New Brick City

Just down the hill from Winston-Salem State University, the Downtown Arts District Association (DADA) of Winston-Salem is helping revitalize the local arts scene by sponsoring a personalized brick project.

The "Word on the Street" fundraiser enables individuals and groups to buy bricks that become a permanent part of downtown Winston-Salem. Fraternities, sororities and other groups can leave their mark on the city by ordering personalized bricks in honor of their group or in memory of a loved one. For a donation of $100, the brick helps pave the Arts District, which runs through 5th, 7th and Trade streets.

In response to the success of its first brick project, DADA decided to revive this fundraiser. Although DADA doesn't have free reign over where the bricks are placed, the group works closely with the city to install bricks where people have requested.

"We still have to do what the city tells us to," said Kathryn Gauldin, a DADA volunteer. "They [bricks] must be laid flat."Placement is limited to areas that have brick walkways.  The process involves removing old bricks and replacing them with new, personalized ones, such as those in front of Sweet Potatoes, a restaurant on Trade Street.

For a non-profit organization that has to pay all of its expenses, the personalized brick project has gone a long way in increasing funds for the Arts District. Brick sales don't pay all the expenses, but they do help with them, Gauldin said. Gauldin is also quick to say that the brick project isn't just for individuals.

 "A lot of businesses are choosing to put them in front of their stores," she said.

Donations from the brick project have helped sponsor events such as gallery-hops that occur on the first Friday of the month, when galleries extend their hours to display the work of local artists. Due in part to the increased interest in the brick project, events like the gallery-hops are now occurring on a monthly basis instead of only three or four times a year.

Gauldin, who has been with DADA since its inception, has seen the organization blossom into what it is today. She recalled that even before DADA was officially organized, it was a tight-knit community of artists. She has also seen the impact the arts have had on the neighborhood, as well. Once considered a "scary place," the downtown neighborhood has been cleaned up and crime has gone down.

For more information about brick project, upcoming events, and general information about the Downtown Arts District Association of Winston-Salem, you can check out the Web site:  www.dadaws.com