Known for its appreciation and cultivation of the arts, Orange County is famous for the dozens of murals that brighten the walls of our local establishments, alleys, and parking lots. Here, we offer the backstory on 17 of them beginning with Murals in the Town of Carrboro.
Honey Bee Mural
Matthew Willey painted the “Honey Bee Mural” in 2016 on the side of Fire Station #1 (301 West Main Street) in Carrboro. It’s part of The Good of the Hive Initiative, his vow to paint 50,000 honey bees across America in order to bring attention to the struggles of the honey bee. In October 2014, Carrboro was declared a Bee City USA.
Black Lives Matter Murals
The Town of Carrboro completed this Black Lives Matter mural on Dec. 18, 2020, at CommunityWorx, 125 W. Main St. The mural faces West Main Street at the intersection of Jones Ferry Road. The mural was created by Tyrone Small and team of young artists. "The BLM mural done by myself and the students was a testament to what we can all do as a people if we can just put our differences aside and come together to create something beautiful and lasting forever," Mr. Small said. Another Black Lives Matter mural can be found at the Carrboro Century Center at 100 N. Greensboro Street. It was completed by Erbriyon Barrett on January 15, 2021
Coffee Bean Fields
Michael Brown's first official Carrboro Mural, commissioned by Carrboro Coffee Roasters at Open Eye Cafe (101 South Greensboro Street), to capture the various beautiful landscapes found in coffee growing countries and designed to beautify the Roberson street corridor and view that area neighbors see when looking out the door of their mill houses. Michael based the mural on photos provided by Owner Scott Conary from his many travels around the world to develop direct relationships with coffee growers. (Be sure to also check out the most recent Shannon O'Connor mural on the garage door of the Open Eye Cafe patio).
Building Community
This colorful mural is the creation of local artist, Lauren Pease - Sweet Pease Art. Completed in March 2024, the mural is appropriately located on the side of the building where Table Inc., a non-profit, provides farm fresh food for kids in need. 311 E. Main Street
Elizabeth Cotten
One of the most recent of Scott Nurkin's murals located on the Carrboro- Chapel Hill line (111 N. Merritt Mill Rd.), is part of a project that pays tribute to North Carolina Musicians and features large-scale murals in the hometowns of famous North Carolina musicians. Elizabeth Cotten, born in Carrboro, NC is a legendary folk-blues musician best known for her song "Freight Train" and playing her guitar upside down to accommodate her left-handedness.
African American Trailblazers
The African American Trailblazers mural, installed during 2021, celebrates twelve black trailblazers for their significant contributions to the Chapel Hill and Carrboro Community. The artist, Kiara Sanders, said of her time while painting the mural "The locals I met while working made this so project worth it. They shared their history, and their memories with me, creating a tapestry of human experience that I felt part of, even if I hadn't met the people I painted." The mural is located at 111 S. Merritt Mill Road on the side of Walt's Grill on the Chapel Hill - Carrboro line. . Find more info on this mural by artist Kiara Sanders. (Below photo credit: Miriam McSpadden)
Carrboro has so many more murals to check out, but for now we are rolling into the Town of Chapel Hill where you'll find some iconic murals on both Rosemary Street and Franklin Street and a few side streets.
Hands
The second mural Michael Brown painted was “Hands,” done with the help of about 50 elementary school children, their parents, and people who just happened to be passing by. The mural was actual hand prints pressed on the wall. This mural – at 422 West Franklin Street – has since been restored.
Trippy Dream
Created by Michael Brown in 2014. "Flashback", originally created for Mellow Mushroom restaurant is the theme for the Trippy Dream. Each Mellow Mushroom location featured artwork reflected by an owner's signature style. The Mellow Mushroom closed in 2019 and CholaNad Indian Restaurant opened in the location in 2020. The mural is adjacent to our the Chapel Hill/Orange County Welcome Center at 310 W. Franklin St.
Paint By Numbers
Located on the side of Pantana Bob’s on Rosemary Street, this was the last mural Michael Brown painted during the 18 years of the Mural Project. He painted figures that represent the many student volunteers that Michael had worked with over the years. He designed the mural, which looks like a work in progress, to show the “paint-by-numbers” process he used for many of his pieces.
