New Mural in Downtown Hillsborough
December 19, 2023
New Mural Completed
A new downtown mural celebrates the farm-to-table experience offered by many Hillsborough restaurants.
The project, located on the back of the building that houses The Wooden Nickel at 113 N. Churton St., is a collaboration of building owner Matt Fox, artist Max Dowdle, the Hillsborough Arts Council and the Hillsborough Tourism Development Authority. The Hillsborough Tourism Development Authority authorized $8,000 for the installation of the mural. The authority is responsible for administering the proceeds of a 3% room occupancy tax.
The mural is titled “Sown to Savor” and features farm animals and vegetables on four walls of the building.
“We wanted to inject a huge color pop to this central parking lot location in downtown Hillsborough, so a bold intervention of blues and oranges was selected to set off the back of the Wooden Nickel Pub,” Dowdle said.
“Farm to table was the main inspiration for this mural, and this theme informed all the subject matter choices. By painting food and livestock on a gigantic scale the mural is able to draw attention to the fantastic agricultural history of the area in a playful way that harkens to the bygone building-side painted advertisements of southern ‘ghost signs.’ ”
The mural was painted over brick that had been painted previously. The Historic District Commission issued a certificate of appropriateness before the mural was installed.
This is the third mural funded by town tourism dollars. Others are located at 109 E. King St. and 226 S. Churton St.
“The tourism program is committed to supporting art installations that can be enjoyed by the public and that continue to solidify Hillsborough as a great place to visit,” Planning and Economic Development Manager Shannan Campbell said. “Our town is beautiful and historic, but it is not a place frozen in time. We are constantly evolving and adding interesting things to do and see for visitors and residents.”
Download the original article from the Town of Hillsborough HERE