EDENTON, NC. — Have you ever spied the teapot mural in the town of Edenton?
"I didn't know what Edenton was until I was asked to come down here to do the first mural a year ago," said Artist, Matt Lively. "I was really surprised when I got here. I thought it was just a really cute little town next to the water with a lighthouse, and I was surprised I hadn't heard of it before."
Lively is a Richmond native and was asked to paint this mural located on West Water Street on the side of the Chowan Arts Council.
"This is actually the first mural here in Edenton," said Meredith Timberlake, the executive director of the Chowan Arts Council. "We had students from the high school come and help. We had early childhood kids come and help. It was a beautiful project and it was heartfelt and it was really well-received by the town of Edenton."
Timberlake says, because it was the first mural, they really wanted it to represent the history of Edenton. She said the teapot had to be front and center.
But why a teapot?
"Due to the 51 women who gathered to sign legislature boycotting tea in 1774, led by Penelope Barker," said Timberlake. "It was actually the first recorded protest of women in the United States."
You'll also notice the 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse, the trolley and something that Artist Lively is accidentally known for.
"My very first mural had bee-cycles in them, just because they're fun and adorable," said Lively. "A lot of people see the murals because they're out in the public, so they ask me to do a bee-cycle mural for them. So it just accidentally spreads all over the place."
Lively is currently working on another mural for the town.
