Jump To:
Concept Design: Locations for art along the trail will be selected so the proposed "storytelling beacons" can inform about specific areas and their history, while together conveying a larger, cohesive narrative about the community.
Concept Design: Drawing from historic images, the figures will be tied to specific locations through their posture, gestures, and accessories. These images take inspiration from passengers on the Carolina Trailways, a former major intercity bus service, operated by the Carolina Coach Company.
Concept Design: Each figure will represent an individual silhouette, while on its surface, a photomontage of historic images will highlight many facets of the neighborhood's stories.
Concept Design: In some areas along the trail, multiple figures may be arranged in a grouping. These renderings explore how statues might be arranged to interact with each other.
Concept Design: This rendering shows how a group of statues may look in the landscape along the proposed South Park Heritage Trail.
About the Artist
J. Stacy Utley is a critically acclaimed visual artist and arts educator whose work addresses complex narratives found within the African American diaspora. He is a graduate of NC State University’s College of Design where he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He went on to receive a Master of Fine Art from Lesley University College of Art and Design in Cambridge, Mass. His work has been shown nationally and internationally.
Utley experiments with various mediums to address conversant topics of the African American community that shape identities, spaces, and places. As a public artist, he’s been awarded projects across North Carolina, including from the City of Raleigh, the Arts and Science Council, and the Durham County Public Arts Commission.
