The Salisbury Public Art Committee invited artists of all ages and skillsets to submit their best designs for the 2022 Paint the Pavement project! It was the first art initiative of it's kind in Salisbury.
Five murals were completed in September 2022. The crosswalk art installations at the intersections of Lee and Kerr Streets were selected in 2021 but were put on hold due to a paint shortage.
Selected artist and teams painted their design on one of five crosswalks in the Railwalk Arts District. The new art reflects the history, culture, and vibrancy of Salisbury, and displays creativity and diversity.
There was no cost to enter, and all materials were supplied by the Salisbury Public Art Committee. This project was made possible through a Rowan Arts Council grant.
Special thanks to sponsors: City of Salisbury, Public Arts Commission, DSI, Prestige Pressure Wash, Sherwin Williams, and Mean Mug.
About the Art and Artists
"Let's Walk Together" by Yesi Abney
Description of Artwork:
"Let's Walk Together" is dedicated to all who call Salisbury home. This project required
the design to represent Salisbury's history, culture, and vibrancy. When thinking about
how to go about it, I knew I wanted the art to tell a story, appeal to children and adults,
and project a message of love, joy, peace, and harmony. With all that in mind and a little
inspiration from a song made famous by Louis Armstrong, "What a Wonderful World,"
this crosswalk mural came to be.
In the design, you will find two of Salisbury's landmarks. The Historic Salisbury Station,
circa 1908, is at the east end of the crosswalk. It is symbolic of what was the community's
lifeline, a gateway to the Piedmont region, a gateway to dreams. It represents Salisbury's
development and a time of architectural expression.
On the west end is an illustration of The Bell Tower, constructed in 1891, the tower is for
many in town the location to ring in the New Year and start a new chapter, and thus,
the park is where the community gathers to celebrate and connect.
The color spectrum stands for the wide range of people that make up the community today
and the diverse people that settled in the area and were important in shaping the town.
In the center is a square, suggestive of Salisbury's town square, the heart of the town, in
the color of Salisbury's unique and fizzy wild cherry drink, Cheerwine. The sun pictograph
is in recognition of those who came before, the Native American peoples, like the Catawba,
to whom this area was home. This sun pictograph depicts happiness and it made sense to
place it on top of the Cheerwine red. This colorful footbridge ties to Salisbury's history
and future.
Last but not least the cardinals fly free in the open blue sky. They are symbolic of our
home state and remind us to have a free spirit, to be encouraged, and to discover!
Artist’s Brief Bio:
Art has been in me since a very young age. Born in Nicaragua, as a Hispanic American,
I meld what means home to me in my art, in ways that are meaningful to me. It doesn't
matter if I am making a painting or working with Photoshop, my mind is always creating.
I create art with my heart. I am a freelance graphics designer, a social media content creator,
and have a passion for photography, especially photo restoration.
"Kids" by David Gaines
Description of Artwork:
The piece is to depict the freedom of joy that we have as children without the worry of criticism. The freedom of dance, play, and creative expression, not being bound by gender, race, and age. Happy times of free is what this represents.
Artist’s Brief Bio:
David Gaines has been involved in creative arts of visual expression since he was 10 years old. As he grew from grade school, to college, visual art always came with him in some form. ART has been his way of connecting people together in various forms of expression, whether through portraits, murals, paintings, or as digital art. He has had works on display in galleries all over the Carolinas and also shared his work in exhibitions in Georgia and Virginia. ART is who he is, and he plans to express it for as long as he can.
"TRUE UNITY = TRUE POWER" by Karrissian Mickel
Description of Artwork:
The design is to bring, and show, unity and togetherness of the Salisbury community, especially when it comes to art. To show that our community is united and focused on extinguishing hate and racism. That True Power can only be obtained by True Unity of ALL!
Artist’s Brief Bio:
Karrissian Mickel is the owner and founder of KarMick Kanvas Art Studio in Salisbury. He is a middle school art teacher and has taught in Salisbury for five years. He was previously at Isenberg Elementary School, Overton Elementary and Enochville Elementary Schools. He loves the arts and arts culture in Salisbury and is always looking for ways to artistically give back to his community.
"Growth Looks Different Ways" by Center for Faith & the Arts, Henderson High School Students, led by Shane Manier
Description of Artwork:
The tree shedding its leaves symbolizes how you can still honor the past while letting go of ways that no longer suit the community. The colors represent the celebration of diversity in Salisbury and the oval patterns represent the linking of community between the diverse people of the city.
Artist’s Brief Bio:
Shane Manier is a Creative Coach, Tedx Keynote Speaker, Trauma Informed Care Instructor, Poetry Mentor, Visual Artist and National Spoken Word Poet. She is the founder of Guerilla Poets, a nonprofit with branches in the US and UK and is Center for Faith and the Arts visual artist in residence where she teaches art and poetry at Henderson Independent High School.
"Nurtured Nature" by Center for Faith & the Arts, Henderson High School Students, led by Shane Manier
Description of Artwork:
This piece caters to the efforts of partnerships through organizations like Happy Roots, who provide community gardens across Salisbury while also serving as a metaphor for nurturing the community through planting seeds for solutions to grow a vibrant and abundant future for all.
Artist’s Brief Bio:
Shane Manier is a Creative Coach, Tedx Keynote Speaker, Trauma Informed Care Instructor, Poetry Mentor, Visual Artist and National Spoken Word Poet. She is the founder of Guerilla Poets, a nonprofit with branches in the US and UK and is Center for Faith and the Arts visual artist in residence where she teaches art and poetry at Henderson Independent High School.