Artist Max D outlines Cumberland County library mural as part of 100-mural statewide project

Max D, owner and director of ncpublicart.com, described a mural installed on a Spring Lake library wall that he said is part of his flagship "paint and see 100 murals in 100 counties" project and the America 250 initiative. "I'm Max D and I am the owner and director of ncpublicart.com," he said, noting the selection came from a request for qualifications and that the site presented few physical obstacles for the design and installation.

D said the mural was briefed to "highlight local legends and then also we have the civil rights movement, we've got the military presence," and that he chose a limited, patriotic color palette to weave those elements together without them feeling "slammed together." He described the piece in Spring Lake as honoring the Special Forces and said that mural was number five in the county-by-county series; he added he has completed about 250 projects across North Carolina over the past seven years and expected to have 22 murals finished by year’s end.

The artist said his approach centers on listening to community stakeholders and adapting design to local needs. "I come in with open ears and I start listening to the community and seeing what they want," he said, describing initial information-gathering sessions followed by design rounds and revisions until the community reaches consensus on direction. He emphasized practical installation considerations — weather, lift reliability and site geometry — and noted this library wall had no pipes, windows or doors to work around and contains an angled bumpout he planned to incorporate.

Max D credited local partners for making projects feasible: "I want to say thank you to Joseph because these kinds of projects don't happen without people like Joseph. I can roll around and try to find walls and try to paint things. But I need people like Joseph to actually like find the funding, find the wall, help me with ideas." He encouraged passersby to treat murals as prompts to learn local history, citing figures included on the piece (Charles Chestnut, Lewis Lowry, Marquita Lafayette) and directing people to ncpublicart.com for more information.

The mural’s stated goals are community engagement and historical visibility rather than a policy action; Max D framed the work as a visual entry point that might prompt residents to visit the library and ask about the people portrayed. Installation status, funding sources and any long-term maintenance arrangements were not specified in the presentation.