ALL PHOTOS BY EA DECKER PHOTOGRAPHY
CAMDEN
WALL MOSAIC
FRIEZE
The next time you find yourself strolling
down Charlotte's rail trail—between Price's
Chicken Coop and Atherton Mill—take a
minute to stop and discover the Queen
City's story through the eyes of local artist
Tom Thoune.
Thoune is the mastermind behind a 360-
foot mosaic frieze that's located along
Camden Road at the LYNX Blue Line East/
West Boulevard station. Within it are 33
mosaic vignettes composed of recycled
materials. Local residents were invited to
donate whole or broken pieces of china,
glassware or ceramic pottery through a
pickup arranged in conjunction with the
McColl Center for the Arts. Enthusiastic
community members obliged, contributing
boxes of treasured trinkets along with notes
detailing the stories behind them. Each
cog, gear and belt in Thoune's masterpiece
reflects South End's textile and industrial
past, while the milestones and memorials
within the collage reverberate with the
voices of the people who make Charlotte
what it is today.
The mosaic culminates with Thoune's final
cog, which contains a broken plate from
an emotional mother-daughter moment,
glass beads from a resident who received
cancer treatment and handprints made
by preschool-age grandchildren who are
now grown up. The shards and stones in
Thoune's handiwork represent the impact
that everyday moments can have on a
community's history.
• • •
Check out more public art in Charlotte at
charlottesgotalot.com
JUNE 2017 65