GOLDSBORO – Luis Fernando Henriquez, a 2023 graphic design and art double major alumnus from Warsaw, NC, and Celeste Aguirre Onate, a 2021 fine art alumnus from Goldsboro, NC, are painting the town – literally. The pair is part of a team of three artists, including Maria Feliciano, an art teacher at Spring Creek HS, contracted to create a mural masterpiece in downtown Goldsboro.
The team’s artistic vision came from photos they took of the county’s main landmarks and tourist attractions. After a failed first attempt at combining individual concepts, the trio came together and conceptualized their final design as a cohesive unit. The mural’s top left corner offers an introductory message, “With love from,” followed by GOLDSBORO. Inside each letter, the artists created a variety of vignettes in a vintage postcard-style format to showcase the vast opportunities within the city and county.
Prominently displayed are highlights of Wayne County’s economic engines, agriculture and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Visual representations of iconic landmarks such as Civil War markers, the Frank K. Borden House, and the City Hall Administrative Office nod to the city’s rich history, while scenes such as a golfer, the clock from Paramount Theatre, and the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park, showcase Wayne County’s rich cultural and entertainment opportunities.
“It is hard to describe what we felt when we first approached this project,” said Henriquez. “Although thrilled to have been chosen, we were also shocked when we realized how much space we had to work with. This was my first mural, and starting with a project of this size was intimidating. Regardless, with proper planning and execution, we overcame many challenges.”
Onate noted that the entire process took five months and more than 225 hours to complete. The project was made possible by grant funding from The Arts Council of Wayne County through a partnership with the Grassroots Program of the NC Arts Council, which supports revitalization efforts in downtowns across the nation.
Onate said, “Coming together as a team to create this mural demonstrates that anything is possible when a group works towards a common goal. The sheer scale of the mural demanded a strategic approach. We meticulously planned and divided it into sections, working together wherever possible – at home, designated meeting spots, and ultimately, the massive wall itself.”
The pair of UMO alumni agreed that the process was arduous and demanding but very rewarding. Hernandez said, “Each of us contributed our strengths as artists, but we also recognized that we have our own unique style and ideas. There were moments of disagreement, but the key was that we respected each other as individuals and even more so as artists. We formed an incredible team, and our work speaks for itself.”
The mural is located at 112 N John Street in Goldsboro, NC.
