ArtPop Street Gallery showcases local artists and equips them to achieve sustained success.
We work to make art accessible to all people in the communities we serve because everyone deserves access to art.
OUR MISSION
Connecting Art & Community
For Over 11 Years!
ArtPop Street Gallery is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based on a passion for local art and a love of community. Since our founding in 2014, we‘ve grown to build impactful programs focused on:
Empowering local artists to lead successful creative careers,
Providing inclusive & accessible arts experiences for our community, and
Sustainably repurposing materials to fuel more creativity, not waste.
Our Programs:
Connecting businesses to artists to bring creative visions to life! Offering turnkey solutions and comprehensive project management while bringing more art into the community.
An annual juried exhibition which showcases 20 local artists on donated public media space. Additional benefits include educational opportunities, features at artist events, and more!
Come as you are, open to all! Join us in celebrating local art at artist markets, upcycled fashion shows, and creative gatherings where everyone is welcome to enjoy local art!
Our ongoing promise to our planet to keep the vinyl from our billboards out of the landfill by creatively repurposing them in a way that only artists can.
ARTIST IMPACT
Serving Our Community
ArtPop has proudly supported local artists within the Charlotte-metropolitan region since 2014. Our current area of operation spans following 12 counties:
North Carolina Counties:
Cabarrus
Catawba
Cleveland
Gaston
Iredell
Lincoln
Mecklenburg
Rowan
Stanly
Union
South Carolina Counties:
York
Lancaster
MEET OUR TEAM
Wendy Hickey
Founder & Executive Director
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Wendy Hickey is the Founder and Executive Director of ArtPop Street Gallery, a role that embodies her unwavering passion for supporting local artists, a mission she has championed since 2002. With over 20 years of experience in the billboard advertising industry (OOH), Wendy transitioned to fulfilling her dream of making art accessible and supporting small businesses in the Charlotte region and beyond. ArtPop became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the summer of 2015 and is now celebrating its 11th year of impact.
Wendy became ArtPop’s first employee on May 1, 2018, and since then, the organization has supported hundreds of artists in achieving sustainable success. An outdoor enthusiast, Wendy enjoys hiking, biking, mountain biking, paddleboarding, and spending time with her partner of nearly nine years, JT. She is also a live music aficionado, with JJ Grey and Mofro being her favorite live band.
Friends, family, her artist community, and kindness are central to Wendy’s life. Having left home at 16 and never attended college, Wendy takes immense pride in her career in advertising, which ultimately led to the creation of the ArtPop Street Gallery mission.
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Brooke is ArtPop’s Director of Impact and Sustainability and Head of Cities Program where she enjoys being a cheerleader for art and artists in the community!
Brooke joined ArtPop in January, 2022 and since then she has worked to grow ArtPop’s Cities Program reach by bringing more marketing, resources, and opportunities to the artists in the program and making sure that billboard vinyl is kept out of the landfill. Her goal is to make a greater arts impact in under-resourced communities because artists come from everywhere and art should be everywhere!
In her off hours, Brooke is a consulting curator to several cultural heritage spaces and museums including the Guam Museum and Thankful Heritage Black History Museum. She also creates art and exhibits that highlight her indigenous CHamoru background, her 1980s and 90s upbringing, and her love of being unserious and doing things for the sake of having fun. She also leads the Sacred Art Ministry at St. Philip Catholic Church in Fort Mill, SC.
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Brooke Gibbons
Director of Impact & Sustainability
Head of Cities Program
Dylan Bannister
Director of Inspiration Projects
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As ArtPop’s Director of Inspiration Projects, Dylan works to further our mission by connecting local artists to paid opportunities and by providing turnkey creative solutions for our clients. Having joined the ArtPop staff in 2022, Dylan oversees each project’s development, working to clearly understand the visions of the businesses and organizations that partner with us, and engaging directly with the artists hired to bring those visions to life.
Dylan is also a practicing visual artist himself, whose works explore the concepts of memory, nostalgia, and liminality through photo- and print-based media. His works have been exhibited throughout the Carolinas, including his 2023 solo exhibition Dialing Out at the Arts Council of York County, and he was featured in ArtPop’s Cities Program Class of 2021! When he’s not managing Inspiration Projects or working in his art studio, Dylan enjoys hobbies such as playing video games, watching quality television series, and taking a nice walk outdoors.
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Vanessa Ross
Social Media & Marketing Coordinator
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Vanessa is an NC native with a background in performing arts and a passion for sculpting and resin casting. She’s a huge believer and supporter of the Charlotte, local creative scene and believes that is the heart of what makes the city so special. She also firmly believes that creativity and art are vital to happiness and the human experience, and should be accessible to people of all walks of life and of all incomes.
Inspired by her love of pop culture, designer toys, and vintage fashion Vanessa’s pop art sculptures are often combined with jewelry components to create wearable art.
In her spare time you can find her binging horror movies, attempting to recreate the SFX, and filming silly photo shoots that scare her neighbors.
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ARTPOP BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Connect With Us
The ArtPop team is always thrilled to meet new people, discover new talents, and grow with our community!
Let's create something together!
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