The 11 honorable mentions in our Made in NC Awards impressed our judges — and us! — with their incredible creativity, craftsmanship, and stories showcasing the best that North Carolina has to offer.
sculpture
Splendor in the Glass at Airlie Gardens
The story of this glittering jewel box is written in its very walls — a mosaic of bottles and broken dishes, seashells and secrets, inspired by the visionary paintings of a Wilmington artist.
Spinning Wheels at Wilson’s Whirligig Park
In North Carolina’s Coastal Plain, city skylines don’t require tall buildings — just revolving pieces of scrap metal and an otherworldly imagination.
Public Reflections in the Queen City
In the first decade of the 21st century, Charlotte erected a pair of sculptures in two public spaces. The pieces have become symbols of the city itself.
Cast in a New Light at the Rodin Garden
At the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, some of French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s bronze figures live in the outdoors, steadfast yet ever-changing.
Down to Earth
A brick sculpture stretches across a downtown block in the rolling hills of Surry County, paying homage to a few of the everyday people who built America’s favorite small town.
The Fabric of Our Lives in Greensboro
A 90-foot-long, multicolored sculptural net flutters above LeBauer Park, bringing a powerful sense of community to this multicultural downtown equally known for its history of civil rights advances and textile manufacturing.
Animal Farm
Herds of steel horses and other beasts — with tails, manes, trunks, and humps of silver and rust — have overtaken the sidewalks and vacant lots in Greenville.
Planted Here
A towering, whimsical Venus flytrap may seem out of place in a military community, but this sculpture has found a home among soldiers putting down roots in the Sandhills.
