Must-See Public Art in Downtown Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem is a city painted with creativity, and nowhere is it more vibrant than the city's Downtown Arts District. This is where the "City of Arts & Innovation" truly shines. A few blocks in size, the Arts District offers a world of culture and color around every corner. Here you'll find stunning murals, thought-provoking sculptures, and one-of-a-kind installations that transform our streets into an open-air gallery.  The best part? You can easily explore it on foot, hopping from one inspiring work to another and while checking out the district's collection galleries, shops, and studios.

 
Art Tower (corner of 6th and Trade)
We'll start our public art tour at the Art District's prime interchange, where a 17-foot-tall showpiece brightens up the block. Called simply the "Art Tower," the structure features a rotating mix of 12 paintings by local artists and a metal fish sculpture up top. Like many public art projects in town, the tower was created by The AFAS Group (aka, Arts for Arts Sake), a nonprofit whose mission is to support and celebrate the local arts community.

 
The Baller (615 N. Trade St.)
This eye-catching mural by Winston-Salem Artist Kendall Doub is a perennial Instagram favorite. Titled "The Baller," it features a business suit-clad figure with a broken gumball machine for a head, possibly symbolizing the playfulness of youth being shattered by the harshness of the real world. Whatever the deeper meaning, it's a mural that's always fun to look at.

 
Mannequin Shenanigans (various locations)
They cling to the sides of buildings and sit along rooftops—a cast of colorful characters brought to life by local artists. The figures are part of The AFAS group’s ongoing "Mannequin Shenanigans" campaign in which local artists embellish mannequins with their own trademarks. Nearly a dozen mannequins currently reside in the Arts District, including the ones pictured above: "Flora" and "Mantis Girl" by Stewart Knight, "South American Project" by Nico Amortegui (middle), and "Kat Skywalker" by Cheryl Ann Lipstreau (bottom). Who knew mannequins could have so much life?

 
Space Man mural (near the corner of 7th and Trade)
There's something both fun and forlorn about this untitled space-themed mural at the corner of 7th and Trade streets. It was created by Greensboro graffiti artist and muralist JEKS, whose photorealistic style has earned big commissions all across the country. The scene depicts what appears to be a scuba diver, wearing a nautical vintage diving helmet, floating somewhere in outer space. 

 
The “5" Royales Mural (740 N. Trade St.)
Winston-Salem's newest mural pays tribute to one of its legendary bands. Located at the corner of Trade and 8th streets, the 20-foot work honors the "5" Royales, a Winston-Salem-based quintet who had five Top 10 R&B hits during their heyday, including two songs that reached No. 1 in 1953. The mural is by Elio Mercado, a Florida-based artist selected by the city's Public Art Commission from a pool of 36 applicants.

 
“Looking Back” (617 N Liberty St.)
Created by local muralist Marianne DiNapoli-Mylet, this impactful piece in the 600 block of Liberty Street chronicles the history of the black press in the U.S., with Frederick Douglass serving as the central figure. Fittingly, it's found on the side of the former Winston-Salem Chronicle building, a weekly newspaper that celebrates the local African-American community.

  
Artivity on the Green (630 N Liberty St.)
Arivity, the city's first art-themed public park, has been a community hub and Instagram fixture since opening in 2015. The half-acre greenspace features several artsy elements, including a unique performance shelter sculpted from silver ribbons and a cluster of red "smokestack" towers that honor the city's industrial past. But the real star of the show is the ever-changing mural wall. Local artists transform this space with fresh works every six months to a year, ensuring a constant stream of visual pop. (Insider tip: Be sure to check out the park at night when it's vibrantly lit)

 
9th Wonder Mural (corner of 6th and Liberty)
Grammy-winning hip-hop Producer Patrick Douthit, better known as 9th Wonder, recently got the mural treatment in his hometown. Located at the corner of 6th and Liberty Streets, the large-scale artwork by Scott Nurkin, a North Carolina-based artist, captures 9th Wonder's essence. Nurkin, known for his "Musician Murals" project, portrays 9th Wonder in a grayscale portrait, surrounded by imagery that reflects his musical influences and Winston-Salem roots.

