Moore Co. Public Art

Moore County Public Art

Moore County, NC has as much charm, history, livability, and spirit as any other place in the country. It has long been a destination for health benefits, literary enlightenment, and the ultimate challenge in golf. Moore County is becoming more known for its arts and cultural offerings too. Adding to the unique experiences is the increase in public art installations, such as the murals in Carthage and Southern Pines, or the Patrick Dougherty sculpture at Sandhills Community College Gardens.

Interested in displaying your art or being a part of our vibrant art community here in Moore County? Please visit The Arts Council of Moore County website.

Visit, Observe or Join in with Artist at the Artist League of the Sandhills . Get creative with various art forms at Art Works Vass they have many classes that can come to you or you can join in with the plethora of classes already going on. Interested in Pottery or glass? Discover Seagrove has a list of all the potters and events in the Seagrove area. Starworks is a creative learning community committed to growing a new rural economy based on the sustainable use of the natural and cultural resources of the region. They recently created our glass blown pinecones for our CVB Pinecone Pathways Project.

Or are you more of the paint and wine kind we have a local Wine & Design just for you!

 

Painted Fire Hydrants in Aberdeen

Downtown Aberdeen

214 N. Poplar St.

Aberdeen, NC

Artists: Local Business owners

Painted: 2019

Take a stroll around beautiful historic Aberdeen and you will find 11 fire hydrants painted as superheroes. in collaboration with the Aberdeen Fire & Rescue Department they decided to take their updated painting of the fire hydrants to a whole new level. Town businesses worked together in a contest to see who could paint the best superhero. Will you find them all?

Watch a video
The Putter Boy

1 Carolina Vista Dr

Pinehurst, NC 

Artist: Lucy Currier Richards

Presented: 1910

This bronze sculpture was created by Lucy Currier Richards in 1910 located near Pinehurst Resort’s club house near the putting green. This statue is often rubbed for good luck by golf competitors.

According to Pinehurst Country Club former historian, Paul Dunn:

The legendary “Putter Boy” sundial statue, which has served as the well-known trademark of Pinehurst area golf since 1910.The artist who created it did so at the suggestion of Gertrude Ware Sise Tufts, the wife of the club president, Leonard Tufts. Her name was Lucy Currier Richards. Gertrude and Lucy were close friends. Lucy’s inspiration for the statue was Pinehurst’s “Golf Lad,” who appeared in early advertising and on calendars sent each year to guests and travel agents to promote the resort. When she received the commission to do the work, Richards was a prominent Boston sculptor (or sculptress, as women who worked with clay were called in those days).

She had studied at the Boston Museum School, and in Europe with Krops in Dresden, Enstritz in Berlin, and at the Académie Julian, when Thomas Hart Benton, Henri Matisse, Diego Rivera and Edward Steichen also attended. Her bronzes were exhibited at the 1912 Chicago Art Institute and the 1915 San Francisco Panama-Pacific Exhibition.

The archives of the Roman Bronze Works (which was located in Brooklyn, New York, from 1899 until 1977) show that Lucy Richards made one bronze casting of a “Golf Boy Sun Dial” on Aug. 5, 1910. This could be the one she presented to the Tuftses. Today at the club, one may purchase replicas in various sizes and materials. Winners of club events are often presented trophies of the famous lad.

Lucy died Aug. 31, 1919, and was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery, a national landmark in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On July 30, 1947, her second husband, Frank Wilson, moved her remains to Belfast, Maine, where the two are buried side by side.

Putter Boy
Drums Paintings

Utility Billing Office (formerly the public library)

180 SW Broad Street

Southern Pines, NC

Artist: N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945)

3 paintings, created as illustrations for James Boyd’s novel Drums, were gifted to the town by his wife, Katharine Boyd.

Learn more about the Wyeth Family
"What Goes Around Comes Around"

Artist: Patrick Dougherty

Size: 50′ by 35′ by 14′

Materials: Willow from Ramea Phytotechnologies, Quebec

Location: Sandhills Community College at 555 Lindbergh Pl., Pinehurst, NC

Artist Description: Kousa dogwood is one of my favorite flowering trees and was the inspiration for the design of this installation. We started with the idea of three of its flowers as a footprint. We proceeded by expanding the petals upward to build walls and towers. The result is a series of three towers and twelve supported rooms for visitors to explore. More Information can be found on this link.

Watch the video about Patrick Dougherty
“The Dog Ate My Homework.”

