Asheville Downtown’s Wall Street Steps Mural is Complete

The Wall Street Steps Mural is complete. Artist Dayna Walton spent two weeks in early to mid-June bringing the piece to life on Wall Street, following a public call for artists and a community review panel that helped select her for the project. The mural and celebration was made possible by Arts AVL and Duke Energy.

“Meander,” the mural’s title, is an homage to the ecological diversity of the Appalachians, starting with the lower elevation’s flora and fauna, transitioning to the highest elevation at the top of the steps, and is accompanied by signage to invite us to learn the names of these distinctive plants and critters.

Asheville Downtown Leadership with Artist Dayna Walton and Duke Energy Foundation representative.

Asheville Downtown celebrated the completion on June 27 with a community event held in partnership with the monthly Gingko Market. The day brought vendors and buskers to Wall Street, along with a Downtown Urban Tree Walk led by the City Arborist. Turnout was strong, and the event felt jubilant as families, neighbors, and local businesses gathered on Wall Street, demonstrating full potential of Wall Street as a pedestrian friendly, public space.

A highlight of the day was the barn quilt painting workshop led by Dayna Walton. Community members painted individual panels inspired by Asheville’s resident tree species that will be installed together on Wall Street as a collective mural, a project tied to our ongoing Fabric of Downtown campaign. Rather than one artist's work alone, the finished piece will reflect the hands and stories of the community members who painted it, a fitting companion to the Wall Street Steps Mural itself.

Community members painting barn quilts for a future public art piece on Wall Street

The celebration also featured craft vendors, ecologically-minded nonprofits, a sneak preview from Slava Bakery, with samples and cakes available for purchase, and inspiring activations by our amazing local Wall street businesses in their storefronts.

Slava Bakery

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate and made this event possible.