Statues Speak: A Campus in Portrait
Shot and Edited by Jay Valdez
This collection, Portraits in Stone: The Spirit of UNC Charlotte, explores the silent storytellers found across campus. The statues, monuments, and memorials featured here represent the university’s identity, values, and legacy. Each figure stands for more than just its physical form. These are reflections of ambition, remembrance, progress, and pride. These portraits are not of people in motion, but of ideas made permanent, captured in bronze, granite, and steel. Together, they offer a visual timeline of UNC Charlotte’s spirit, shaped through form, space, and memory.
Located near the College of Arts + Architecture, this sculpture by Bobbie Carlyle shows a man carving himself out of stone with a hammer and chisel. It represents the journey of self-discovery and the idea of individuals shaping their own futures through determination and effort.
Located in front of the Kennedy building, the site of the April 30 campus shooting, this dome-like metal sculpture was created in memory of the victims. Surrounded by stone benches, the space offers a quiet area for reflection and remembrance. The structure’s interwoven, celestial design invites visitors to sit, look upward, and contemplate the impact of that day.
Embedded in a brick platform near the heart of campus, the official university seal is surrounded by benches and landscaping. Donated by the Class of 2001, it represents institutional pride and is a popular site for photos and reflection.
Positioned outside the Barnhardt Student Activity Center, this dynamic bronze figure captures a moment mid-dribble. The statue honors the university’s athletic tradition and the impact of collegiate sports on student life and school spirit.
Set on a tall pedestal in front of Woodward Hall, this statue of an eagle with outstretched wings commands attention. It’s a visual metaphor for resilience, freedom, and the soaring ambition of the university’s community.
Framed by lush vegetation in the Botanical Gardens, the stone moon gate forms a perfect circle and serves as a passage into a quiet reflective space. Its design draws on East Asian garden traditions and invites visitors to step into a different rhythm of thought.
Located in a quiet garden behind the Fretwell Building, this engraved stone honors Bonnie E. Cone, the founder of UNC Charlotte. The site is both a resting place and a space of remembrance, where students pause to reflect on the university's origins.
Located between the College of Education and the College of Health and Human Services, this bronze statue by Lorenzo Ghiglieri depicts a gold miner panning for gold. It's a symbol of the university's pioneering spirit and recalls the region's gold mining history. Students often place a penny in his pan for good luck.
Titled "Ascend" and created by John Hair, this sculpture stands near the Popp Martin Student Union. Two bronze figures rise along a twisting stone helix that evokes the shape of DNA. The work symbolizes growth, unity, and the upward journey of knowledge through partnership and perseverance.
This vertical structure contains stones inscribed with hand-written messages of encouragement, hope, and strength. Created in response to the April 30 campus shooting, it serves as a tribute to the survivors and the broader UNC Charlotte community. The column invites reflection, resilience, and solidarity in the face of loss.