Can You Dig It?
(photograph taken on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill)
Tickled Pink or Seeing Red?
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way - things I had no words for.”
Bold cups stacked in rows of colors emblazon the railings on Franklin Street. Look closely to uncover hand-written mantras in corresponding hues. The premise is to evoke emotion via bursts of color — inspired by Tibetan Prayer Wheels. The Color it Positive art installation by Helen and Mike Seebold is part of Windows on Chapel Hill’s pop-up art exhibits springing up through June throughout downtown Chapel Hill to showcase local artists and bolster the city’s vigorous arts community. The initiative is a collaboration between the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, Town of Chapel Hill Public and Cultural Arts Office, and smArts Creative Programs & Events. Check out more of Helen’s work at littleflowerart.com.
(photographs taken on Franklin Street between Basnight Lane and Kenan Street in Chapel Hill)
Foo Man Chew
"This is about the Foo in you. If everyone let the child in them come out, the world would be a better place," declares Foo, (short for Matthew). His New York accent slips through the gnawed cinnamon stick in his mouth and he concedes his roots are in the part of Manhattan "where the hippies are from." Foo had been at the PTA Thrift Shop in Carrboro earlier that afternoon where he purchased the oversized teddy bear -- flopped over his handlebars -- for "a friend with a hole in her heart."
(photographs taken on Franklin Street between Basnight Lane and Kenan Street in Chapel Hill)
The Unicorn Man
Think Brothers Grimm. Think thought-provoking. Think outdoor canvas. Tucked away at the end of a Chapel Hill road is The Last Unicorn, an unexpected "unicorn forest" of antique oddities displayed across the five acres of Gaines Steer's property. He's opened shop. Retired and temporarily closed shop. And more recently announced a "Going out of Retirement Sale." His open air antique shop-come-art installation includes a collection of architectural salvage among iron gates and garden embellishments.
Gaines encourages visitors to meander into his woods rewarding the curious with unexpected details. It's an exploration that tugs on your sense of humor and child-like sense of splendor. Scattered about are iron-gated vignettes, oxidized ship bits, and pithy signs like "will barter for money" and "we sell ideas." Ornate cottages evoke a Hansel and Gretel vibe. A mini-amphitheatre peeks from beneath last season's leaves. Wooden bridges over swales connect stained glass cottages. And at the edge of the property, is a domed wooden structure designated for meditation. It's outfitted with Buddha ushered by an enormous glass Ying Yang symbol.
Gaines readily admits to his eccentricity, manifested in his front yard and services offered: memoir writing assistance, career and lifestyle coaching, Native American Medicine Wheel instruction. He even offers a map of his grounds on his web site.
You can spot him around town. He's the one driving the old brown Ford topped with a lounging unicorn permanently affixed to the roof.
(photographs taken off of Mount Carmel Church Road in Chapel Hill. The Last Unicorn is located at 536 Edwards Ridge Road in Chapel Hill.)
Ferris Bueller Nostalgia
“The question isn’t what are we going to do. The question is what aren’t we going to do.”
Walk On
Ditch the car. Walk.
Carrboro and Chapel Hill make it simple. Town signs and online maps urge folks to explore its arteries on foot. Walk Carrboro stickers affixed on restaurant windows and storefronts champion a stroll. Chapel Hill street signs installed on Franklin and Columbia streets point to town and university destinations. Best part, minutes in lieu of miles -- easier to wrap your head around.
Need motivation? Try the Triangle Food Tour, 2nd Friday Artwalk or CROP Hunger Walk -- all traverse the adjoining towns.
(photographs taken on Main Street in Carrboro and Franklin Street in Chapel Hill)
Earths Fading from View
Syd's Hair Shop has relocated and the brick building is up for rent, but the world-class mural remains, albeit generously faded from the afternoon sun. Michael Brown's "Many Earths" (2002) piece hangs on, thinly coating the westside wall howling for a restoration. Triangulate from here to catch sight of two additional murals. Across the street is Scott Nurkin's neo-signature "Greetings from Chapel Hill" (2013). Turn and face eastward for Brown's "Sea Turtles" (1993).
(photograph taken on W. Rosemary Street near the corner of Columbia Street in Chapel Hill)
"No days off" Garrett
"I don't always wear my hair like this," says Garrett. "It's a lot more breezy and just cooler than wearing a hat over it." The 22 year-old is on Franklin Street looking for a bite to eat on his way to work. He's wearing a black Jimmy John's t-shirt and carrying a matching visor. Garrett has three restaurant jobs: Weathervane (server), BIN 54 (expediter) and Jimmy John's. And "never" gets a day off. He's planning on heading back to university to study sports management after getting back on his feet.
"Went two years and pissed away an academic scholarship," he says. "I didn't go to class. I didn't realize how I messed up. I'm very fortunate to be able to go back to school."
What was his parents' reaction?
"[My parents] don't want me working three jobs for the rest of my life."
(photograph taken near Franklin & Mallette streets in Chapel Hill)