Chinese Zodiac: Coming Up Roses

A panorama of roses weaves through the animals of the Chinese zodiac on the wall of the Jade Palace restaurant on Main Street in Carrboro. Hunt for the year you were born to discover your animal and its related traits. The Strowd Roses Community Mural (2009), designed by Emily Eve Weinstein and named after the Strowd Rose Foundation, features the 12 animals that appear on the Chinese Zodiac calendar: rat, buffalo (ox), tiger, rabbit, dragon, horse, goat, snake, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Each lunar year corresponds with an animal and its attributes as denoted in the 12-year cycle. According to the Chinese, the animal ruling one's birth year has a profound influence on personality, fate and fortune.

But this blossoming beauty was not the only mural that wreathed this wall.

Weinstein's artwork replaced a controversial mural painted in 2002 that featured a patchwork of art by local businesses and individuals who purchased 2x2-foot squares for $20-$50 each (proceeds were donated to Club Nova, a Carrboro nonprofit that serves as a halfway house for emotionally challenged adults). Unfortunately, the mural came across as a sweeping billboard and did not pass the Town of Carrboro's public sign ordinance. It was subsequently rectified with the addition of the poem “I am Not a Wall” by Patrick Herron, Carrboro’s poet laureate at the time. In 2007, the updated mural was vandalized in a swathe of mint green. Two years later, Strowd Roses and the Orange County Arts Commission commissioned Weinstein to design the 14 x 60-foot piece which was painted by Volunteers for Youth.

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(photographed at 103 East Main Street in Carrboro)

On the Street: Main & Lloyd

(photographed on Lloyd and Main Streets)

Seen in Chapel Hill: Author Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kite Runner, headlined a talk at Chapel Hill High School as part of a Flyleaf Books event. The Kabul-born author spoke and fielded questions about the characters in his books, his writing process, and his native country.

He revealed that the ideas behind his books (also including A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed) typically stem from television news. However, he calls upon the characters he creates to drive the story. "I never recognize inspiration the moment it happens... If I just feel the character and their pain and their wants and needs and just write the story, I will find the point in the story."

His responses to audience questions unveiled an intimate perspective on the people and culture in Afghanistan: "Sometimes we forget about the human stories in our wars."

After his talk, Khaled walked off stage to sit behind a desk and sign copies of his latest book And the Mountains Echoed, released in paperback this week. A man with a goth bent, clad in a black Marilyn Manson t-shirt with peeking tattoos, handed Khaled a book for a signature. Khaled looked up and gave a pursed grin. With his pen he pointed to the man's shirt: "He's going to be on 'Sons of Anarchy' soon. I can't wait."

(photographed in the Hanes Theatre at Chapel Hill High School)

Burgle

BURGLE (with Eileen & Ryan)

Pet Peeve: Doesn't like it when you blow your nose or sneeze.

Favorite Food: Bacon and eggs.

Ears: Known for their bat-like ears, French Bulldog ears typically stand straight. Burgle was lucky enough to get the best of both worlds: one erect and one floppy.

(photographed on Franklin Street between Columbia/Henderson)

"Cardboard Dreams"

The duo met "randomly" several days ago. John ("my American name") is a UNC Greensboro student originally from Durham trying to find a job in Chapel Hill. He prefers Chapel Hill because "it's safer than Durham." Elijah (playing guitar), recently moved back from a stint in Orlando, FL. Says he just landed a job at Krispy Kreme.

The two of them would like to form a band together. They've been tossing about some names. "I like Cardboard Dreams, but I don't know he's down with that," says John.

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(photographed on Franklin Street between Columbia/Henderson in Chapel Hill)

"Me in the Mural" Don

A Chapel Hill native who works at Weaver Street Realty in Carrboro, Don quipped: "You only have to be here three years and then you're a native."

He explained how Carrboro used to be rough and tumble and has evolved over the years. "Franklin Street and Chapel Hill was the way Carrboro is now. Hippie then...If my parents found out I was in Carrboro, I'd be in trouble."

What does he like about living here today? "I love that they are two towns acting as one."

Don described how he grew up with local muralist Michael Brown. He said his image appears in the "Parade of Humanity" mural on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. "I'm the one with the bucket with the hole...It's a bit of a left-handed compliment."

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(Photographed on Main Street in front of Weaver Street Realty in Carrboro)

"Sharing" Barry

Barry is often seen perched alongside a Franklin Street sidewalk. Says he's been in a wheelchair for 15 to 20 years and is usually alone. "I'm cautious." When he describes his story of how an assault led to his condition, he punctuates it with: "God don't like ugly." What he misses most? Gardening.

While I was taking his portrait he repeated how hungry he was. He asked if I could cross the street and buy him a Filet-O-Fish, small fries ("don't come back with a large one"), and an orange juice. I did, handed him the bag of food, and continued on. When I walked back to my car, I thought I saw someone else walking by holding the McDonald's bag I had bought for Barry. So I approached Barry: "Are you giving away the food I'm buying for you?"