Location: Sandhills Community College

555 Lindbergh Pl.

Pinehurst, NC

During the 50th anniversary of Sandhills Community College celebration, Dee Johnson, Coordinator of the Landscape Gardening Department during that time
was honored for her 17 years of service to the Department with a bronze sculpture of a young girl with her dog titled, “The Dog Ate My Homework.” The statue which is placed in the Hoad Children’s Garden.

More about the Dog Eating her homework
Donald Ross Statue

87 Cherokee Rd

Village of Pinehurst, NC

Artist:

This iconic statue is located right in the heart of the Village of Pinehurst. This is a popular place for people to take selfies.

Learn more about Donald Ross
Landmarks and Legacies

105 N. McNeill Street

Carthage, NC 28327

Artist: Dan Dryer

View the Mural in full

Carthage has always been home to many wonderful people…both those native born and those who chose to make Carthage their home. Landmarks and Legacies celebrates some of those folks and tells the story of Fry and Prickett Funeral Home, the longest continuously operating business in Carthage.  The mark an individual leaves on the world represents their legacy and the place represents the landmark. Fry and Prickett Funeral Home continues the tradition of being “Committed to the families in our Community”. We’re proud to share these Carthage stories. For more information click here

Watch a video about the mural
Tyson & Jones Buggy

104 McReynolds St

Carthage, NC 28327

Artist: Scott Nurkin

View the Mural in full

Carthage is proud to have been the home of the Tyson & Jones Buggy Co. (1850-1929), the largest carriage manufacturing factory in the South. In 1876, the company produced 400 buggies, and in 1890, its most prosperous year, the factory produced 3,000 buggies and had more than 100 employees. The popularity of the automobile led to the demise of the company in 1925. The town hosts the Carthage Buggy Festival on the 2nd Saturday in May each year to celebrate the former Carthage business. Find the hidden objects painted in this mural: Buggy, Key, Clock, Bird, Skull & Crossbones.

Watch a video about the mural
Carthage Water Tanks

107 Monroe St.

Carthage, NC 28327

Artist: Scott Nurkin

View the Mural in full

“The Water Tanks” is on the wall of the Kramer Building at 107 Monroe Street. The elevated tank was built in 1913 and the stove pipe tank was built about 1920. The water tanks were important to Carthage and the surrounding areas not just to hold water, but as signals of information. When the iconic siren whistle on the towering tank legs sounded at 12 noon on weekdays, it was the town clerk saying “lunch time” for workers, townspeople, courthouse visitors, shopkeepers and all who were nearby. The siren whistle could be heard miles out of town. The siren also blew when a fire was reported, bringing our volunteer firemen to the firehouse! The Carthage water tanks were widely known to be a pilot’s first visual flight reference when flying out of the Moore County (formerly Knollwood) Airport. The iconic water tanks, in later years bearing the town’s buggy logo, had been gone since 2018, but now they are back!

Watch a video about the mural
When Tobacco Was King

104 McNeill St.

Carthage, NC 28327

Artist: Scott Nurkin

View the Mural in full

Tobacco and tobacco growers put North Carolina on the map during the 1900’s. Tobacco was king and the Town of Carthage was surrounded by tobacco farms. Tobacco farms supported families who supported the town. Tobacco folks always took a lot of pride in growing a good crop! In the fall, tobacco crops were sold here at the Victory and McConnell warehouses, bringing the farmers, tobacco company buyers and auctioneers to town. Tobacco farming was “a way of life”…hard, honest work, where neighbors helped neighbors and everyone worked together: old and young, men, women and children. Tobacco farms provided summer jobs for many town kids growing up. Tobacco crops bought school clothes, paid for first cars and college educations. Find the hidden objects painted in this mural: Knife, Smiley, Star, Key, Sun, Rabbit, Shark.

Watch the video
Flying for France-James R. McConnell

205 Monroe St

Carthage, NC 28327

Artist: Scott Nurkin

View the Mural in full

James Rogers McConnell, who grew up in Carthage, N.C., flew for France in the Lafayette Escadrille during World War I before the United States joined the war. An adventurous spirit, he said, “These Sand Hills will be here forever, but the war won’t; and so I’m going.” The 30-year-old pilot was killed in action during aerial combat with two German planes, shot down above the Somme battlefields. McConnell is buried in a meadow between the villages of Flavy-le-Martel and Jussy in Aisne, France. A museum and the monument honoring him, given by the French government, is now located at the McConnell-Gilliam Airport and a monument honoring him given by US Congress is also here on the Moore County Courthouse lawn. In March 2018, the Town of Carthage signed a declaration becoming the official sister city to the French village of Flavy-le-Martel.  Find the hidden objects painted in this mural: Key, Buggy, Elvis, Snake, Cross.

