Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture is excited to partner with Carolina Performing Arts (CPA) on a new mural to celebrate the Hip Hop South Festival, taking place in Chapel Hill and Carrboro later this month.
Acclaimed artist Artie Barksdale will create a downtown mural featuring images and icons of hip hop, including an 808 drum machine, a cassette tape, a microphone, and a rooster. “The rooster represents the southern hospitality, waking up early, and fighting for supremacy. I was inspired by the rooster from the movie “Idlewild” a Hip Hop musical featuring OutKast which an animated rooster made cameo appearances throughout the film,” says Barksdale in his project proposal. It will also include Andre 3000’s famous quote, “The South got something to say.” The mural will be installed at 108 Henderson Street, on the side of the building that currently houses Imbibe restaurant and Zog’s bar. This location was selected because of its proximity to the site of a former hip hop club, The Hideaway, which was a key stop on the Southern hip hop circuit in the early 2000s.
Carolina Performing Arts’ Hip Hop South Festival is a two-day event, taking place April 22nd and 23rd in venues around Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Co-curated by Harvard Nasir Jones Hip Hop Fellows Christopher Massenburg (also known as Dasan Ahanu) and Dr. Regina Bradley, the festival will feature headlining performances by hip hop heavyweights and local artists, as well as academic gatherings, late-night beat and dance battles, visual art, and more. “We are excited to do this in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill has a rich hip hop history and has provided Southern artists with outlets to share their music and opportunities to connect with their peers. Now we get to add to that history,” says Massenburg about the event. The festival is part of CPA’s Southern Futures initiative, which focuses on racial equity, social justice, and the American South. Click here to learn more and buy tickets.
The new hip hop mural is part of the growing collection of art being added to the downtown landscape – focusing on diverse artists and inclusive themes. Other recent murals include the African American Trailblazers mural and the Elizabeth Cotten mural, both located near West Franklin Street on Merritt Mill Road. Closer to the hip hop mural on East Franklin, downtown visitors can see the mural banners at Peace & Justice Plaza which were recently updated with art from Charlie Dupee. Steve Wright, the Town’s Public Art Coordinator, says “Artie brings a fresh artistic style to the growing mural program. This work will contribute to the vibrancy and recovery of downtown Chapel Hill.”
The mural is made possible by a coalition of funding partners, including Carolina Performing Arts, Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture, Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, and the Orange County Arts Commission. To see mural updates, follow Community Arts & Culture on Instagram and Twitter and visit chapelhillarts.org.
###