Public Art

Make Your Mark | RaleighArtsCollage of children chalking sidewalk murals by Anna Totten.Graphics in yellow and blue that say Make Your Mark and illustrated icons that go with Take, Make, and Share

Raleigh Arts sought ideas to bring art into neighborhoods throughout the city. I wanted to encourage the community to engage with art and invite viewers to become the artist. 

Each installation is like a life-sized coloring book on the sidewalk. Empty areas encourage people to draw over and fill in the lines. The result is a more colorful artwork that transforms with each artist. The murals renew with rain showers allowing continued engagement overtime.

A small supply house at each mural enables anyone interact with it. In 2021, the newest installations feature bilingual English-Spanish signage. Visit a Make Your Mark installation.  

GO Raleigh Bus Shelter 

pink and orange flower art on a black framed bus stoppink and orange flower art on a black framed bus stop with bench

photos by Teresa Moore

Crocus and hellebores flowers bloom at the end of winter and offer one of the first signs that spring is on its way. I developed this concept at the start of a global pandemic which coincided with a greater awakening to the injustices in America. People are facing a lot of unknowns. My hope is these ‘first flowers’ will remind us to seek the bright spots among the darkness. 

 

Salvation Army Bus Shelter 

bright yellow background with illustrated pictures as a bus stop interior

Collaborated with The Kaleidoscope Project to makeover the bus stop in front of a Salvation Army Family Shelter. Our goal was a kid-friendly space that helps caregivers and kids connect during the necessity of waiting.
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I hosted an art class with families staying at the shelter. We created mono prints and had free drawing stations. No prompt was given, just a simple demonstration and everyone could make whatever they wanted. Kids first created things they like—monster trucks, robots, dinosaurs, and a surfing pirate! Moms printed names, hearts, and handprints of their children. Over time portraits started to emerge, with siblings, with the dog someone wants some day, and of home.
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The supplies were simple, the time investment was small, but the connections seemed big. All art was documented before everyone left, and some of it is incorporated in this bus stop installation. I hope those young artists get to see their work displayed for all to see. 
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