfully celebrating her 26th year in OOH! 

“There’s a tremendous amount of artists that go unseen,” Hickey said.  “We’re so grateful to the industry in allowing us to do this and for partnering with us.”

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