Finding the Artist: Why Max Dowdle?

Once we had found a wall, we had another question to answer:

Who should paint it?

We knew from the beginning that this first mural mattered.

Downtown Statesville has talked for some time about expanding public art downtown. We've invested in sculptures, parks and other public spaces, and we don't see murals as a replacement for those efforts. They're another way to bring art into the places where people live, work, walk, and spend time.

We also hope this will be the first of several murals.

That meant we wanted to get the first one right.

Over the past year, as we searched for a location for the mural, I also spent time looking at murals in downtowns across North Carolina. I was trying to understand what worked, what didn't, and, perhaps most importantly, what we would want from an artist.

Two Things Needful

We were looking for two things.

First, we wanted someone who could do quality work.

The first mural is going to set a precedent. When we approach another property owner about a future mural, one of the first questions they're likely to ask is, “What will it look like?”

At that point, we want to be able to point to the Cooper Street mural and say: This is the kind of work we're talking about.

Second, we wanted an artist who was willing to listen.

There are muralists who come into a community, develop a concept, and paint it. There's nothing inherently wrong with that approach, and there may be a time when that's exactly what we want to do.

For this first mural, however, we wanted something different.

We wanted an artist who would spend time with people who live and work here. Someone willing to talk with students. Someone willing to listen to adults. Someone interested in hearing what makes Statesville feel like Statesville.

That's how Max Dowdle entered the conversation.

"Do you want to get coffee?"

The introduction actually happened over coffee.

The retired executive director of Clinton's Main Street program was visiting Statesville.  We were exchanging ideas and advice. At some point she asked, “Have you heard of this artist, Max Dowdle?”

I had seen his work. I just hadn't yet connected his name to the murals I'd been looking at.

Over the following months, I became increasingly excited with the idea of asking Max to be the artist for Statesville's first major downtown mural.

Max was also gracious enough to join us at Downtown Statesville's annual gathering in July, where he spoke about his work and his approach to public art.

What ultimately made the decision easier was the process he was willing to undertake.

Max wanted to come to Statesville and meet with students and members of the public. He'd listen to what people have to say about the community and the stories they think are important. He'd use those conversations to develop a concept for the mural.

And then there's another opportunity for participation: when the time comes to paint, members of the community will have an opportunity to help.

That's important to us.

A mural can be something you walk past.

Or it can be something you helped create.

We're hoping for the second.

Max was a good fit because he has the ability to create the kind of work we want to see on this wall, but also because he was willing to participate in a process that puts the community into the work.

And that brings us to a larger question.

This mural isn't just a Downtown Statesville project.

It is part of something much bigger: an effort to create 100 murals in 100 North Carolina counties.

So what exactly is Paint NC?

Next in our mural series:  Paint NC, and the project to tell North Carolina's stories through murals.