We Are Cary 150 Years Later

In January and February 2020, the project team began work with the Cary’s Public Art Teen Docents to collect photographs of the eyes of the people of Cary and photos that would tell the stories behind their eyes. In March, everything changed. The priorities became keeping our community safe and providing a means for creative expression.

The project became the story of all the people who contributed to the We Are Cary - 150 Years Later Project: the community members who donated t-shirts and made t-shirt rope to help us make over 300 masks to give away, the kids who wrote “Happy Birthday, Cary” messages at our Downtown Cary Farmers Market booth, the selfie-takers who shared their masked portraits, the families who shared stories of being welcomed to Cary in recent years, and the folks who told us about being here for decades. Though 2020 forced the project to change shape, our inspiration remained the same: the people of Cary are what make it special.

Lead artist: Jan-Ru Wan
Assistants: Megan Q. Bostic, Samantha Pell
Documentarian: Tiff Wei
Special contributors: Cary Public Art Teen Docents
Cary Arts Center and Cary Downtown Farmer’s Market, Cary, NC
Sponsored by the Cary Arts Center
November 2019 - April 2021

Current display of printed banners:

Thomas Brooks Park, 9008 Green Level Church Rd., Cary, NC (Ball fields and walking trails), September – December 2021

Past display of printed banners:

Cary Town Hall Fence, Cary, NC, August 2021
Carpenter Park, Cary, NC (Community garden fence), April 2021 - July 2021