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The mural located on the side of the Nth Street Discount features historical locations and local legends from the East Ward.
New mural brightens E. Ward, shows history
BY MAYEESA MITCHELL
FOR THE CHRONICLE
The residents of the East Ward gath
ered on the corner of 14th Street and
Cameron Avenue for the unveiling of a
mural featuring East Ward landmarks and
notable residents.
The mural, which is located on the side
of 14th Street Discount, was designed and
drawn by artists Marianne DiNiapoli
Mylet and Donell Williams.
"It's the story of the neighborhood,"
said DiNiapoli-Mylet on Wednesday, Nov.
11. "A celebration of the people who grew
up here and represent the neighborhood."
The idea of the mural was first intro
duced five years ago by Marva Reid,
President of the East/Northeast Winston
Neighborhood Association. She pitched
the idea to City
Councilman Derwin
Montgomery and he
tagged the association to
partner with Marianne
DiNiapoli-Mylet on the
project.
"Not too long ago
Marva called me and said,
'I found the wall,"' said
DiNiapoli-Mylet.
To this point, they had been searching
for a visible wall that had a large enough
surface to tell the story of the neighbor
hood.
Once the wall was found, DiNiapoli
Mylet and Williams began planning the
design in June 2015 and started painting
the mural in August 2015. They worked on
it every day, unless it was
raining, until the unveil
ing.
The mural features a
basic street map of the
neighborhood in the
background with snap
shots over top featuring
andmarks like the 14th
Street School and impor
tant people like 1st Lt. Spurgeon Ellington,
who won the Distinguished Flying Cross
Award.
They also celebrated the transforma
tion of the city in the section of the mural
labeled "Back 2 The Future!" which fea
tures a then-and-now split image of the
14th Street Discount with a copy of The
Chronicle flying in the wind.
"My favorite thing was the reaction of
the neighborhood," said DiNiapoli-Mylet.
"They've been so enthusiastic."
Many residents at the block party style
unveiling echoed their enthusiasm about
the mural.
"I love it," said Lorandia Walters, who
grew up in the area and still comes back to
visit her mother and uncle. "It is what this
neighborhood used to be."
Not only is the mural a reminder of the
historical prevalence of Winston Salem's
largest African-American community, it is
also a reminder to everyone that the East
Ward will continue to thrive.
"We needed this to be done to feel
more investment in East Winston," said
Reid. "Thanks to Donell and Marianne,
they see us."
DiNiapoli
Mylet
Williams 1
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GROUP RATES ARE AVAILABLE!
For information and ticket purchases call (336) 723-2266 or visit
www.ncbladkfep.org
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This project was supported by the N. C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. The North Carolina Black Repertory Co. COUNCIL
receives operational funding from The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.