CATCHING THE WAVE

THE CAROLINA BEACH MURAL PROJECT capped off its most recent project – an auction of art-infused surfboards – with enough to keep the public art coming.

In recent months, nearly sixty surfboards decorated by artists were displayed around the beach town. An auction grossed more than $32,000, with about $15,000 going to the participating artists, some of whom donated their money back to the Carolina Beach Mural Project

The money raised will be used toward three more murals in Carolina Beach, says MAUREEN LEWIS, founder and president of the Carolina Beach Mural Project.

Those upcoming murals, to be installed this spring, will depict: the Shoo Fly Train that ran down Harper Boulevard and took people from Wilmington to the beach; native plants of Carolina Beach; and shag dancing, Shaggers Hall of Fame member Chicken Hicks, and Ocean Plaza Dance Pavilion.

“We are also refreshing some of the earliest murals that have suffered from the harsh sun, bringing the artists back to touch up their work,” Lewis says. “We want to be ready for the tourist season.”