Client: Winston-Salem/Forsyth County (NC) Public Art Commission
Location: Winston-Salem, NC, United States
Completion date: 2018
Artwork budget: $38,000
Project Team
City-County Planning
Kelly Bennett
City Of Winston-Salem (NC)
Painting Assistant
Lauris Vidal
DAAS-ART LLC
Overview
Possibly the largest mural ever painted of an American River Otter, this adorable fellow covers 15,000 Sq. Ft. of a municipal water tank in Winston-Salem, NC. Located along the busy Peters Creek Parkway, it’s viewable to roughly 25,000 drivers a day and has recently been awarded the 2021 ELGL Knope National Championship, which honors top local government places around the U.S.
Goals
This project was driven by the desire to visually represent the importance of our natural water resources while highlighting the role government plays in the safeguarding and maintenance of those systems which serve the community of Winston-Salem, NC
Process
Through a combination of community engagement and research into the geography and history of Forsyth County, DAAS focused on the indigenous creatures that inhabit the Yadkin River and chose to incorporate an American River Otter as the main subject for his design, with the intention of appealing to a broad range of the population that would experience this large-scale artwork on a daily basis.