By Krys Estes, Contributing Writer
Wilmington father Lucas Cole, who was with his daughter Capri at the New Hanover County Arboretum, pondered a moment before placing the piece of chalk against the wall.
What did he want to do before he died? He scrawled out the words, “Live at the beach.”
“One of these days when I strike it rich,” he said.
Cole was participating in an interactive new exhibit where visitors to the gardens are encouraged to think about the things they want to do in their life before they die.
Participants in the “Before I Die” exhibit then write those thoughts, ambitions and dreams in colored chalk on a blackboard the size of a wall. In segmented slots, visitors to the arboretum share their personal ambitions in a public space.
“Go to Paris,” reads one, while another person wrote he or she wants to “Find my soulmate.” One ambitious angler wants to “Fish around the world,” while a brash participant declared, “I’m going to live forever.” One participant wants to “Meet Paul McCartney.”
Not all entries are fun or cute. One curious entry wishes to “Get a proper diagnosis.”
“These public walls are an honest mess of the longing, pain, joy, insecurity, gratitude, fear and wonder you find in every community,” said Candy Chang, a New Orleans artist who brings her “Before I Die” chalk walls to locations around the country. “Everyone is going through challenges in life and there’s great comfort in knowing you’re not alone. But it’s easy to forget this because there are a lot of barriers to opening up and while the barriers remain, it’s easy to forget the humanity in the people around us and be impersonal and even adversarial.”
Kym Davidson, development director at the arboretum, discovered one of the projects after visiting one in Traveler’s Rest, South Carolina, and opened one at the arboretum on Feb. 12.
“I watched summer camp kids pull up in buses and flock to this community forum enthusiastically reading and writing. Once I read the back story, I thought it would be perfect in Wilmington,” Davidson said. “We are excited to be part of this international movement, connecting Wilmington with other cities around the world.”
Chang, who has been an artist for more than a decade, created the trend with her first “Before I Die” chalk wall in New Orleans in 2011. Chang said “Before I Die” walls have been established in more than 1,000 cities in more than 70 countries and have been stenciled in more than 35 languages.
Davidson explained the board can be used with lines, but people are encouraged to color and draw outside of the lines for hopes and dreams to be creatively expressed through art and pictures This project turns a blank wall into something interesting and powerful while providing a gathering place and outlet for people to share their own ambitions, she said.
“We hope this new project unites the community, offers visitors a respite, creates hope, and inspires participants and those walking by to pursue their goals and dreams and just have fun,” Davidson said. “It was an initiative to bring the community together.”
Davidson said the chalk wall would be a great idea for events and weddings as well where guests have the opportunity to use it as a prop and a backsplash for photos. While the theme is currently “Before I Die,” the arboretum will change the theme every so often in order to generate new creativity and community responses.
“We are always reminded of our differences and I think we need to focus on our commonalities, the things we share as a community at different stages in our lives,” Davidson said. “A lot of what’s written on these boards is universal.”
Chang said she never expected the project to go beyond New Orleans.
“It’s been one of the greatest experiences of my life to see this little experiment in my neighborhood grow into this global project,” Chang said. “It’s all thanks to passionate people who have spearheaded walls in their own communities.”
The exhibit is free to the public at the New Hanover County Arboretum, open seven days a week from dusk to dawn.
