Bookspine Stairway

This bookspine mural was painted in September 2023 in Hillsborough, North Carolina as a collaborative residential project with fellow muralist Darlene. Our connection grew out of the Community Mural Institute cohort in Morganton, where we worked together over the course of five months on three polytab murals and the community events that supported them. Through that experience, she came to know my work ethic, adaptability, and the way I approach mural-making as both a craft and a collaboration.

The opportunity came together quickly. The night before Darlene was set to begin the mural, a crew member she had hired canceled. Because she already knew my experience, had seen the stair riser mural I painted in my own home, and knew I lived only about forty-five minutes away, she called to see if I could help. It was one of those moments that reflects something I value deeply in mural work: the relationships built on one project often lead to the next.

The selected titles ranged from classics and literary touchstones to thrillers, contemporary fiction, and children’s books, so that the staircase felt less like a set of steps and more like a vertical bookshelf telling the story of a reader’s life.

What makes this project especially meaningful is the story behind the homeowner connection. As a child, Darlene was part of the Boys & Girls Club, and the homeowner had been her Big Sister. Years later, that early bond had grown into an enduring relationship, and Darlene herself was now involved in the program in her own way as an adult. So while the mural itself centered on painted book spines wrapping the stair risers, the project also carried a quieter story underneath it — one about mentorship, continuity, and the lasting impact of someone showing up for a young person.

For me, this project stands as another reminder that murals are rarely just about paint on a wall. They are also about trust, timing, community, and the way one relationship can ripple outward into another. In this case, a muralist friendship formed through CMI made it possible for me to step in and support a project that was already shaped by years of care, encouragement, and shared history.

Title: Bookspine Stairway
Site/City: Hillsborough, NC 
Medium: Acrylic paint Interior latex paint
Date: September 12-15, 2023.