HERstory Public Art Walk

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In celebration of Women’s History Month, we invite you to admire 16 public art pieces by female artists within the Fayetteville District of Downtown Raleigh. This self-guided tour will start and end in Nash Square. Read more about the artists and where to find their pieces below. While you’re out and about, show these women-owned businesses in Downtown Raleigh some love. 

Start the tour off at 127 W Hargett St and look down at the sidewalk to view Sabrina Hurtado’s untitled piece. 

Sabrina Hurtado 
Untitled
127 W Hargett St

Sabrina’s piece honors the Black Lives Matter Movement, the strength of Black women in our society, and acknowledges systemic racism's presence. It’s meant to bring awareness and representation to the Black community in Raleigh and inspires everyone to fight for respect, equality, and glory.

Head east on W Hargett Street to see Brooke Ramsey’s Butterfly Effect mural on the sidewalk.

Brooke Ramsey 
Butterfly Effect 
111 W Hargett St

Brooke’s painting is about how even the tiniest of actions can have a huge impact on the world around us. This piece was created to capture the significance of everyday life. 

Keep heading east on E Hargett St toward S Salisbury St to view “#Dare to Dissent” by Dare Coulter. This mural is on the building two doors down from DECO Raleigh.

Dare Coulter 
#Dare to Dissent
214 S Salisbury St

The North Carolina ACLU in partnership with the Raleigh Murals Project commissioned artist Dare Coulter to create a mural that pays tribute to the First Amendment and to the courageous individuals who exercised their right to protest throughout history, often in the face of violence.

As you continue to walk down S Salisbury St, look down to view Kelly Schrader’s “Three Heads are Better Than None” on the sidewalk. 

Kelly Schrader 
Three Heads are Better Than None 
235 S Salisbury St

Kelly Schrader’s piece consists of a cotton candy palette and a simple yet macabre composition. Find this charming mural on the sidewalk near lucettegrace.

Continue down S Salisbury St to W Davie St, cross the street, and take a left. Walk one block over to Fayetteville St until you get to the corner of W Davie and Fayetteville St to view Gina Franco’s “Thank You” mural. This mural is across from Capital Bank Plaza. 

Gina Franco 
Thank You
401 Fayetteville St

DRA commissioned local artist Gina Franco to create a mural celebrating essential workers. This mural design honors essential workers by depicting the many essential and frontline workers who have worked throughout the pandemic on each letter. 

Take a stroll down Fayetteville St toward Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts and take a left on E Lenoir St to find the next mural. Sam Greene’s “Lost Ocean” is on the corner of E Lenoir and S Wilmington St. 

Sam Greene
Lost Ocean 
100 E Lenoir St

Artist Sam Greene describes this piece as "Divers explore a thriving ocean scene full of colorful and bizarre creatures. These strange fish are local to the warm waters surrounding this particular ancient underwater volcano". 

From that corner, head toward Duke Energy Center and Shaw University until you reach E South St where you’ll find Muslimah Shareef’s powerful “I Am Her and He Is Me” mural.  

Muslimah Shareef
I Am Her and He Is Me
100 E South St 

This piece is meant to portray these words from the artist: “This piece holds names of my brothers and sisters, kept alive and represented through my words and actions because I am Her and He is Me”.

Head back up S Wilmington St and take a left on E Lenoir St to view Kristen Krumenacker’s untitled piece on the sidewalk near the corner of E Lenoir and S Salisbury Streets. 

Kristen Krumenacker 
Untitled 
10 W Lenoir St 

Kristen makes a statement about the current reality of our society and the lack of justice many Black members of the community receive in this piece. Kristen’s goal is to revive passerby's passion for this issue with representation and something eye-catching and colorful.

Continue walking up S Salisbury St to view Buffy Taylor’s “Go with the Flow” sidewalk mural near the corner of W Cabarrus St and S Salisbury St behind the Raleigh Marriott City Center.

Buffy Taylor 
Go with the Flow
500 S Salisbury St

"Go with the Flow" is one of fifteen semi-permanent sidewalk murals commissioned by the Office of Raleigh Arts and the Raleigh Dept. of Transportation in 2018 to provide a touch of color and whimsy for pedestrians to enjoy.

Next, head across the street to view Claire Alexandre’s “Know Where You Stand” mural which sits on a corner outside of the Raleigh Convention Center.