Watch a video about the mural
Aberdeen Heritage

110 W. South St.

Aberdeen, NC 28315

Artist: Chris Dalton

Painted: 2019

Located behind the Aberdeen post office; this mural is a must see. At 67 feet in length the mural showcases Aberdeen’s past to present celebrating the town’s Scottish roots and rich railroad history.

 

View it in full
The Rooster Mural

114 Knight St

Aberdeen, NC 28315

Artist:

The Rooster mural is located on the building of the Neon Rooster (formerly known as The Rooster’s Wife), a popular night spot in Aberdeen for live music. This mural is a true nod to music in the modern identity of historic downtown Aberdeen.

Neon Rooster
Coca Cola Bottling Co. Mural

203 W South St

Aberdeen, NC 28315

Artist/Restored: Jack Fralin

Restored in: 2012

As part of Coca Colas mission to restore “ghost” murals restored in 2012 by Virginian Muralist, Hack Fralin.

Be Fearless

1606 Sandhills Blvd

Aberdeen, NC 28315

Artist: Lacy Crime Art

Painted: 2020

Located on the Furniture of the Pines building this inspiring mural reminds us to be “fearless.” The mural emanates patriotic values and is a  reminder to be courageous with strong values. You are encouraged to take your picture with this mural.

The Cigar Shop

1608 N Sandhills Blvd

Aberdeen, NC 28315

Artist: Lacey Crime, Veteran and wife of active duty military.

Painted: 2022

Located on the building of The Cigar Shop  this mural portrays common scenes of the area including golf, a large military presence, American Flag and classic rocking chairs. The Cigar Shop mural incorporates our Patriotism, Golf, and Home of the Airborne; all things that make the Sandhills who we are.  The iconic rockers from Pinehurst, The Clock, all protected by our brave soldiers and Airborne troops from Ft Bragg who live on our area. Being retired military it was important for the Cigar Shop Manager to bring that regional history to life in our mural. The mural is Interactive; meaning you can look like you are in the mural when you are just simply posing next to it. They offer special promotions with this mural, contact The Cigar Shop for more information.

Barnstormers Barn Painting Project

315 Red Hill Rd

Cameron, NC 28326

Artist: David Ellis

Painted: 1999

Featured in publications like Atlas Obscura and Strange Carolinas these unusual collection of murals painted on old tobacco barns are an unusual choice of canvas. The artist is from the small community of Cameron who wanted to pay homage to his roots. Ellis now has a long list of accomplishments. These murals are aged and decaying with only a handful left, but worth a drive to our beautiful countryside to see a unique twist on traditional murals. This was the first public art project by the Arts Council of Moore County.

Original Map
Ron & Don Marley mural

11 E. Salisbury St.

Robbins, NC

Artist: Scott Nurkin

Painted: 2022

This mural of twin brothers, Ron & Don Marley, commemorates their induction into the North Carolina USSSA Hall of Fame for slow pitch softball. It was painted by artist Scott Nurkin and installed in 2022. Brothers Ron and Don Marley, identical twins born in 1947, have shared a unique bond their whole lives. You can often see the twins around Robbins, usually dressed alike! More can be read on WRAL.

Double Play, learn more about the Twins
Astronaut Charles E. Brady

105 S Middleton St

Robbins, NC 27325

Artist: Hunt Cole, Restored by Scott Nurkin

Restored: 2016

The Astronaut Mural was originally painted by Elizabethtown muralist Hunt Cole.  In 2016 this mural was restored by Scott Nurkin. it’s a tribute to Charles E. Brady Jr. (1951-2006). Brady grew up in Robbins and specialized in sports medicine before joining the U.S. Navy. There, he became a flight surgeon and was selected for NASA’s astronaut program. He spent a record-breaking 16 days in space in 1996.

Robbins and Moore County salute our Astronaut Capt. Charles E. Brady, Jr MD. STS-78 launched on June 20, 1996 and landed 16 days and 21 hours later on July 7, 1996, becoming the longest Space Shuttle mission to date (later that year the STS-80 mission broke that record by nineteen hours). The Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission served as a model for future studies on board the International Space Station.

