Dyair’s mural, a placemaking project with the city of Charlotte, is entitled “West End Gateway.” He hopes to complete the mural by late March or early April.

It will stretch across each side of the overpass, which was constructed during the 1960s splitting the west side from Uptown.
The side closer to Uptown highlights the present, with images of Johnson C. Smith University, West Charlotte High’s marching band, the Gold Line streetcar and Northwest School of the Arts. It’s 68-foot long stretch begins with an image of a Black boy “reflecting fondly on his heritage,” Dyair told me.
The west-facing side, which is 113 feet, will start with an image of a young Black girl reflecting on the corridor’s history, including images of Julius Chambers, Dorothy Counts, Frederick Alexander, Chatty Hattie, James Peeler, the JCSU student protest in the 1960s, the Excelsior Club, Garr Memorial Church and Biddleville Elementary.
What they’re saying: The project is designed to help “stitch together the west side, back to Uptown and really create a gateway that celebrates the history and rich culture of Historic West End,” City of Charlotte Urban Design Center manager Erin Chantry told me.