"I gave him half," he acquiesced. "You have to share out here."

(photographed on W. Franklin Street between Kenan Street and Basnight Lane in Chapel Hill)

"NC State" Mark & Wrigley

From Hillsborough. Meeting up with friends in Carrboro. Wrigley, a three-month-old border collie, was a gift from his family. Mark wears a brace on his foot where his talus bone was removed as a result of a car accident. Everyone in the car walked away, except him. Impact the accident had on his life? "You really do have to live life to the fullest." Perhaps an example is wearing an NC State t-shirt (not shown) in this neck of the woods? "I'm not afraid...it's a melting pot here."

(photographed behind Open Eye Cafe in Carrboro off of Main and S. Greensboro Streets in Carrboro)

Kill the Queen

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(photographs taken at 419 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill - Yates Motor Co. Bldg)

Cosmicray Hideaway

Windows on Chapel Hill art installations have sprung up on storefronts showcasing Chapel Hill's commitment to art. The works are by local artists and are scheduled for display through the end of May. Take a peek at "Crochet Ricochet Macramé Cosmic Ray Hideaway,” created by Chapel Hill sculptor and performance artist Gracelee Lawrence. It appears in the Yates Motor Co Building on Franklin Street and features North Carolina tobacco twine crocheting.

(photographs taken at 419 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill - Yates Motor Co. Bldg)

"Mom Hates Them" Marleina

"I'm covered in tattoos and it made it a little hard to fit in on campus at first," said Marleina who moved to Chapel Hill from Orlando to study at UNC. "I got my first when I was 18 and kept going from there. My mom hates them."

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(photographed on Franklin between Columbia/Henderson)

Spotted

After I took this image, the dog began barking incessantly.

(photographed at Weaver Street Market in Carrboro)

"Sending Energy" Bruce

Bruce is often seen eyes closed whirling to music Sunday mornings at Weaver Street Market in Carrboro. He's been practicing meditation for 37 years and incorporates nuances of his practice into his dancing.

While we were talking a mother walked by with a crying child. He paused in mid conversation, bowed his head, and closed his eyes. When I asked if he was okay he said, "I'm sending energy to the kid."

(Bruce designed the headpiece in the image himself from a necklace he used to wear.)

(photographed in Carrboro on Weaver Street, Carr Mill Mall)

Trippy Dream

"Flashback" is the theme for the mural that beams alongside Chapel Hill's Mellow Mushroom restaurant. The Franklin Street mural features psychedelic images and inspiration from UNC-CH vintage yearbooks. It is the largest mural in the Mellow Mushroom collection. Each Mellow Mushroom location features artwork reflected by an owner's signature style.

(photograph taken at Mellow Mushroom on Franklin street in Chapel Hill)

Ovum

Mosaic Egg Sculpture from North Carolina Botanical Garden is located at the convergence of East Main Street and Rosemary Street in Carrboro.

(photograph taken in Carrboro)

Portal to Campus

Stretching the wall of the Carolina Coffee Shop (Franklin Street), these images spring from Michael Brown's mural "Parade of Humanity" (1997). The idea for the piece originated from the pageant of people who stroll through the alley to and from the University of North Carolina campus. The mural depicts Brown's friends and local curiosities. Brown has painted 19 other murals near downtown Chapel Hill. See Towering Shades of Blue and Herculean Men in Carrboro for images of his wok. The mural is located through Porthole Alley from 138 East Franklin Street to campus.

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(photograph taken off of Franklin Street in Chapel Hill)

Moving Canvas

This is a magnified view of Mobile Mural, an art installation cloaking a Chapel Hill Transit Bus. Mary Carter Taub, an installation artist based in Chapel Hill, created the piece using beaming colors of duct tape to interpret local transit routes. The artwork is part of the Downtown Art Program, an effort to amplify local and public art throughout downtown Chapel Hill.

The in-service bus travels along various routes and is scheduled to run cloaked in artwork through March 2014.

Brick Brews

The beer mural logos were created by local artist Scott Nurkin (see "Greetings from Chapel Hill") and appear in the courtyard /alley of the legendary bar He's Not Here located at 112 1/2 W Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.

(photograph taken off of Franklin Street in Chapel Hill)

Past Gas

The vintage Pure Oil sign in Chapel Hill is a footprint of the former Pure Oil Company gas station and garage which is the same building that currently houses Fed Ex Kinkos. Prior to current tenants, the building housed a Pizza Hut. Records indicate that Pizza Hut kept the building's original structure in tact, in lieu of tearing it down, as a result of protests.

(photograph taken at 114 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill)

Geometric Sky View

Ceiling mural at the entrance of All Day Records at 112A E Main Street in Carrboro.

(photograph taken at 112A E Main Street in Carrboro)