Greetings from Chapel Hill
One of the most photographed pieces in Chapel Hill, the “Greetings from Chapel Hill” mural is located on the back side of He’s Not Here (112 - 1/2 W. Franklin Street), along Rosemary Street. Depicting a 1941 postcard by German illustrator Curt Teich, this mural was created by Scott Nurkin, who graduated from UNC with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and was once Michael Brown’s intern.
Blue Mural
This was Michael Brown’s first painted mural, completed in 1989 and the first one restored by the Painted Walls Project in 2009. Michael had so many volunteers to help paint this mural that he gave everyone paintbrushes of the same size, and “The Blue Mural” was painted in the pointillist style (dots) so that the mural would have a uniform look. Find it at 109 East Franklin Street, visible from the parking lot on the corner of Columbia Street and Rosemary Street.
Pencil
Originally, Michael Brown wanted to paint a 100-foot long chameleon along this wall, but Chapel Hill’s Appearance Commission deemed it as being too scary and inappropriate and denied his request. Then the idea of painting a pencil struck him when his own pencil rolled across various other sketch ideas he was working on for this mural. That is how the Pop Art, 140-foot pencil mural was born. The words “Is mightier than the sword” are intentionally written upside down to avoid any conflict with the signage ordinance of the Town of Chapel Hill. Created in 1991 and restored in 2007. Located at 100 Henderson Street along the retaining wall of the Post Office and Courthouse. ( bonus: inside the Post Office, you'll find several murals that depict the laying of the Cornerstone of Old East).
The South Got Something to Say
Created by Artie Barksdale in 2022. The Town of Chapel Hill collaborated with Carolina Performing Arts on this mural to celebrate the Hip Hop South Festival. The location was selected because of its proximity to the site of a former hip-hop club, The Hideaway, which was a key stop on the Southern hip-hop circuit in the early 2000s. 108 Henderson Street at Zog's Bar & Pool Hall.
Parade of Humanity
Another fun mural created by Michael Brown in 1997. Restored in 2008.This mural was influenced by the circus parade woodcarvings from The Circus Room, a soda fountain shop that was once on the UNC campus that Michael Brown frequented as a boy. The woodcarvings can now be found at the Carolina Club on UNC campus. He retained the parade concept, but instead of using circus animals, he used a mix Chapel Hill symbols, local inside jokes, friends and ideas given to him from people passing by as he painted. Brown would love to be able to paint spectators watching the parade on the other side of Porthole Alley someday. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill restored this mural through the Painted Walls Project. Located at the Carolina Coffee Shop (Porthole Alley) 138 E. Franklin St.
Now take a short road trip to Hillsborough to round out the 17 Must-See Murals in Orange County.
Hillsborough
Done by artist Richard Nickel in collaboration with the News of Orange, Orange County Arts Commission, and the Hillsborough Tourism Development Authority. Its downtown Hillsborough’s second mural and it depicts the natural beauty of the rolling hills of the town and county in context of the state of North Carolina, including dogwoods and cardinals, a nod to the state bird and flower. Located at 109 E. King Street at The News of Orange building.
Take the A Train- Billy Strayhorn
Last year, downtown Hillsborough saw the completion of its first mural. “Take the ‘A’ Train” honors composer and jazz performer Billy Strayhorn. He spent time in Hillsborough as a child visiting his grandmother, who lived around the corner from the mural’s location. The mural – painted by Hillsborough fine artist Max Dowdle – can be found at 226 South Churton Street, home to Volume, a record store and bar. Strayhorn’s grandmother taught him to play the piano, and he burst onto the jazz scene in the late 1930s when he joined Duke Ellington’s band.
Sown to Savor
A celebration of farm-to-table experience. The mural was a collaboration of The Wooden Nickel Pub building owner, Matt Fox; artist Max Dowdle, the Hillsborough Arts County and the Hillsborough TDA and was completed in 2023. The mural is located at 113 N. Churton St.
Orange County is home to more than 50 murals and new ones are popping up every year. Stop by our Welcome Center at 308 W. Franklin Street for a mural tour walking map for a fun day in downtown Chapel Hill & Carrboro. Or view online here: Self-Guided Mural Tour of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
(Credits: Some content courtesy of Nancy Largent, Chapel Hill Recorder; Black Lives Matter, Town of Carrboro; Pencil by Alicia Stemper Photography, Billy Strayhorn Mural, Elizabeth Cotten, The South's Got Something to Say & Hillsborough by S.P. Murray, Sown to Savor by Town of Hillsborough )
