Window Art Project on Fayetteville Street

Description: A multi-media, multi-dimensional scene of a lively walk through Raleigh architecture and landmarks.

Comment: A walk through Raleigh remains an authentic adventure through layers of history, government, commerce and culture. As in art, there are mysteries and questions unanswered—Who came here before? Who left their mark? What will Raleigh become?


The theme of the window is voyeurism. The artist’s concept plays with the idea that most of the time people are not allowed to look through other people’s windows. Yet, the Fayetteville Street window project is designed to encourage people to look and linger at the store windows.

In this leafy city, on a street designated for promenade, commerce and celebration, the artist presents evidence of Raleigh’s industrial landscape. Images of Raleigh Bonded Warehouse, power plants and lines, concrete facilities and abandoned factories are included on a series of Plexiglas® panels.

This is an oil painting of the Heck-Andrews house located on Blount Street. It is a celebration of all of Raleigh’s historic architectural treasures. The house’s details and flourishes beg to be translated in paint, by itself a work of art. Revitalized historic buildings make Raleigh’s downtown a unique and colorful place. This painting is a testament to Raleigh’s commitment to preservation.

These paintings celebrate the opening of Fayetteville Street as the main street in Raleigh. The larger painting features Reginald T. Rat, Snail, Rumple the Turtle, Piggy Pig and Bug out on the new street enjoying the vista view of the Capitol Building.

The other piece depicts three red chicks on a parade down the street. The canvas is divided into three shapes in the background to represent store fronts.

The artist says: “These paintings reflect the beauty and the energy of my favorite places downtown. As a lifelong North Carolina resident and a Raleighite since my teens, I paint landscapes and cityscapes, primarily of Raleigh. All my work is done with acrylics. My art has a modern and color impressionistic feel.”

Oil on panel 115 x 82

The concept for this design was to illustrate the important influence that style and fashion have had on downtown Raleigh throughout its history. The project is a mixture of fiber art and fashion design. The clothing on the mannequins was designed by the artist and aims to illustrate how downtown Raleigh was at the turn of the century, is today in a businesslike setting, and will be more artful in the future. The hanging gowns in the background represent a map of downtown, especially focusing on the Fayetteville Street area.

This portrait of a teenager enjoying leisure time won first place in a Visual Arts Exchange competition among high school students.

These colorful posters were designed for the International Festival by Bob Rankin, a Raleigh artist. The International Festival, an annual event, has been celebrating the ethnic diversity of this area since 1996.

The artist has given us a full length portrayal of Sir Walter Raleigh surrounded by oak leaves on a 6 ft. by 40 ft. canvas, which hangs above.

In the windows to the right, Katie Covington, a Raleigh native and NCSU College of Design graduate, explores the relationship between humans and the things we produce and ultimately leave behind, weaving together drawing, painting, metals and found objects.

Coil-built porcelain
Fused glass

Hand-built stoneware
Glass

Hand-built stoneware and porcelain

Will is a student at Lacy Elementary School and may be a future artist of note. One of his drawings is now in an exhibit of children’s art at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., along with childhood drawings by Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee.

Wake County SPCA Adoption Center.