VIDEO/PHOTOS: An art installation roughly seven years in the making is now visible to the public in the Hidden Valley area at what will become the Charlotte Fire Department’s new Firehouse #45. Blessing Hancock, the international sculpture artist behind the piece, said it started with a national call to artists commissioned by the city of Charlotte and managed by the Arts and Science Council in partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Art Commission. After she was selected, she did interviews with fire department personnel and โ as community engagement is a theme within her work โ worked with the Hidden Valley Community Association to meet residents who live near the station. “We talked about what it’s like living in Charlotte, what it’s like growing up there, some of their good memories and their safe spaces, right?” Hancock said. “So the idea for this artwork is to create a safe and welcoming space when you come to the fire department.”
