Murals dot the landscape of Carolina Beach

Things have been looking bright on Carolina Beach lately and, surprisingly, it has nothing to do with the sun.

Thanks to the efforts of the nonprofit organization Carolina Beach Mural Project, the buildings and streets of this eclectic beach community are being transformed into colorful works of art. Currently, 19 murals can be found scattered throughout the island’s commercial and boardwalk districts, creating a cultural destination for Carolina Beach residents and visitors.

The project’s mission is to find walls, raise funds and commission North Carolina artists to paint murals celebrating the vibrant history and culture of Carolina Beach.

The mural project is the brainchild of organization president Maureen Lewis, who first became involved with murals on the West Coast through her work with the Hermosa Beach Murals Project. After moving from Southern California to Carolina Beach in 2019, she said she noticed a striking mural of the legendary Fort Fisher Hermit, Robert Harrell, on the side of the Last Resort Beach Bar.

“I wondered why there weren’t more murals in town, as Carolina Beach has the reputation of being an artists’ mecca,” Lewis said. “I began asking locals about public art and quickly collected a group of like-minded people who wanted to see a mural project.”

Armed with a background in corporate project management, mural program experience and many years of volunteering and fundraising initiatives, Lewis and her team kicked off their first official meeting in March of 2020. Originally under the Island Arts Council umbrella, in May 2021 the Carolina Beach Mural Project was recognized as a 501©3 non-profit under its own name and launched its website, carolinabeachmurals.org.

The organization’s process for selecting artists to create the murals is multi-step.

First, a wall must be chosen with a signed landlord contract allowing the mural to remain in place for five years. Then, the board of directors looks at the wall, the location and the surrounding businesses and determines a theme that fits well within the space.

Next, the mural project board asks artists to create and submit plans for a mural by publishing a request for proposal, which details where, what and when the project will begin. Finally, after all the requests have been received, the board reviews all submissions based on a set list of criteria and ultimately votes on a winner.

“My favorite job is telling an artist they won the competition, and the worst is telling all the other talented artists that we didn’t choose them for the mural,” Lewis said. “But we have gone back to artists and used their concept in another location [because while] they weren’t right for the original wall, we found the perfect location for their work to be installed, and that gives hope to all our artists.”

Although the original thought was that two murals a year would be considered a success, Lewis said the local businesses and community continue to encourage the organization to exceed that number each year.

At the end of 2024, the mural project group will have installed a total of 20 murals. With a cost of between $5,000 to $25,000, per mural, it is a combination of donations, fundraising and sponsorships that support the organization’s efforts.

“The Arts Council of Wilmington was one of our earliest supporters, and they continue to support our efforts in many ways, including grants,” Lewis said.

Although all of the murals are special to Lewis, she acknowledged there are some that truly stand out. The organization’s first official mural, “Welcome to Carolina Beach” was a community effort billboard led by board member and artist Sue Nuttal.

Created during the coronavirus pandemic and using a vintage postcard as a guide, Nuttall modernized the graphics and invited people from the community to come out five at a time to help paint it in her garage.

“We had people from ages 4 to 83 participate,” Lewis said. “It’s installed in front of Carolina Beach Town Hall and is the first thing visitors see when they come over the bridge.”

“The Best Day Ever,” by artist Madeline Deiters began with a contest asking the community to submit photos of themselves doing Carolina Beach activities. The artist chose five photos and painted them as polaroids, including a father and son eating ice cream, a couple in front of the Carolina Beach ferris wheel with fireworks in the background, a young girl enjoying cotton candy, two surfers riding a wave with #OceanCure and a young girl fishing off the pier.

“The mural really captures the magic of Carolina Beach and is installed on the Marriott property, so it’s a great peek into what visitors can experience once they check in,” Lewis said.

The vivid hues and colorful indigenous flowers in Jason Parker’s “Carolina Dreamin” celebrate the area’s surf culture. Visible from Lake Park Boulevard and one of the Project’s most photographed works of art, this mural has been featured in the Washington Post, Wilma Magazine, area newspapers and hundreds of wedding photos and TikToks.

“Tribute to Carolina Shag,” a mural celebrating shag dancing, was painted by Brian Lewis (aka JEKS,) an international muralist sponsored by Monster Energy Drink. Located at 100 North Lake Park Boulevard, the artwork highlights one of the founders of Carolina Shag, Malcolm Ray “Chicken” Hicks and his famous white loafers, and the Ocean Plaza Ballroom, where lots of shag dancing occurred. The mural was fully funded by champion shaggers and members of the Competitive Shaggers Association Rusty and Donna Hosaflook.

“We even closed down the street for the day and had a DJ play shag music (when it was completed,)” Lewis said. “It was a wonderful way to celebrate public art in the community.”

Lewis said although the mural project may run out of walls, they have already identified other opportunities to add public art in Carolina Beach. The group recently wrapped murals around both an ice trailer and a town-owned pump house. Artists also installed the first “Asphalt Art” mural up and down a formerly gloomy-looking alley on the Boardwalk.

“We’ve been eyeing the utility boxes which are currently rife with graffiti, and so we may want to wrap those, too,” Lewis said. “There are lots of opportunities to add color and personality to things that otherwise may go unnoticed.”

Last year, the mural project also organized a community campaign promoting local artists and businesses called “Boards Across CB.” An opportunity for both artists to showcase their skills as well as the organization to fundraise, the project included more than 60 skateboards, skim boards and surfboards donated by the community and painted by the artists.

The finished products were displayed in local businesses and then auctioned off, with each artist receiving 50 percent of their board’s selling price. The mural project raised more than $34,000 total, and several artists were then commissioned to other projects after clients saw their work, making it what Lewis calls a “win, win, win” for everyone.

With the growth and transformation Carolina Beach has experienced over the past few decades, Lewis believes public art is more important now than ever before. Not only can murals attract new local businesses, help bring customers to pre-existing locations and boost the area’s economy, they also give the community a sense of place.

Public art celebrates the history of a town in an engaging and experiential manner and encourages cultural tourism, luring visitors who may not be interested in the beach over the bridge to enjoy the art, history and great experiences instead.

“Our little beach town has exploded and is in transition,” Lewis said. “By growing so fast, some of the history and culture is getting lost. Murals provide a spotlight on key events and cultural icons so they are remembered and celebrated.”