The sculptural artwork by Mary Carter Taub adds a colorful touch to the lawn at SouthPark Regional Library.
By Sharon Smith
There’s a new piece of eye candy outside SouthPark’s library. It’s a magnet for kids who readily climb the colorful arches. And there’s no judging any grownups who also find themselves naturally drawn to the life-size kaleidoscope of colors.
The name, Loop de Loop, seems like a whimsical nod to The Loop, SouthPark’s 3-mile urban trail being built in phases, which includes this stretch along Carnegie Boulevard. The name also speaks to the sculpture’s structural elements including lively loops and playful waves.
Artist Mary Carter Taub says a few weeks before landscaping was complete, she stopped by to see the progress and witnessed a satisfying surprise. “A minivan pulled up and out bounced two kids who needed no ‘user’s manual’ on how to engage with the work. They had a very visceral response,” Carter Taub says. She goes on to describe how they climbed on and had a grand time darting around the loops.
The Arts and Science Council commissioned Carter Taub for the project, which included collaboration among several partners: SouthPark Community Partners, City of Charlotte, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and SouthPark Association of Neighborhoods. Through listening sessions and community feedback, Carter Taub felt guided to create artwork that would liven up an underutilized space. A nondescript grassy area along the sidewalk is now a destination point outside a bustling community space.
Carter Taub, who lives in Chapel Hill, has created several pieces of public art outside civic institutions, but says libraries are among her favorite spaces. For SouthPark, she knew vibrant colors had to be part of the project. During her first site visit, the artist noticed “little pops of color punctuating the interior” and a more buttoned-up, neutral exterior. It made for what she calls a “perfect visual contrast for brightly-colored artwork.”
Color is part of her personal story. “I am partial to a vibrant palette which I attribute to living in Puerto Rico as a kid. The tropical landscape was brightly colored and reflected throughout the island,” she says. When Carter Taub was 10 years old, her family moved back to North Carolina. “I remember thinking everything looked lackluster, beige and blah. This was in the ’80s when neon colors were all the rage. I think that high contrast cultural combo left a lasting visual impression that has set the chromatic tone in my art practice.”
And we are here to enjoy it. SP
