Murals on Downtown Signal Boxes

About the Artists

Nico Amortegui

Nico Amortegui is a full time artist based in Charlotte, NC who enjoys large-scale painting, sculpting, and woodworking with a variety of media. Having grown up in Bogota, Colombia among a family replete with creative types, Nico’s art brut style is familiar yet distinctly his own personal concoction of cultural experiences. He learned numerous skills and trades by doing and has a tremendous appreciation for generational artisan craft. His body of work is most influenced by the genre of folk art and his love for symmetry and bold color.  

Fauna Fever is inspired by coexisting ecosystems and invites viewers to find something new each time they pass by. Nature informs and inspires Amortegui's art practice as a whole and is often a theme that finds its way in his work. Fauna Fever encourages us to think of our impact on all creatures and how we can protect our collective backyard habitats.  

Sean Barton

Overloaded with the volume of information and influences available at our fingertips today, and the voyeurism encouraged by this overload, Barton focuses his recent work on the material world and his immediate surroundings. Turning inwards, Barton registers and catalogs objects and events in his environment—a form of visual photography based on personal observation and the spaces he inhabits.

Much of his current work is a response to Barton's day-to-day working environment, a studio out of which he produces hand-painted signage. He is conscious of and draws on the mishaps and detritus that accumulate in this space - spills, palette marks, discarded tape, cigarette butts. Both the vernacular and materials of the sign trade inform his work. Using materials such as glass, gold leaf, paint, foam, canvas, and printed material, he creates work through a process of bricolage. He is drawn to the unpredictable outcomes that these materials, sites and histories suggest.

He describes his process in terms of "catch" and "release"—the transformation of work which takes place between the moment of inspiration and the final product. Often, the act of execution alone becomes the driving force behind creating new work. Eschewing any traditional working order, Barton creates drawings spontaneously and initiates and executes paintings swiftly, moving quickly from one series to the next. In this method of production, his working timeline is a blurred continuum. He asks the viewer to make an imaginative whole out of disparate parts drawn from observation, the working space and process.  

Sean Barton is a self taught artist who was born in Santa Cruz, California and currently resides in Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

Kathleen Meaney

Kathleen Meaney is a designer, artist and educator. She began her career at Pentagram in New York, working with clients such as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Yale University and Simon & Schuster — on projects ranging from exhibit design, to interactive experiences, to branding.  

Kathleen attended the University of Notre Dame as a Fine Arts major. This was hands-on learning at its best: textiles made on a floor loom; book-binding built from handmade paper; and the magic of monotype printing. It was there that she took a typography class with Professor John Sherman that changed her life. Since then, Kathleen has taught typography and graphic design for nearly 20 years at design programs across the country (School of Visual Arts, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State University, et al.).

From hands-on learning to digital instruction, preeminent professional experiences, and a fellowship at the Smithsonian on research in the digital humanities — Kathleen brings to the classroom (and to her design practice) a unique approach to learning: New ways of seeing. New ways of experiencing. And new ways of envisioning (a better future).

You can find Kathleen Meaney and her work online, or published through Chronicle Books, the MIT Press, HOW Books and Design Observer — or dancing in Raleigh, in community, at the Y.

SJ Hall

Sheila J Hall, owner of SJ Hall Art and Design creates paintings and wearable art that have been exhibited from Alaska to North Carolina and purchased internationally. Bold colorful patterns characterize her work. Hall believes art can reflect one’s environment and circumstances. As a teaching artist Hall’s mission is to help others build self-esteem, freedom of self expression and the joy of creating and appreciating art. Earning a degree in art school taught her among other things, the elements of design and color theory, the use of that knowledge in a way that evoked memories and emotions came with much practice and exploration.  SJ Hall loves to create art with the young and the elders. Hall states, “the youngest have the freeness of expression without being held back and the elders enjoy life’s experiences and are encouraged to recreate their wisdom and realize their value as they enjoy creating art.  

Marcia Streithorst

After graduating from college with a bachelor's degree in fine art, Marcia Streithorst worked on the corporate side of the art world until moving to North Carolina. Thanks to the move, Streithorst was given a chance to be an artist full time, and since then, has never looked back. Streithorst is very involved in the art community in Raleigh as a member of the NCMMAG and VAE, and volunteers with Wake Forest Arts. Streithorst's work has been featured in galleries in Virginia, Ohio, and all over North Carolina. Streithorst loves teaching and helping people learn about encaustic art. Streithorst's studio is a sanctuary full of color, light, and magic, just like their paintings.

