Fund Raising Update
Here’s the latest news from the Color Wall restoration front:
Since June, $3,960 has been donated toward the estimated $6,125 needed to install the computerized “Smart-Switch Relay System” which will operate the bank of lights. The new system is completely digital, so once it is installed, the problems inherent in a mechanically operated controller will be a thing of the past.
We have asked our supplier, Stageworks Lighting of Raleigh, for an updated quote for the project, and will release that information when it is available.
In the meantime, we have been pursuing additional avenues that will ensure continued financial support for the operation of the Color Wall in the future. Among these is a possible auction of original Joe Cox paintings which have been gifted to the restoration effort by a generous benefactor. We hope to have the auction in the early spring, and will make a formal announcement once the plans are finalized.
This past summer, a cache of slides depicting the Color Wall was discovered in the State Archives downtown, where the Joe Cox Papers are housed. The find is significant because the slides date from the early 1970s, and were presumably taken by Joe himself. Moreover, the images show people passing in front of the light mural thereby becoming a part of the scuplture itself, as Joe intended. We have reproduced some of these historic images here.
Thanks to everyone who has made a donation to the restoration of the Joe Cox Color Wall. Your generosity is appreciated!
Thanks for doing this. I really look forward to seeing this piece of art restored and re-engaged with Hillsborough Street.