Abel Jackson - Mural Restoration for Harris Teeter and OLAY
Location: 416 East 36th Street Charlotte, NC 28205
Completed: August 2024
Through a very special Inspiration Projects partnership with both Harris Teeter & OLAY, ArtPop brought back artist Abel Jackson to restore his gorgeous mural back to its original beauty! This mural - which Abel titled 'Self Love' - is not only a beloved fixture in Charlotte's NODA neighborhood, but it was also the very first commission that launched ArtPop's Inspiration Projects division back in 2020!
We sat down with Abel to hear him reflect on the process of restoring the mural while staying true to its original beauty, and what it means for him to return to this artwork 4 years later.
Returning ArtPop’s Very First Inspiration Project
“Before” photo - the mural had been worn down by the elements over the past four years.
Self Love was originally created through the inaugural project which kickstarted ArtPop’s Inspiration Projects division in 2020! The mural was originally commissioned by Salesforce as a gift for their client Lowe’s Home Improvement. Salesforce wanted to use the opportunity to celebrate diversity in the City of Charlotte by amplifying the voice of an artist of color. To bring their vision to life, ArtPop partnered with artist & muralist Abel Jackson, whose mission is to create profound works of art that communicate spiritually uplifting ideas and concepts.
For Abel, Self Love represented his process of moving into a state of love in the midst of adversity and tension going on around him.
Artist Abel Jackson Returns to Restore Self Love
Thanks to the support of our friends at Harris Teeter & OLAY, we were able to bring Abel back to restore this gorgeous mural back to its original beauty!
Abel’s process started with removing all debris and to clean off the mural’s surface as much as possible. Next, he re-applied a masonry primer and painting on a doodle grid to help him lay out the imagery. Abel then re-painted the mural artwork, taking care to retain the original image as he intended for it to look. Lastly, he applied a strong UV-protective coating to seal the mural and keep it safe from the elements.
Connect with the Artist:
Artist Response:
“Now that the mural has been touched up, I’m hoping that it can continue on the same path of just being kind of a fun mural - that once again the overall concept is Self Love - and the idea of the type of steps that we all can take to move our mindsets into a better-feeling place.”