Courtney Marie Taylor

I paint with the hopes of creating something that looks Photorealistic. I like to use a wide variety of color combinations. I think this makes paintings look more interesting; more alive. I love using oils, because of the freedom to continue to mix colors over the course of several days. I learned how to paint while studying in the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas. I currently live in downtown Raleigh, where I continue to work in my home studio. This piece is about community, inclusivity, and the beauty of individuality. I was interested in using a topography of marbles as a metaphor; the marbles representing human beings holding space with individualism. Each marble is painted using bold colors in an effort to celebrate uniqueness.

McClain Percy

McClain Percy is an artist and arts-based educational researcher based in North Carolina, USA. McClain uses visual juxtaposition of multiple layers and watermedia techniques to paint mundane subjects from unfamiliar perspectives. Her work is driven by insatiable curiosity to comprehend unique viewpoints often subverted by standardized definitions. Making art becomes the physical process enacting her journey to understand the world around her simultaneously while negotiating her place within it. For the past decade McClain created art in an academic context, using imagery to explore thorny social and cultural issues. The resulting body of visual art and writings have been published and shown in America, Europe, and Australia.

Justice Dunne

Justice Dunne's work is playful, fun, and intuitively created. He focuses on primary colors, vibrant bold shapes, and a uniquely utilitarian layout in his art. Namely focusing on repeated shapes and patterns that break their own rules – characters float amongst the repetitive shapes, lines intersect and weave both above and below grid lines. Justice is a transgender artist, native to Raleigh, he graduated with a BA in Art+Design from the NCSU College of Design. He not only creates compelling and fun illustrations, but also unique porcelain sculptures, wooden furniture, and Risograph prints. He is a jack of all trades, and imbues a sense of playful utility in all of his work.

Jessica Wood

Jessica Wood grew up in rural North Carolina wedged between Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock State Parks. Living across the road from her grandmother, she would run barefoot through lush grass and fresh air to sit, talk, eat, and gaze at flowers with her. Being inspired by her grandmother and her flower garden from a young age has helped to shape Jessica’s work. She now paints flowers to brighten the lives of those around her. Combining different mediums, Jessica creates vibrant, colorful paintings from her imagination that draw from past experiences and memories. Jessica holds a Bachelors of Fine Art degree from Western Carolina University. She currently lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Keisha Okafor

Keisha Okafor is a Nigerian-American digital artist and designer whose work brings joy and celebrates people. Her work is inspired by her culture, the 90s, music, and fashion. She has created art with companies including Spotify, HarperCollins, and YouTube. In her personal time, you can find Keisha on the hunt for dolls to add to her collection or belting her favorite Spice Girls tracks. This North Carolina State University alum captures the vibrancy of everyday moments in her bold, texture-rich designs that celebrate her heritage and community.

Jackie Sanders

Jackie Sanders is a Raleigh-based artist who creates bold, abstract geometric artwork that transforms once-overlooked spaces into dynamic and memorable visual experiences. Intentional and thought-provoking, her art practice is deeply rooted in collaboration, working with local businesses, schools, and nonprofits to bring their unique visions and projects to life.

Specializing in murals, art products, custom corporate signage, and personalized awards, Jackie’s work transforms life’s mundane moments into memorable experiences for our community.

Jackie studied at Virginia Tech, where she earned a BFA in Studio Art, a BA in Art History and a MA in Material Culture and Public Humanities. Today, she is a tenant artist at Artspace in Raleigh, NC, the cohost of the Level Up Artists Podcast, and the Assistant Gallery Director of FRANK Gallery in Carrboro, NC.

Monique Luck

Monique Luck is a self-taught artist based in Charlotte, NC. Her artwork reflects a deep passion for storytelling, where soulful figures, layered textures, and vivid colors come together to form lyrical visual narratives. Drawing inspiration from poignant memories and lived experiences—both her own and those shared with her—her work celebrates the beauty and complexity of the human experience. An award-winning artist and muralist, Luck is dedicated to community-focused and public art projects that center on connection, dialogue, and a sense of belonging. She has exhibited her work widely in galleries, museums, and public spaces across the United States.  

Jane Cheek

Jane Cheek is a Raleigh-based installation artist who creates immersive, large-scale works that blend sculpture, light, and audio elements to transform institutional and public spaces. Cheek was born in Winston-Salem, NC, and is an alum of North Carolina State University. Cheek’s most recent exhibits include Oklahoma State University Museum of Art, Radford University Art Museum, and the AD Gallery at UNC Pembroke. Her work is part of Raleigh’s municipal art collection, and she has had public art commissions with municipalities throughout the region, including Chapel Hill Arts and Culture and Roswell Arts (Roswell, GA), as well as temporary activations for a number of festivals and institutions, including the North Carolina Museum of Art.