The six-month inaugural Neighborhood Arts Residency Program in Dudley Heights was led by creative leader and educator Darlene J. McClinton in 2021. She worked with the Dudley Heights neighborhood to offer a variety of community-based arts programming throughout the six-month residency. Art experiences included drawing and design workshops, poetry writing, and t-shirt printing, and a neighborhood-inspired mural entitled "Dudley Pride" that was installed at Dudley High School and inside a bus shelter at the entrance of Barber Park.

 “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to impact the Dudley Heights community and use public art and arts integration programming as a vehicle to educate and bridge cultural gaps,” McClinton said.

About The Artist

Darlene J. McClinton is a community leader in the Triad who holds various creative positions. She is an international artist, muralist, public speaker, creative community consultant, and arts educator at NC A&T State University, and the President/C.E.O. and Founder of Creative Khromazone Artists' Agency, the C.E.O. and Co-founder of The Artist Bloc L.L.C., and Founder of T.A.B. Arts Center Non-profit, Inc.

It wasn't until 1997 that Darlene considered becoming a professional artist, and since then, she has spent 25 years studying art history and developing her unique style. Darlene has an affinity for painting murals and is passionate about fostering research and strategic partnerships between communities and students through advocacy and public art. She encourages creative placemaking, which involves communities in creating public art, telling stories, and learning from one another.

Darlene's collective artistic and entrepreneurial work bridges gaps through education, reminding and influencing future generations about the past, present, and future.

About Neighborhood Arts

Neighborhood Arts supports artists and residents as co-leaders to connect communities with creativity. The program brings creative experiences close to home through arts activities and beautification projects that respond to neighborhood priorities. The program focuses on the five communities of the Housing GSO Plan: Dudley Heights, Glenwood, Kings Forest, Mill District, and Random Woods. The neighborhoods chosen for the program were identified for reinvestment in that plan.