Town of Chapel Hill –
A colorful set of crosswalks is newly installed at the intersection of Church and Rosemary streets in downtown Chapel Hill. The crosswalks are a temporary art piece and are the final installation of the multi-year initiative. The artistic crosswalk project started in 2016 as a way to improve the walkable nature of downtown.
The newly created crosswalks enhance the downtown walking experience by by bridging the gap between art and mobility. Safety has also been taken into consideration by outlining the crosswalks with standard thick white lines. Orange County artist Amy Hoppe designed the crosswalks to reference an iconic feature of Chapel Hill architecture. “My design highlights a simple detail that I’ve observed in downtown Chapel Hill and on UNC’s campus. Bricks that frame institutions like Sutton’s Drug Stores and are echoed in newer construction like 140 West Franklin. When crisscrossing UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus, you can’t help but notice the beautiful brick walkways that highlight the history of America’s oldest public university,” says Hoppe.
Colorful crosswalks in Chapel Hill are part of a multi-year experiment bringing art to public spaces and improving the walkability of the community. The three preceding crosswalks, designed and installed in 2017, include Rachel Herrick’s Old Well crosswalks at Cameron Avenue and Wilson Street, Mary Carter Taub’s UPC barcode crosswalks at Rosemary and Henderson Streets, and Lope Max Diaz’s crosswalk on Rosemary Street across from shortbread lofts that incorporates the geometric patterns and symbols of the University while spelling out “walk.”
The community is invited to visit, walk, and explore the new and old art crosswalks in downtown Chapel Hill. To find out more about the project and other art happenings, visit chapelhillarts.org/crosswalks.
Go Chapel Hill! 
You must be logged in to post a comment.