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Illuminate Art Walk

Shining nightly from December 2nd to January 14th

Downtown Raleigh comes to light with Illuminate Art Walk presented by Wake Tech. Parts of Fayetteville Street and Glenwood South districts transform with large-scale, interactive and light-based art pieces that are unique and family-friendly. Local installations are funded in partnership with Raleigh Arts. 

Free to the public and self-guided. Use our interactive map of installations below to find them all.

We encourage everyone to take photos with the installations so tag us for a chance to be featured! 

Sip N’ Stroll your way through Illuminate Art Walk and find participating businesses here.

Know Before You Go - Getting Around

Illuminate is easy to get to and best experienced on foot or bike to see the installations up close. For getting downtown, GoRaleigh transit center is centrally located with service for all regional routes. Transit is currently fare free and all routes can be found here. For those driving, all parking locations for downtown can be found here. Cardinal Bikeshare also has 25 stations throughout downtown with 300 bikes in their fleet.

PRESENTING SPONSOR

1

Rob Jensen and Warren Trezevant:
Sonic Runway

S Salisbury St
Across from Raleigh Convention Center

Sonic Runway

A highlight of this year's month-long event is Sonic Runway, a light-art installation that converts audio signals into patterns of light that shoot down a 342 to 432 ft (105 to 132 meters) corridor of 20 to 25 LED lined arches at the speed of sound, created by Rob Jensen and Warren Trezevant. The tour production team is Creos and the installation is owned by Zamboom, LLC. At the front of the Runway, the observers see musical sound waves rippling away from them. Walking down the corridor, sound and light are always in sync. Looking back from the far end, walkers can see the sound waves coming at them and hear the music as the pattern reaches them.

2

Brian Brush:
SONARC

2 E South St
Duke Energy Center

SONARC

Find the artist at @brian.brush on Instagram 

3

Mosca Design:
Tinsel: A Walk Through Ornament

2 E South St
Duke Energy Center

Tinsel: A Walk Through Ornament

This sparkly adornment to the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts is comprised of 2,460 lights and stands 16 feet tall. 

4

Downtown Raleigh Alliance:
Downtown Raleigh Christmas Tree

2 E South St
Lichtin Plaza

Downtown Raleigh Christmas Tree

The Downtown Raleigh Christmas Tree is a staple of the city's holiday season, beaming its light down Fayetteville Street for all to see. 

5

Brite Creations:
Glow Zone

555 Fayetteville St
#115

Glow Zone

Find the artist at @britelightcreations on Instagram 

6

Brite Creations:
Spires of Light

437 Fayetteville St
City Plaza

Spires of Light

Find the artist at @britelightcreations on Instagram 

7

Nate Sheaffer:
Snowflakes

400 Fayetteville St

Snowflakes

Find the artist at @n8tastic on Instagram

8

Wake Tech and VisionPoint Marketing of Raleigh:
Lead the Way

17 E Martin St
Pop-Up Shops at Martin Street

Lead the Way

9

Artsplosure:
Lite Brite

227 Fayetteville St
Poyner YMCA

Lite Brite

Check out @artsplosure on Instagram

10

Brite Creations:
Twinkle Twinkle

227 Fayetteville St
Poyner YMCA

Twinkle Twinkle

Find the artist at @britelightcreations on Instagram 

11

Meredith Connelly:
Snails

131 Fayetteville St
Courtyard

Snails

The concentric and gloriously geometrical spiral symbol that naturally adorns a snail is one of the oldest in the world and presents itself in ritual, through all acts of life and art. Rooted in the transcendental connectivity of humanity through various cultures, it was used to mirror the path of the soul’s evolution, the rhythm of life, birth, the origin of all things, and beyond. Reflecting on the power of this symbol in a contemporary way through the lens of photogrammetry and nature’s specimen, 150 glowing Snails will inhabit Downtown Raleigh, where their spirals will connect viewers to the past and present through the power of public art.

Find the artist at @meredith.connelly on Instagram

12

Erik Beerbower:
Smile For Flowers

150 Fayetteville St
Wells Fargo Plaza

Smile For Flowers

What if a flower was so big that it was looking down on us? This piece reminds us all that nature is both as beautiful on the inside as it is in the outside.

Find the artist at @erikbeerbower on Instagram

13

Thomas Sayre:
Shimmer Wall

516 S McDowell St

Shimmer Wall

Raleigh's famous LED mural Shimmer Wall as been upgraded with new, more advanced lights that allow for easily changeable, colorful displays.

Find the artist at @thomassayreartist on Instagram

14

Tayler Drattlo:
Ocracoke Bankers

9 Glenwood Ave
AC Hotel Window Display

This glass neon installation is a triptych that represents the famous wild Banker Horses of Orcacoke Island in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Having picked through the bountiful seashells on the coast this past summer, Tayler incorporated the shell as a symbol of the enduring circle of life on the ocean front.

Find the artist at @taylerdrattlo on Instagram

Image coming soon!

15

Nate Sheaffer:
Love

222 Glenwood Ave
Wonderland Window Display

Find the artist at @n8tastic on Instagram

Image coming soon!

16

Nate Sheaffer:
Disco Alley

510 Glenwood Ave

Disco Alley

Find the artist at @n8tastic on Instagram