The main part of mural is based off of the official crew photo authorized by NASA. Mural also has the mission STS-78 logo, medical emblem representing his MD status and amateur radio call sign N4BQW.

NASA Astronaut
Harbour Place Mural

375 SE Broad Street

Southern Pines, NC 28387

Artist: Nick Napoletano

Encompassing the Spirit of Southern Pines, this Napoletano ART original piece of art was finished in December 2022, as a project of the Arts Council of Moore County.

The town of Southern Pines is proud of its newest mural that pays tribute to the long history of equestrian pursuits in Moore County, NC. The art was created by mural artist Nick Napoletano who stated that his design is a “nod to the critical role horses have played in Southern Pines, from the Native Americans to our modern residents.” The mural is located in downtown Southern Pines at 375 South Broad Street and adorns the building that houses Scott’s Table restaurant, Sunny Side Up Tanning & Boutique and other small businesses. The building is owned by local businessman Steve Harbour.

According to Napoletano, “the world is really a beautiful place, and hopefully this mural reminds people that we can find beauty in unusual corners of our towns, and our cities and our planet.” Other details of the mural include two birds carrying strings that when examined more closely are actually unraveling DNA strands. The birds represent the parents of Steve Harbour, who passed the building onto their children.

Watch the Video
American Flag Mural

145 W Pennsylvania Ave

Southern Pines, NC 28387

Artist: David Woronoff and staffers at The Pilot Newspaper

Painted: After September 11, 2001

Located on the building of The Pilot Newspaper, this mural was painted after the fateful day, September 11, 2001.

Moore Equine Mural

1012 N. May Street

Southern Pines, NC 28387

Artist: Pinecrest High School Art Club (Christine Wilson, art teacher)

This mural was completed by Pinecrest High School Art Club students and took 2 years to complete.  It was started in 2018 and completed in 2020 just before Covid closed the school.  Because of the pandemic, it was treated and stored for 2 more years and it was finally installed and revealed in 2022.  The inspiration really came from the location of the mural.  Since Moore Equine Feed & Pet Supply is located where downtown transitions to horse country, we wanted to demonstrate the connection between the two areas.  The mural embodies the quaint feeling of downtown Southern Pines and transitions to the beautiful essence of pictorial pastures, native animals such as Whitetail deer, Fox squirrel, Downy woodpecker, Pileated woodpecker, and a Red fox.  The mural culminates with a huntsman and foxhounds representing the famed Moore County Hounds.

See it here
Southern Pines Idyll Post Office Mural
190 SW Broad Street
Southern Pines, NC 28387

Artist: Joseph Presser

Painted: 1943 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts

Painted as part of the New Deal in 1943 for the Treasury Section of Fine Art. This oil on canvas is located in the lobby area of the Southern Pines Post Office. The Southern Pines post office was completed during the Depression with funds provided by the federal government.

 

 

Sunrise Theater façade mural

250 NW Broad Street

Southern Pines, NC 28387

Artist: Jeffrey D. Mims, Restored Paul Brown

Painted: Early 1980s, Restored Early 1990s

Painted in the early 1980s by Jeffrey D. Mims and restored in the early 1990s by Paul Brown. This iconic façade is in many pictures when photographing Southern Pines for its aesthetic charm.

 

 

Visit the Sunrise
Vass Feed and Seed Mural

3736 US-1 BUS

Vass, NC 28394

Artist: Scott Nurkin

Painted in: 2012

A series of murals painted on warehouses along the railroad tracks in Vass, NC, which can be seen from Highway 1 Business. The murals highlight the farm animals and equestrian life of the region.

Vass History
Rec Room Murals

750 SW Broad St

Southern Pines

Artist: Alex DeLarge and Lucy 

Painted 2023

Paying tribute to the community.

All murals were done by Alex DeLarge (@alxdlrg) and Luce Phung (@1ucysushi).  Alex is from Charlotte NC and many of his murals can be found scattered around the NODA section of charlotte. he travels for mural work.  Lucy specializes in creating custom paintings, portraits, illustrations, and murals.

 

Visit the Murals
Coca Cola Classic Advertisement

Coca Cola Classic Advertisement

The old Cornwallis Service Station on Hwy. 27 in Carthage, NC. The building is now a thrift store. Notable because of the vintage-style Coca-Cola mural it features. Something of a local landmark.

Artist: Louis Grady Jr.

Painted: 1999