A Painted City

But creating a public art display has been a long and arduous process that is nowhere close to complete.

Led by the Arts Downtown program, which brings together students, community members and artists, Chapel Hill has gradually transformed into a city-sized canvas.

"We like to think of it as an outdoor, walking art museum," said Robert Humphreys, executive director of the Downtown Commission. "It adds a spark to an otherwise drab and dead architectural design."

Humphreys, who is a leading member of Arts Downtown, has been involved with the process of creating the myriad murals for more than 20 years. He said the murals are important to the town because of the sense of belonging and interest that they give to the community.

"When we make these murals it is not just the artists painting on a wall," Humphreys said. "For example, the hands that we put up represent all kinds of people from around the town. Elementary school kids were walking up, drenching their hands in paint and slapping them up on the wall -- even I put a handprint on the wall. That will be here for years and bonds people to the town in a very visible way."

But handprints are not the only way the people of Chapel Hill appear within the murals dotted across town. Humphreys remembers when Michael Brown, the artist responsible for most of the paintings, was painting the parade in Porthole Alley.

"As different people were walking past they would make suggestions, and he would throw them up on the wall. That work is probably my favorite because it really tells a story about Chapel Hill and the people that live here."

Brown, who was raised, educated and now lives in Chapel Hill, said the people who are represented in and contribute to the works, especially children and students, perfectly capture the idea of what the murals are supposed to be.

"Since it is public art it is important to layer on as much of the public as you can -- it is always a fun and educational exercise."

And it has generally been the community members and not the town itself that has funded the art that makes Chapel Hill such an enriched and artistic environment.

Funding for the murals, which has run everywhere from $1,200 to $8,000 but is usually about $4,000, has been completely donated by individuals from all walks of life.

"We get donations from a broad range of individuals -- from fans of the works to town benefactors that are interested in the downtown area -- even the businesses that we are painting on have helped to fund the works," Humphreys said. "It is only in the rare event that the town wants a painting at a specific place that it contributes to the work, and then it is a partnered effort."

The town that houses these massive works of art is also the town that decides what will appear on its walls, parking decks and public gathering points. After Arts Downtown has compiled a list of possible future locations, it brings its proposal and a set of possible sketches before a committee of town residents.

"There has never been a major problem getting an idea or location approved,"Humphreys said. "They have made suggestions about where we should think about working next, but they usually just wave us on through. The only snag we have ever encountered is getting businesses to allow us to paint on their property."

Though the town government has seldom been directly involved in the funding of these specific murals, officials have enjoyed watching the works grow -- bringing Chapel Hill closer to the beautiful sprawl that they envision.

"The Town Council recently passed an arts ordinance that gives 1 percent of any money spent on buildings to the creation of art," Town Council member Mark Kleinschmidt said. "(Public art) is about enhancing your experience and educating your citizens, and it should be embraced."

Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy echoed Kleinschmidt's sentiments, saying the murals have been a major step in encouraging the arts on a tangible level.

"(The murals) add a certain visual interest and a sense of fun," Foy said. "Because you come upon them sort of unexpectedly as you walk down the sidewalk on places that would otherwise be blank walls they surprise you -- draw you in."

And the murals do draw in the citizenry -- in their appearance, creation and most of all, theme. No matter the placement, subject matter or size, the product is ultimately contingent upon the community.

"The murals are about this town and for this town," Humphreys said. "Without everyone's financial and creative support, the town would still be blank, dead walls."

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.