location
Starlight Cafe, 104 W. 5th Street in Uptown Greenville
In 2015, the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge launched this public art program with grant funding from the West Memorial Fund. A request for proposals at the national level was released for artists to apply to have their artwork chosen to be reproduced and on display on the façade of Starlight Cafe across from Five Points Plaza, a parking lot and event site for many Uptown Greenville events.
A new request for proposals will go out every three years and a new artwork will be chosen.
This project was made possible by:
Hank's Walk by Dylan Vermeul
“One of the things I appreciate most about living in Greenville is how easy it is here to get outside and
enjoy nature. In the time I have lived in this city, I have always appreciated the Greenway, and the ease
with which that trail allows me to appreciate all the beauty that the wetlands of NC have to offer. That
appreciation has only deepened since my fiancé and I adopted our Great Dane mix puppy, Hank. I see
the trail with fresh eyes when I take him out on walks and watch him notice the little things that I
have come to take for granted.
In this piece, I want to take the viewer on a journey through the Greenway, from the spot where the
trail starts near our little house on the grid to Town Common; a journey that I count myself profoundly
lucky to call routine. Through my medium of digital painting, my intention is to capture the everyday
grandeur of the marsh through the excited eyes of my dog, bounding across the image from one scenic
vista to the next in much the same fashion that he happily gallops through life.
My hope is that my work will highlight the robust natural landscape that our city has to offer, through
a point of view that many Greenville citizens will be able to relate to and enjoy. After all, Hank is far
from the first puppy to happily bound down the Greenway; our city is one of the most dog friendly
places I have ever seen.”
Listening by ECU Professor Beth Blake
“With this piece, I use my garden as a surrogate to talk about diversity. Simply put, my entire yard is my garden – it is the place I raise chickens, grow vegetables, berries, grapes, flowers, and (happily) a lot of weeds. My garden is messy, overgrown, and wonderful. It is populated by spiders, toads, snakes, and lots of rabbits. When I moved here, the land was a small plot stripped of trees that had been chemically farmed, for a long time. The soil was depleted and the land empty - an unbearable place. Since that time, I have made great efforts to rebuild the soil, to enable plant growth and provide sustenance and safety for a range of insects, birds, and amphibians. Although my goal is to aid wildlife, my actions endlessly benefit myself and my neighbors. My yard is a neighborhood - a community that is constantly changing for the better. My garden is like any community – when diversity is supported, lives flourish.”
Winter Wanderers by ECU Alumni Vincent Li
Just as we individually move onwards in life in pursuit of dreams, goals, and ambitions, so does this city. During this pursuit in life, it is inevitable that problems will arise and the future becomes murky. We cannot see into the future or know what will come out from the darkness of the unknown. However, like the children portrayed in this piece, the people of Greenville will push onwards together as a community to face whatever it is the future holds.
Hurry by Illustrator and ECU Alumni Alice Holleman (2015-2018)
Describing the tenacity, perseverance, and vision of Greenville, NC.
