The Cool Spring Downtown District has announced that it plans to bring a large-format, public art exhibit to downtown Fayetteville.
“Mi Casa, Your Casa” is scheduled to open Nov. 23 and remain in place through Jan. 3, according to a news release from the Cool Spring Downtown District.
Creos, a Quebec-based company, is taking “Mi Casa, Your Casa’’ on the road for its world tour.
“The creators, Hector Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena, were inspired by Latin-American mercados, or lively street markets, where human connections are made every day,” the release said.
Creos describes the installation as “a series of eight, three-dimensional, red frames that illustrate the warmth, comfort and safety of our homes.”
The frames look like tiny houses, feature swings and emit a soft white glow when they are empty, the district said in the release. Once a visitor steps inside one, the glow intensifies to indicate someone is home.
The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County is the district’s title sponsor of the installation. With the support of that organization and the city of Fayetteville, the release states, Cool Spring Downtown District plans to place pieces strategically around the downtown arts and entertainment district.
“As many folks know, Fayetteville is home to quite a diverse community of folks who hail from all over the world, thanks to Fort Bragg. And our community becomes a home away from home for them,” Bianca Shoneman, the president and CEO of the Cool Spring Downtown District, said in the release.
“Of course, the commonly used Spanish phrase ‘mi casa es su casa’ translates to ‘my house is your house,’ ’’ she said. “And I believe this new art installation is a visual symbol of the welcoming nature of ‘America’s Can Do City’ towards everyone, especially over the holidays.”
Over the last couple of years, the release said, the Cool Spring Downtown District has been at the helm of about 14 other permanent and temporary art projects for the downtown area. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the district brought Prismatica — another globe-trotting Creos exhibit — for people to enjoy in the outdoors downtown.
Reflecting on the feedback her team received from their merchants, residents and visitors regarding that exhibit, Shoeman said, “What we heard and saw shared across social media was overwhelmingly positive in terms of the joy people felt in interacting with Prismatica’s colorful pieces during an otherwise dark time. Now, with ‘Mi Casa, Your Casa,’ our hope is visitors will see these tiny homes as a symbol of our hospitality, take a moment to sit a spell on the swings and allow themselves to be embraced by our warm community.”
