Allyson Burke, 2015 ArtPop entry.

I voted. Have you?

No, I am not talking about the midterm elections, but rather the 2015 roster of ArtPop candidates. ArtPop is an exciting partnership between Adams Outdoor Advertising and the Arts and Science Council to promote local artists through available billboard space. This initiative is the brainchild of Wendy Hickey, a national sales representative for Adams, who started the program 10 years ago in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania as a way to expand community outreach of the local arts council and use Adams’ exposure opportunities.

ArtPop has a very simple mission: to promote local artists through available billboard space. But Hickey hopes it will do so much more. “It is really about connecting artists to the public. The commuter time in Charlotte offers a tremendous opportunity to expose people to art, maybe even making them want to go to a museum. It is also about that private experience of art as you are driving down the road and can have your own thoughts about the work of art without worrying about others’ interpretations or reactions.”

Emily Andress, 2015 ArtPop entry.

The artwork of 20 different artists will be converted into vinyls for billboards, which will be used in the program for one year and could be located anywhere in the Adams Outdoor Charlotte coverage area. Fifteen of the artists have already been selected for the 2015 ArtPop program based on their ranking by a jury of local arts and design experts, but there are spaces for five more artworks, and you can help select them–just go to charlottecultureguide.com to vote on your top three favorites. Public voting to choose the remaining five artists is open until November 30. The results will be announced on December 3. Voters must have a valid e-mail address to vote, and only one vote per e-mail will be accepted.

Claudia Soria, 2015 ArtPop entry.

The 10 candidates are:

• Deborah Triplett– photography
• Emily Andress– oil painting
• Erin Hubbs- photography
• Ladianne Mandel- mixed media on paper
• Nancy Marshburn– pastel
• Rocio Llusca- acrylic on canvas
• Leandro Manzo– oil pigments on paper
• Wolly McNair– digital
• Allyson Burke– oil painting
• Claudia Soria– collage on wood