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Project Art Downtown

community members painting for Project Art Downtown in Elizabeth City nc

MISSION       MURALS        COMMITTEE MEMBERS/CONTACT INFORMATION       

people painting downtown art at waterfrontElizabeth City is for people who love art and artists love Elizabeth City. The anchor of art in town is the Arts of the Albemarle (AOA). It is a gallery where you can view art or buy handcrafts and paintings. The building once was an opera house and now houses a preforming arts theater. Annually, Elizabeth City hosts SPLASH, a one-week gathering of artists from around the country conceived to promote, create and educate in the value of the arts. Now, to make a more visible statement, Project Art Downtown is a committee engaged in promoting public art. Murals are the focus but in the future other forms of public art will be embraced. We are looking for contributors: artists, donors, and building owners willing to host murals.

southern hotel downtown elizabeth city painted window panels   hand-painted art downtown building
The 33 panels on the Main Street side of the old Southern Hotel are all native North Carolina birds. The creative motif is attributed to local artist Holly Luke. She printed black & white images and used decoupage method to apply them. All of the backgrounds were done by local citizens during a "paint in the park" event with free pizza for the volunteers.   Of the 78 hand-painted panels on the Southern Hotel, 45 are on the Road Street side. A call to local artists resulted in all 45 panels being painted by individuals at their home or shop. They were collected, put on display at one of our 1st Friday Art Walks and then installed the following month. It transformed the mostly vacant building into a place where the locals can point up and say "I painted that panel.”

family looking at murals at First Friday Artwalk

downtown mural of lighthouse with roses and water

MISSION

Improve the vibrancy of downtown Elizabeth City with public art thus expanding Elizabeth City's reputation as an art community, increasing tourism and making downtown more enjoyable for local residents.

MURALS

What better way to express art than to make it visible to everyone? Wall art murals in downtown Elizabeth City do just that. It is a new endeavor for Elizabeth City. We are just getting started.

geometric colorful painting of woman with dinosaur head painting of bird in cage and butterfly
black and white painting of octopus painting of palm tree and water at sunset

COMMITTEE MEMBERS/CONTACT INFORMATION

Barry Keyes, Chair Organizer, community activist
Phyllis Bosomworth, Secretary Business Owner and Community Activist
Jim Nye Pailin's Alley business owner
George Jackson, Treasurer Pailin's Alley building owner among others
Maryann Mason Retired art teacher at COA
Geoff McNamara Secretary of Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc. Board
Jeffrey Whelan Associate Professor, Graphic Design ECSU
Alexis Joyner Retired Professor, Graphic Design ESCU

mural downtown of heron

pailin's alley mural progress

Historic Pailin's Alley, renovated into a hub of downtown life, has benefitted from a beautiful large mural by local artist Holly Cole. The colorful mural celebrates Elizabeth City's history and reflects our modern vibrancy. girl with dog in pailin's alley walking past mural

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