Removal of Late Artist’s Mural at Optimist Hall Sparks Outcry

Members of Charlotte’s creative community are speaking out after the “disrespectful” erasure of late local artist HNin Nie’s mural at Optimist Hall, which was removed from a wall next to one of the property’s main outdoor stairwells on Friday. 

A beloved fixture of Charlotte’s artistic community, Nie passed away on Aug. 26, 2025, after a prolonged battle with dermatofibrosarcoma, a rare type of skin cancer. She was weeks from her 33rd birthday.

Titled “Playing Pablo,” Nie created the Optimist Hall mural in partnership with the Mint Museum in spring 2023, part of a series of public works from local artists commissioned by the Mint to highlight the museum’s Out of Bounds exhibit, which showcased Picasso’s landscape paintings.   

Drawing inspiration from Picasso’s cubist style, Nie’s mural provided a colorful pathway leading to Optimist Hall’s outdoor plaza. On March 27, the wall was covered with black paint, sparking outrage from Nie’s friends and fellow artists. 

According to an Optimist Hall spokesperson, the decision to remove the mural was due to “ongoing water intrusion issues, which ultimately damaged the artwork … After careful consideration, removal of the mural was necessary to properly address these underlying conditions. 

“To remediate the moisture issues, Optimist Hall is undertaking repairs that include resealing the concrete block wall, addressing penetrations and slab drains, and enhancing exterior drainage along the covered patio,” the statement continued. 

They added that, following completion of the improvements, Optimist Hall will work with the Mint Museum to commission a new mural for the space.

“In recognition of HNin Nie’s contribution and impact on the Charlotte community, a framed photograph of her original work will be permanently displayed within Optimist Hall,” the spokesperson said. 

Some are not buying the explanation provided by Optimist Hall. Charlotte muralist Kalin Renée Devone pointed out that Nie’s mural appeared to be in good condition when Devone visited and took a picture on Feb. 18. 

“A mural doesn’t get in the condition they described that fast,” Devone wrote on Threads. “Optimist Hall messed up terribly with this one.” 

Speaking with Queen City Nerve on Wednesday, Devone called the act “disgraceful.”

“HNin was beautiful inside and out; her work reflected that and it deserved so much more,” Devone said. “There is a proper way of handling murals and that wasn’t followed. People should have been notified to help fix the issue, whether it was friends or art community members who commissioned it, and they weren’t.

“Nobody knew, everyone woke up to a black wall and a lame excuse,” she continued. “The erasure of art in gentrified places is sick.”

Nie’s friend and BLK MRKT founder Dammit Wesley was one of the first to speak out on social media. In a statement to Queen City Nerve on Wednesday, he decried the actions of Optimist Hall, which he called a “soulless, over-priced, Duke Power cafeteria.” 

“This is a reminder to everyone in this city that these companies do not see you as people,” Wesley wrote. “Stop pouring your precious time and money into these developer-led slop projects. Reinvest in your communities. And tell TOMPKINS HALL to keep their weak ass apologies.” 

Wesley was referring to the original name for the mixed-use development, which signed Duke Energy as its first tenant in 2017. 

Optimist Hall opened in 2019 and is currently home to more than 20 food vendors and a handful of retailers. Duke still holds a large amount of office space on the campus. 

The property is co-owned by Jamestown LP, an Atlanta-based real estate investment firm that in February purchased Camp North End, in partnership with White Point Partners, Paces Properties and Bridger Properties

Alexandra Smith of ArtintheQC also took to social media to condemn the move to paint over the mural. Speaking with Queen City Nerve on Wednesday, she echoed Wesley’s concerns with corporate involvement in art. 

“Many corporations in Charlotte have a habit of supporting artists only until it becomes slightly inconvenient. We need them to do better,” Smith stated. 

She suggested the mural could have been cleaned and/or touched up, or elements of it preserved. If it absolutely needed to be removed, Smith said Optimist Hall could have announced the decision so as not to take friends and family by surprise. 

“Artists are business owners and sure you can say, ‘It’s just business,’ but expecting artists to pour their heart and soul into their work, profiting off it, and then erasing it once it no longer serves you is incredibly callous,” said Smith. 

Read more: Processing the Life, Loss and Legacy of HNin Nie (2025)

Local artist, curator and educator Carla Aaron-Lopez, who worked with Mint Museum to commission the mural, has turned her attention to ensuring that Nie’s remaining works around the city are protected. 

On Tuesday, Aaron-Lopez made a call for art lovers around Charlotte to help her compile a list of all of Nie’s remaining public works. She told Queen City Nerve she hopes to use the list to launch an effort to preserve the pieces. Still in the preliminary stages, she hasn’t yet worked out how such an effort will be secured.  

At the time of this writing, 11 works were included in the list, including murals in Charlotte; Belmont; and Ponca City, Oklahoma, along with a school bus in Fort Mill.