Murals of Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the United States, has more than 30 distinctive murals, most by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumnus Michael Brown.

The murals have been funded by the town and county governments, as well as by local businesses. Some, like the mural Dogwoods, which adorns the exterior wall of the Orange County Visitor's Center, have been commissioned directly by the town of Chapel Hill,^[1] and others have been painted on private property with the town's permission. Many of Brown's early murals, including his first, Blue Mural, were painted as part of an annual local arts event that ran continuously until 2001.^[2] The event relied on the assistance of student volunteers who helped Brown paint the murals, turning them into collaborative community arts projects.

Brown's latest complete mural, Ramses, resides on the inside of UNC's Student Stores.^[2] He is also currently working on an as yet untitled mural that will decorate the side of the new Mellow Mushroom restaurant that is set to open on Franklin street. Painting should continue through December 2012.^[3]

Besides Brown, artists such as Loren Pease (Sweetpease Art), David Wilson, Scott Nurkin and Casey Robertson have contributed to the Chapel Hill area's outdoor art. Several collaborative murals have been painted exclusively by local volunteers, and other projects have used volunteer efforts to complete designs by professional artists. Although Brown is not the first or only artist to contribute to the public murals of downtown Chapel Hill, his prolific work has helped characterize the town's appearance and begun a trend of local community involvement with mural painting.