Artist sought for Elm City mural featuring the late Harvey Reid Jr.

The town of Elm City, Wilson Arts and the Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House and African American Museum are seeking an artist to paint a mural on the east side of the former Elm City Furniture and Cobb Furniture building.

The building, located at 101 W. Main St. in Elm City, was selected as the mural’s site by the Board of Commissioners during the May meeting. The building’s owner, Russell Michael, is an artist from California who offered the building for the mural to town commissioners.

“I am an artist,” Michael told the Times. “I fill my home with art — mine, art from artists from Wilson and art from many artists from coast to coast. I bought the building for the same reason, to fill them with art inside and out.”

Michael said the location is perfect because it faces the train tracks, meaning anyone traveling north to south down the East Coast on Amtrak has the opportunity to catch a glimpse of it.

According to Wilson Arts, the artwork is intended to celebrate Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer the late Harvey Reid Jr. and Elm City’s basketball history. Reid coached basketball for more than 40 years at Frederick Douglass High School, Elm City High School and Fike High School. Reid is North Carolina’s all-time winningest head coach with a lifetime record of 816-208.

Due to town ordinances, mural designs cannot cover more than 75% of the total wall space. Artists can find full details and submit portfolios on the Wilson Arts website, wilsonarts.com . The selected artist will receive a $6,000 budget for the project. Eligibility is open to artists 18 years and older. Submissions are open through July 30. For more information, contact Wilson Arts Executive Director Cathy Hardison at 252-291-4329.

The post Artist sought for Elm City mural featuring the late Harvey Reid Jr. first appeared on Restoration NewsMedia .