208 Roper Road Canton, GA 30115 (678) 319-0286
Murals & Public Art
Canton is dedicated to expressing who we are and who the community is through art.
Whether we are making art to show our history or pieces that share about our location, you are guaranteed to find authentic and meaningful art.
Our “Legs Through Time” mural shows from the beginning to now who Canton is. It starts in black and white and moves through time to 2020, when the legs become 6 feet apart.
The “Canton Wildflower Mural” adds color and whimsy to downtown Canton. The mural represents the City of Canton’s focus on sustainability, and features Georgia’s native perennial, the purple coneflowers. It also makes for a great backdrop in visitor photos.
Another mural located in downtown Canton is the “Historic North Street Mural” this mural series shows both historic and present day Canton.
The next mural is located in Boling Park, it is the “Boling Park Basketball Court Mural." It was a collaboration project with the Canton Cultural Arts Commission and Art in the Paint.
Moving onto our sculptures we have a few of those as well. They can be found at History Cherokee and are known as the “East Garden Sculptures”. The three sculptures show all things that make Canton, Canton!
Located at The Mill on Etowah you can find the “Interwoven” and “Native American” sculptures. The “Interwoven” sculpture is made of railroad spikes to represent the mill family community whose lives were interwoven through hard work and shared values. The “Native American” sculpture is dedicated to the tribes that lived and thrived along the Etowah River before the settlers in the 1830s.
Canton is in the progress of creating an art master plan so that meaningful and authentic art to Canton is installed.
Arts Commission
Vision and Mission
The vision of the CCAC is for the streets, parks, events, and sites in Canton to be made more beautiful and meaningful through a collective and sustained effort to incorporate, celebrate, and promote arts of all kinds in Canton. By advancing arts and culture as an essential element of life in Canton, we build community and connectivity while increasing economic development opportunities and promoting tourism.
Public Art in Canton
Boling Park Basketball Court Mural, 2022
1200 Marietta Highway
A collaboration of the Canton Cultural Arts Commission and Art in the Paint (www.artinthepaint.org)
Canton Wildflower Mural, 2022
Historic Doss Building, 192 North Street
Professional artist Madison Beaulieu transformed this 62-foot-long wall at North and Lee streets in Downtown Canton with bright coneflower blooms.
A finalist in the City’s search for the Railroad Street muralist in 2020, Beaulieu grew up in Cherokee County and has worked as a creative in graphic design and printmaking for several years. Her studio is located in Woodstock’s Made Mercantile. She has previously created murals in Duluth and Woodstock among others.
Beaulieu’s wildflower mural concept is bold and whimsical. A perfect backdrop for visitor photos, the public art piece creates community and highlights the City of Canton’s focus on sustainability. Georgia’s popular purple coneflowers are a native perennial while the state’s smooth coneflower variety is listed as endangered. Native wildflowers in local gardens and yards are encouraged to help bolster pollinator populations.
“I chose cheery wildflowers as the subject for this mural because they are so important to our local ecosystem,” explains Beaulieu. “Our native wildflowers help make Georgia a beautiful place to live and play! I’m so excited to create this mural with the City of Canton. They are so supportive of public arts and the arts community; I’m honored to work alongside them.”
Sculptures, The Mill on Etowah
225 Reformation Parkway
Interwoven
The Marietta and North Georgia Railroad reached Canton in 1879, setting the stage for the development of the Canton Mills by providing affordable transportation for goods and services. This sculpted circle created with railroad spikes represents the mill family community whose lives were interwoven through hard work and shared values.
Native American
For thousands of years, Native Americans lived and thrived on lands along the Etowah River. The mighty Cherokee nation was the last tribe indigenous to this area. Their forced removal in the late 1830s resulted in the Trail of Tears.
Both Interwoven and Native American are by artist Jiovnni Tallington, a sculptor working in ceramics, wood, steel, and mixed media. Tallington’s recent steel sculptures use geometric forms paired with organic lines and surface treatment to suggest the malleability of a seemingly immovable material.
East Garden Sculptures, History Cherokee
221 East Marietta Street
You Are Here, Huelani Mei Fogelman
Ta-la, White Oak, Huelani Mei Fogelman and Carl Moore
Poultry Pioneers, Huelani Mei Fogelman
Historic North Street Mural
Painted several years ago by Canton artist and Atlanta College of Art graduate Scott McIntyre, this mural series shows both historic and present day Canton. The series, facing North Street along the back of buildings that front Main Street, was a project of Canton Main Street and the now-closed Cherokee County Arts Center.
Railroad Street Mural/Legs Through Time, 2020
What’s 3 feet tall and has more than 400 legs? The Railroad Street mural wall! This 540-foot long wall borders the backside of Downtown Canton’s historic The Mill on Etowah.
When Main Street Canton and the City of Canton put out a call for artist concepts to create a Railroad Street mural in early 2020, a group of Cherokee County art teachers couldn’t resist using the call as an opportunity to teach. Led by artist Shanna Coulter, the group of dedicated educators won the mural project thanks to their creative use of legs to tell the story of Canton’s history.
Researching with assistance from History Cherokee, various Cherokee County school libraries, and the internet, the artists – known as Local Color Artist Collective – were able to create an accurate timeline that moves chronologically from black and white, sepia, Kodachrome, and finally to full color. While the group could not include every meaningful moment in time, the “Legs through Time” mural manages to reveal history through captivating images and takes visitors right up to 2020 and early 2021 – a difficult and socially-distanced time for everyone due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The City of Canton is excited to use public art as a tool to highlight our history in a historic location. “Public art not only grows economic development and boosts tourism, public art makes place, creates community, bridges gaps, and connects people,” explains Canton City Councilor Brooke Schmidt.
Preview of Mural Timeline
Prehistoric Times
The Railroad Street Mural begins in prehistoric times (at the corner of The Mill on Etowah’s back parking lot) and includes the Railroad Street groundhog, who seems to have been watching over the area for eternity!
Pre-Civil War
Images next represent the Cherokee, who formed a Republic and Supreme Court. Canton became the County Seat in 1832.
Post-Civil War
Following the Civil War, the economy changed and industry took root in the South.
In 1879, the railroad came to Canton.
Early 1900s
Daily life, child labor, family, and sports teams are depicted from 1900 – 1925.
1926-1950
Images representing 1926 – 1950 show Stumptown, war, and chickens. Cherokee County was once known as the poultry capital of the world.
1951-1970
From 1951- 1970, images depict the fire that destroyed much of Downtown Canton, pageants, war, integration, Freedom Summer, and more.
Cultural Revolution
The young people of the 1970s led a cultural revolution, and many different cultures made Canton a melting pot through 1990.
A New Century
The wall from 1991 to 2019 shows the pop culture of the 1980s, the angst of the 1990s, and many stylish people of the 2000s.
Present
The images of 2020 reveal the social distancing required by a world-wide pandemic.
Although the artists who created the wall used photographs and historical references, the legs could belong to any Canton resident – even you! The blue ribbon, representing the Etowah River, ties us all together.
Art-Related Businesses in Canton
171 E Main St Canton, GA 30114 (770) 704-0755
225 Reformation Parkway Canton, GA 30114
351 W Main St Canton, GA 30114 (404) 798-4279
