In addition to its sweet southern charm, Raleigh, NC is home to a growing, vibrant community of artists and creatives. That’s why Regency’s new Midtown East development — which joins the Wake Forest Road corridor inside Raleigh’s beltline — is honored to represent some of its talented local makers in a way that uniquely reflects the city’s rich artistic culture: through the commissioning of a variety of public installations created by local artists.
Painted by Lisa Gaither, in collaboration with Simon Griffiths, these unique silhouettes adorn various exterior walls of retailers in the Midtown East development including Wegmans, CAVA and already-open Club Pilates and PetPeople. Additional retailers coming online include boutiques and eateries including Ashley Christensen's Project Xtra Crispy, plus Drybar, Snooze and Starbucks.
Known for her murals, street art, chalk painting and interactive and fine art commissions since the 1990s, Gaither has completed hundreds of murals and finishes in the Raleigh community, both large and small in scale. With a love for the city and a desire to reach as many folks in the Raleigh area as she can, her partnership with Griffiths — a visual storyteller, photographer and illustrator also located in Raleigh — is a seamless artistic collaboration.
Until we met Simon and Lisa, we struggled to find the right interpreters for the vision we had for Midtown East and the ways in which we wanted the art installations to be a representation of the city, said Chris Widmayer, Vice President, Investments. "They are both creative forces that curate unique experiences through their work; they know the heart of the community, and their work reflects that. The Midtown East Wegmans is my local grocery store; it’s where my kids are going to grow up shopping. It was in my personal interest to do something in our neighborhood that embraces the community, and this artist collective does just that.
Learn more about Midtown East here. To see photos of mural progress, follow on social media here.