The Memory Wall (400 block of Trade Street)
When famed Artist Gregory Warmack (aka Mr. Imagination) came to Winston-Salem in 1999 for a residency at SECCA, the late artist made sure to leave a mark on the city. It came in the form of a 55-foot stretch of concrete that sits adjacent to the downtown bus station. Warmack transformed the wall into a whimsical showpiece called the Memory Wall of Love and Peace, bedecking it with hundreds of everyday objects donated by locals: jewelry, buttons, bottle caps, seashells, hubcaps, even a box of Altoids. While the wall fell into disrepair over the past decade, a restoration project in recent years brought it back to life.

 
“La Luz de Diversidad” (corner of 4th and Trade)
Local artist Marianne DiNapoli-Mylet created this colorful mural with the help of local middle school students in 1999. Titled “La Luz de Diversidad” (The Light in Diversity), the mural is Winston-Salem's only Hispanic-themed mural downtown. In 2017, it received a facelift and rededication with the support of the Forsyth Hispanic League. Today it continues to serve as an emblem of the city's multicultural heritage and commitment to diversity.

 
Wind Sculptures at Merschel Park (122 W. 4th St.)
A splash of whimsy graces the heart of Winston-Salem at Merschel Park thanks to two dazzling wind sculptures installed in 2023. Crafted from colorful, polished aluminum, the sculptures stand tall and catch the breeze, creating a mesmerizing dance as the ribbons twist and turn, reflecting sunlight. The sculptures were created by renowned Utah Artist Lyman Whitaker, known worldwide for his kinetic sculptures. With their movement and life, the sculptures seem perfectly matched for their location in the shadow of the new Kaleideum Museum.

Five More Favorites Downtown

Sure, the Arts District is king for public art, but you'll find works in every corner of downtown (and every corner of the city, for that matter). Here are a few more worth discovering within walking distance of the Arts District.

Depot Street Renaissance (7th Street, between Research Parkway and Vine Street)
Leo Rucker, a celebrated local artist, has a unique ability to blend historical accuracy with artistic expression. Nowhere is that more evident than this large-scale work on the northern edge of the Innovation Quarter, just a couple blocks from the Arts District. The mural depicts people, businesses, and institutions that contributed to Depot Street (now Patterson Avenue) becoming one of the first prestigious Black neighborhoods in Winston-Salem. As a result "Depot Street" is not just a beautiful artwork; it’s a piece of living history that invites viewers to reflect on the city’s evolution.

RJ Reynolds sculpture (corner of 2nd and Main Streets)
The late Earline Heath King, a beloved Winston-Salem sculptor, had a hand in a number of public artworks around town, including a statue of Bowman Gray overlooking Bailey Park. However, her first public piece continues to rise above the rest: a 1979 sculpture of Reynolds Tobacco Founder R.J. Reynolds seated on horseback. Mounted at the corner of Second and Main streets, the sculpture shows a young Richard Joshua Reynolds as he first rode into town more than 130 years ago.

Winston-Salem icons mural (corner of Fourth and Spruce)
Local real estate firm Linville Team Partners was looking to make a splash in celebration of their 10th anniversary in 2022. This splash would come in the form of a colorful mural by local artist Christian Parrish, who was commissioned by the firm. The mural celebrates hometown pride with many iconic Winston-Salem elements depicted, including the Mickey Coffee Pot, Moravian star, Texas Pete hot sauce, and historic Shell Station.

"Timeless Purpose" sculpture (Central Library, 660 W 5th St.)
When the Central Library reopened in 2017 after a two-year, $28 million renovation, it marked the occasion by unveiling a spectacular artwork on the front lawn. The piece, an eight-foot sculpture named "Timeless Purpose", was created by Alabama-based artist Deedee Morrison. Made of steel, the sculpture shows an open book sitting on an easel with the word library laser cut onto the pages in over 100 languages. The book is backlit at night using a choreographed LED system that projects words onto the lawn space.

Greetings from Winston-Salem mural (corner of Cherry Street and Brookstown Ave)
This mural on the side of Hilltop House Apartments sits directly across from our Visit Winston-Salem office. We watched Raleigh artist Jermaine Powell (JP) bring the creation to life in Fall 2023 and love how its brightened our little corner of downtown ever since. If nothing else, it's a nice reminder to stop and enjoy the world around us -- if only for a few minutes each day.

Due to space and resource limits, there was no way to highlight every great piece of public art downtown. However, if we left out your favorite, let us know! Email us at [email protected], and tell us what we missed. Mural, sculpture, mixed media -- if it's downtown, it's fair game.