Artwork from past years has included video projects, graphic novels, photo panels and textile projects, all of which were created through collaboration with communities in Orange, Chatham, Wake, Durham and Alamance counties.
“Art really helps define a community — helps give expression to people in the community,” said Jeffrey York, public and cultural arts administrator for the Chapel Hill Department of Parks and Recreation.
“Part of the beauty of the project is it allows the artist and the community to develop the project.”
The town of Chapel Hill is offering $8,500 to the selected artist to use for “all expenses related to the concept, design and implementation of the project,” as stated in the office’s request for proposals.
The money comes from the general budget for public and cultural arts, which also funds other year-round art initiatives.
Last year’s project, called “Rockin’ The Spectrum,” was an exhibition of photographic portraits of individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities from the adaptive recreation and inclusion swim classes at the Homestead Aquatic Center in Chapel Hill.
“The display gives those individuals that are in the artwork — but then also the individuals in the disability community, I think — ownership of that,” said Robb English, aquatics supervisor for Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation.
“Also I think they feel a sense of pride that their either pictures or pictures from the program that they participated in are being displayed somewhere.”
