Published 12/20/2024 at 9 a.m.Updated 12/20/2024 at 9 a.m.
Thank you for printing this page from the City of Raleigh's Official Website (www.raleighnc.gov)
https://raleighnc.gov/arts/services/public-art/raleigh-artbeats
08/21/2024 12:04 pm
Raleigh ArtBeats
Department of Transportation in Partnership with Raleigh Arts
The artworks are unique, often playing with the surrounding landscape or infrastructure, and are all located within Downtown Raleigh’s 110-block municipal services district.
View the Murals
There are three easy ways to experience the sidewalk murals.
In-person
View the interactive ArcGIS Storymap with location information
See some of the murals and their locations in the slideshow below
Painting and Process
The City provides the paint, an ADA-compliant low VOC (volatile organic compounds) porch and floor enamel, demonstrated to have staying power from previous sidewalk mural installations. The paint is made by Sherwin Williams on Peace Street, whose paint technicians work closely with the artists to select and mix custom paint colors. RDOT’s Team Downtown Raleigh guides location choices, power washes the “canvas” to clear impediments and manages traffic control.
Project History and Awards
In 2018 the City of Raleigh launched Raleigh ArtBeats, a temporary public art project spearheaded by the City of Raleigh’s Department of Transportation (RDOT) and Raleigh Arts, with help from the Downtown Raleigh Alliance and Artspace.
Raleigh ArtBeats received an overwhelmingly positive public response and was awarded as one of the top 12 submissions in the American Planning Association Urban Design & Preservation Division’s 2019 Creative Placemaking Writing Competition. Raleigh Art Beats was featured in a publication showcasing the winners as part of the organization’s national conference in San Francisco.
In 2020, RDOT expanded the project from the original 15 artists to include an additional 25 artists for fall 2020 and spring 2021 installations.