The Hands Project
The Hands Project - 2023~2026
Hands on Well: Celebrating Local Creatives and Supporting the Community.
The Hands Project is a community art initiative by artist Lee Ko.
We are casting 100 hands of artists and supporters in Charlotte and surrounding areas to celebrate creativity, honor community, and create a lasting cycle of giving back.
Story in Brief
The project grew out of Lee Ko’s early practice of hand and foot castings, which began in 2007.
In 2022, inspired by Eva Crawford’s Your Good Neighborhood exhibition, Ko reimagined this practice as a way to honor Charlotte’s creative community. The first hand casting took place on December 29, 2022, with Eva herself.
After a year of development, the project relaunched in 2024 with public documentation and has continued to grow ever since. The goal is to complete 100 castings and present them together in a exhibition at Nine Eighteen Nine Gallery in September 2026.
Vision
Looking ahead, the vision is for The Hands Project to live on as a collective archive that can be preserved and shared by the wider community. Any future stewardship of the collection will be directed back into Charlotte—supporting foster/adoption services for children and strengthening the artist community.
In this way, The Hands Project becomes more than an archive—it creates a lasting cycle of creativity, generosity, and impact.
The Hands Project in the Press
Highlighting the creative forces shaping Charlotte, journalist Alexandra Smith beautifully captured the essence of The Hands Project in her article.
Click the QC LOGO to read the full story.
The Process
The Hands Project is a community-rooted art initiative led by artist and project coordinator Lee Ko. It brings together 100 artists, educators, curators, and cultural supporters from Charlotte and its surrounding areas—individuals dedicated to making their community more beautiful and uplifting.
At Lee’s studio, each participant meets with her to create a mold of their hand, a lasting symbol of their stories and contributions to the arts. While Lee sculpts their hand, participants also add their own creative voice through a collage, drawing, or personal artwork, completing this collaborative process.
Together, these works form a collective portrait of the vibrant and diverse art scene in Charlotte and its neighboring communities.
The 100 Hands
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© 2025 Hands On Well. All Rights Reserved.
The Hands Project is an independent community art initiative, created, produced, and led by artist Lee Ko through Hands On Well, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States.
We are sincerely grateful to Nine Eighteen Nine Studio Gallery for their generous support as the host and a valued in-kind sponsor of the September 2026 exhibition of the completed works.
All sculptures, molds, casts, and related works created through this project remain part of The Hands Project collection. This ensures that the works can be shared in their entirety—physically and digitally—for exhibition, educational, and promotional purposes, helping preserve the collective story they represent.
While we deeply appreciate the support and encouragement of our community and collaborators, The Hands Project does not engage in joint partnerships in its planning, production, or ownership.
Hands On Well is not responsible for personal injury or damage to personal property during participation. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. EIN: 93-4034148
**This project is made possible through the generous support of the following in-kind sponsors:
Implement Legal — Legal guidance
Nine Eighteen Nine Gallery — Exhibition venue support
