Downtown Sanford’s mural program has expanded into Jonesboro, with the completion of a picture of the town’s cornet band taking place yesterday.
A Facebook post by the City of Sanford Appearance Commission reported that Thursday was the “final day” of the project, which artist Scott Nurkin began painting on July 5. The mural adorns the southwestern wall of the building at 118 E. Main St. and depicts the old Jonesboro Cornet Band from the early 1900s, when Sanford and Jonesboro were still separate cities.
Sanford’s mural program has grown quickly since work began in 2015 on the first one, which depicts Sanford native Howard Auman pitching for the Sanford Spinners in the 1940s. Since then, murals depicting Sanford’s contributions to World War II, a local racing legend, prominent leaders in Sanford’s black community, and more have sprung up downtown.
They are part of the city’s Mural Arts Program, which is aimed at establishing a “Public Art Trail” in Sanford and Jonesboro. To date, the program has been paid for largely with private donations, although the recently-passed state budget includes $40,000 for mural restoration in Sanford.
Nurkin, a Chapel Hill based artist, has painted several of the murals. He and Sanford Mayor Chet Mann were featured this spring in a statewide podcast, which you can listen to here.