The art of being hopeful
Charlie Hewitt’s Hopeful Project, 2019-present, started with one single painted aluminum, lighted sculpture commissioned by Speedwell Projects in Portland, Maine. Hopeful has to date been installed in over seven states and fifty locations, both public and private, including an appearance at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
Hewitt’s public art focuses on the conceptualization and fabrication of large scale graphic art pieces that integrate into existing public spaces as a means to foster inspiration and community interaction.
“The idea of Hopeful came out of a dark place. I was feeling sad at the time about politics, about addiction, about life. Hopeful is not a gift – it’s a challenge. To be hopeful requires action, it requires commitment, it requires opening your eyes, it requires making a decision, it requires being part of something.”
— Charlie Hewitt
The proliferation of the Hopeful project adds to Hewitt’s growing body of public and large scale art, including most notably Urban Rattle, 2012, which is the only permanent piece of artwork installed on The High Line, the iconic elevated park and greenway on the west side of Manhattan. Several of his sculptures will also be included at the new Centre Pompidou x Jersey City Museum, due to open in 2024.
