A project that started in Berlin in 2006 and was reprised in Portland in 2009 is coming to Charlotte.
PaperGirl is a simple, idealistic concept: solicit donations of art on paper. After the works are exhibited, roll them up and distribute them to volunteers, who will then ride around town on bicycles and give the art away to unsuspecting folks on the street.
Do you find this irresistible? Well, so do I. And so did Alex Smith, a Charlotte native and CPCC student who became aware of PaperGirl in its Portland iteration and wanted to do the same thing here.
Alex is working on PaperGirl Charlotte with the support of artists Katy Nolan and Brandon WIllett. Their goal is to collect 300 donated works on paper. DuggDugg has committed to hosting the gallery show. Alex is in the process of lining up drop spots for the artwork as well as volunteers to deliver work and help with other aspects of the project.
Want to be a part of PaperGirl? Send your work (original art only) to Alex at 6305 Reafield Dr., #14, Charlotte 28226, or contact him via www.papergirl-charlotte.blogspot.com or Facebook (papergirl-charlotte) to arrange a drop-off. The deadline for submissions is March 1.
The art we collect is not for sale, says Alex. You can get it only by chance.
To see PaperGirl in action, check out this video of the Portland effort:
Papergirl Portland from abraham ingle on Vimeo.
Of course, Portland is not Charlotte it is resolutely bicycle-friendly, has a huge art community and is brimming with gritty, youthful energy. But I cant imagine that Charlotte or anywhere else could be so dull and hard-hearted as to resist the charm and goodwill of PaperGirl.