PEDESTRIAN CROSSWALK ART
Three vibrant Art-Deco inspired pedestrian crosswalk designs are installed on Downtown Durham’s Blackwell, Corcoran and Foster Streets. The ground plane art is the third major project of the Durham SmART Vision Plan -- connecting the cultural hubs/districts in downtown Durham through creative placemaking. Local artist Mary Carter Taub designed the Pedestrian Crosswalk installations for three locations: American Tobacco Campus at Blackwell/Vivian St., Durham Armory to Marriott/Convention Center on Foster Street; and Durham Central Park at the Farmers’ Market crossing on Foster Street. The designs were professionally applied with a specialized colored resin including non-skid aggregate in eight bright colors.
A Public Ribbon Cutting, Dedication, & Free Cross-Chalking Community Art Activity with the Artist, Mary Carter Taub, will take place on Saturday, December 7th, 2019, from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon adjacent to the crosswalk in Durham Central Park, 501 Foster Street. Visit each Crosswalk on a Free Guided Tour Bus All Morning. Learn more.
“The pedestrian crosswalks are a freewheeling riff loosely inspired by Memphis design, a blend of Art Deco and Pop art, blending geometric shapes found in downtown Durham’s local Art Deco architecture with an ‘80s palette bursting with color. The crosswalks are titled Snapping!, Crackling!, and Popping! inspired by the Rice Krispies cereal characters Snap, Crackle and Pop who were created in the ‘30s, and - fast forward to the 1980s - weighed heavily in my rotation of childhood breakfast cereals. Snapping! is the American Tobacco Campus -DPAC crosswalk, Crackling! is the Armory/Marriott crosswalk and Popping! appears as the Durham Central Park crosswalk.”
Pedestrian crosswalk timeline 2019
● March – RFQ issued in NC Triangle region
● April - Three Finalist Artists Selected by SmART Resource Team
● June 8 and June 21 - Community Engagement at Farmers Market and Third Friday
● July 10 - Preliminary Designs Presented
● July 29 - Artist Selected
● August –September Development of Final Palette and Coordination with Fabrication Vendor
● September – Final sign off from SmART Resource Team, NC Arts Council & Cultural Advisory Board
● October – Installation planning, final Stakeholder meeting, Public Announcement
● November 19 – 21, 2019 - Installation of Crosswalks
● December 7, 2019 - Public dedication of Crosswalks, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon in Durham Central Park