While parking at North Hills, you might find some artsy surprises

Next time you go to Target or JC Penney at North Hills, you might find yourself facing a work of art.

An installation opened Oct. 18 at the development’s parking deck, where it will remain on display for the next three to five years.

The “Teens, Inspired” exhibit features 44 works by 27 local teenage artists that have been enlarged and printed on durable vinyl.

The artists responsible for these works are ecstatic, says Harriet Hoover, coordinator of studio, teen and college programs at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

“It’s so unexpected, so surprising, and also (there’s) the fact that they have so many viewers coming to see their work,” Hoover says. “It feels a little edgy in this parking deck as well, which I think is enticing and exciting.”

These works are part of an annual juried exhibition in which teens glean inspiration from the NCMA’s galleries and then create their own work.

This time around, though, NCMA partnered with Kane Realty to bring art out of the museum and into a high-traffic, highly visible North Hills parking deck.

Through this exhibit, which was curated by NCMA’s Rebecca Planchart, Hoover thinks visitors will be able to get a glimpse into the hearts and minds of modern youth and potentially make a personal connection. Hoover manages the NCMA’s Teen Arts Council, and she has known some of the students whose art is on display at “Teens, Inspired” for years.

Hoover said the exhibit’s unexpected location is a strength. Many contemporary artists are already doing much of the same thing in terms of pop-up galleries and exhibits in alternative spaces, she points out.

“One of the missions of the museum is to connect art and nature and people,” says Kat Harding, NCMA’s public relations manager.

The museum tries to make sure everything it does fits into one of those three categories in some way, she says. As public art that people are supposed to encounter in their daily lives, “Teens, Inspired” fits the bill.

“I guess it’s just like training people to look at what’s around them, in a way, and look for the small, delightful little surprises where we can find art,” Hoover says. “I think that’s the brilliance of this project.”

This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 4:51 PM with the headline "While parking at North Hills, you might find some artsy surprises."