Local Art, for All to See
Find a public mural in your neck of the woods
By Pamela A. Keene
The only surviving WPA mural in northwestern North Carolina, “Daniel Boone on a Hunting Trip,” is on display in the downtown Boone post office.
Mural projects across the state speak of public pride. They tell stories on a grand scale, revealing history and culture no matter what language you speak. In North Carolina, the landscape of cities and towns is dotted with these freeze-frame moments depicted on sides of buildings, on college campuses and water towers. They mark significant events, reflect an area’s character, and remind people of other times.
Here are just a few resource to help track down pieces of public art across the state, and don't forget to check out our story on the Appalachian Mural Trail for more murals in Western North Carolina. Don't see your favorite NC mural? List your own in the comments section below!
Charlotte
To celebrate and recognize murals in the Queen City, volunteer Hallie Gray has created a Facebook page of murals in and around the city. She posts murals that she knows about and encourages others to find them and post them as well.
Greensboro & Raleigh
Both cities have organizations working to promote the preservation, restoration and creation of murals across their urban landscapes.
No Blank Walls
greensborodra.org/no-blank-walls
The Raleigh Murals Project
raleighmuralproject.wordpress.com
Durham
Mural Durham was created in late 2016 as an outgrowth of an arts festival at the Arts Annex at Duke’s Campus and Burch Avenue. It’s a chance for people to contribute to the creation of new murals and to help archive existing murals. The 2018 Mural Durham Festival will be held Sunday, April 22.
Post Offices
During the time of the “New Deal” in the 1930s and 1940s, more than 40 murals were created in NC post offices to provide work for artists. Some were painted on canvas, others directly onto plaster walls, but each represents a slice of Americana.
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Art across the Carolinas
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