Page 18 - Burke County NC 2024

Burke County Public Art

By Lydia Cobb

Streets. Walls. Sidewalks.

You see art everywhere! Why? Because cities all over the world
commission public art to communicate heritage, provide tributes to
heroes, celebrate inclusion in society; notable events and milestones,
and even calls to action.

As you explore Burke County, you will see some works of art that are
permanent and others temporary. We’ve gathered a few selections to
share with you how important public art is to the people in this part of
the Tar Heel State.
Sculpture on the Town is an annual public art contest featuring large-
scale, outdoor sculptures in Morganton. Artists are invited to apply in
the fall with the Morganton Cultural Arts Commission. DIGNITY OF WORK MONUMENT
(rusting steel and porcelain enamel)
The Morganton Cultural Arts Commission chose three sculptures for Outside History Museum of Burke County
2023 in this all-new revolving public art exhibition on display through
January 2024. New sculptures will be chosen and erected in spring. Artist: Joe Wider of Pinehouse Design

Nathan Pierce’s sculptures combine This 22-foot-long permanent, iconic monument depicts three
the notions of technology and the sculpture vignettes representing the textile, furniture, and hosiery
communications of everyday life. mill workers of our town’s heritage industries. The monument
His work seems both familiar and was commissioned by the Workers’ Legacy Foundation Board’s
foreign through his use of displaced founder, Morganton native Jim Warlick, to show a larger-than-life
geometric forms. impression of the mill worker experience.

Three fluid forms, pushed close together,
create an irregular interior space by
artist Harry McDaniel. The composition
conveys a sense of upward motion and
interaction among the sections. The
surface textures and the gaps invite
closer exploration.

EQUITY (weathered steel)
N. Green and Patterson Street
Artist: Nathan Pierce
Cape Girardeau, MO
AFRICAN AMERICAN MURAL (polytab non-woven fabric on brick )
Play Again Therapy building, 205 S. Sterling in Morganton
Design Lead: Darlene J. McClinton

Set against the backdrop of Linville Gorge, cultural motifs allude to
historic challenges (historic flooding and displacement of wealth in
Fonta Flora) and triumphs (school walkout) along with the artistry
RISING SPIRITS (aluminum) of musicians and athletes from Olive Hill High School, a renowned,
all-Black secondary school in Burke, before desegregation.
W. Union and W. Meeting St.
14 Public Art Artist: Harry McDaniel, Asheville, NC Burke County Chamber of Commerce