greenway

About

This project comprises 1) a site-specific, community/participatory audio piece and 2) a 2D artwork created made specifically for the Robeson Creek Greenway in Pittsboro, North Carolina. I explored the experience of being in nature, especially nature integrated into the urban environment.

It was commissioned by the Chatham Arts Council, with support from Chatham County, the Town of Pittsboro, Fidelity Bank, and The Jester Group at Baird.

The participatory audio piece incorporates short, anonymous voice recordings I solicited from Chatham County residents, as well as field sounds I took from the greenway and original music (see below for more about the participatory process). I also created a 2D artwork, in which I translated community-generated, site-specific bird observation data into collage. The collage was then printed onto metal and installed as permanent public art at the greenway’s entrance.

A QR code on the installed artwork points greenway visitors to this website, so they may listen to the audio about the greenway while walking the greenway. The audio piece is divided into two segments, as the greenway is currently a point-to-point path (Segment 1: S. Small St. to Sanford Rd., and Segment 2: Sanford Rd. back to S. Small St.).

The project culminated in a public viewing and listening event on May 9, 2026 at 1pm.

How do I experience this project?

Experience

At the S. Small St. entrance to the Robeson Creek Greenway, in Pittsboro, North Carolina, USA, you'll see the sign to the greenway and the 2D artwork. You'll scan the QR code at the bottom of the artwork with your smartphone to access the audio project and will listen on your headphones/earbuds while you walk the greenway. Segment 1 of the audio takes you from S. Small St. to Sanford Rd., and Segment 2 takes you from Sanford Rd. back to S. Small St. Each segment is ~11 minutes.

FAQ

Where is this greenway? If you search for "Robeson Creek Greenway" on Googlemaps, that will direct you to the S. Small St. entrance. The greenway currently extends from S. Small St. to Sanford Rd. in downtown Pittsboro. It is a lone, point-to-point trail (not a loop).

What should I bring?

your headphones or earbuds
your (charged up) smartphone
a water bottle
Shoes you can walk in for about 22 minutes.

Is the greenway accessible? Yes! It's paved and relatively flat. There is one small, wooden bridge.

Where can I park? See this parking map. On-street parking is available along S. Small Street. The S. Small St. entrance to the greenway is in a neighborhood, so please be mindful to not block driveways. And wave to your neighbors! If you park on-street, follow the two wheels on the road/two wheels off rule, and you'll be fine. Alternatively, you can use the public parking lot at Main Street Station. Please cross East Street (Business 64) safely if you choose to park there.

Is this project appropriate kids? For dogs? While not oriented specifically for kids, there is nothing objectionable language- or subject-matter-wise in the audio piece. Older kids and teenagers may get more out of it. (I did have two kids participate, whose voices are in the piece itself.) Dogs are welcome on the greenway and should be kept on leash, per Chatham County law. I have not yet heard of a dog being outfitted with headphones to experience the audio piece, but there is a first time for everything. If you try this, please send me photos!

How long will the audio piece and art be available to experience? In short, forever, or at least the next 10–15 years. This is now permanent public art in Pittsboro—existing at the Robeson Creek Greenway in perpetuity! Go whenever you like.

How much does it cost? Nothing. Public art is free!

Is there a public restroom at the greenway? Unfortunately, no.

Premiere on May 9, 2026

May 9 at 1pm at the Robeson Creek Greenway

This project weaves together community voices, field recordings, original music, and visual art into an immersive experience along the Robeson Creek Greenway in Pittsboro, NC.

Visitors came to walk, listen, and experience their community in a new way during the project’s premiere on May 9, 2026 at 1pm.

We met at the S. Small Street entrance to the Greenway (type "Robeson Creek Greenway" into googlemaps to find it) with their headphones/earbuds. Loaners were on hand for people without them. After brief introductions and remarks, we pressed "play" on the first segment of the audio piece at the same time, and walked the greenway together. As the audio piece is timed, roughly, to the length of the greenway, we arrived at the end around the same time, and pressed "play" to listen to Segment 2 back to our origination point. An explanation of the visual art and Q&A followed.

This was a free, all-ages, dog-friendly event!

The Visual Art

In addition to the audio piece, I've also created a visual artwork, in which I translated bird data about the Robeson Creek Greenway, circa 2016–2026, in a 2D collage of 739 bird observations. This was inspired by the fact that nearly half of all audio art participants mentioned birds in their responses.

This artwork, as well as the audio piece, will be premiered at the launch event on May 9, 2026.

A sneak peek of this artwork is now on view at Pittsboro's newest art space, Fluorescent Hallway Gallery, in the Mathiesen Clinic Building, next to All Day Records' satellite Pittsboro location, at 45 West St, Pittsboro, NC 27312.

Bonus Material: Poem

One unexpected surprise of the solicitation for voice memos was a poem! A poet named Teresa Hall submitted the following poem, lines of which I incorporated into the final audio piece. As it stands as a complete artwork on its own, I wanted to present it here in its entirety.

NATURE

Because of you

my soul has

been sustained,

the ugly side

of life

pushed away.

Patterned leaves

trace against

an indigo sky.

In the distance,

white pines rise.

River running

over rocks

calls out my

name. A simple

Leopard frog

proof of

life renewed.

Cicadas belt out

summer's

red-hot refrain.

Iridescent wings

flash by, alight…

Yes, now the world

is good again.

Teresa Hall

The Solicitation for Participation

PLEASE NOTE: The solicitation for participation in the audio piece is now closed.The following was the solicitation for participation, in case anyone is curious.

---

What does being in nature do for you? How does it make you feel?

If you've been down the Robeson Creek Greenway, what has been your experience of the greenway? How does it make you feel?

I invited anyone living or working in Chatham County (NC) to anonymously record their responses to any or all of these questions. I am now excerpting your voice responses and incorporating them into a site-specific, public audio art piece as part of the Chatham Arts Council's creative placemaking program.

There were two ways to participate:

Calling ‪(984) 377-3477‬ and leaving an anonymous voicemail.

Recording a voice memo on your phone and texting it anonymously to (919) 641-9367.

You didn't need any special knowledge or “perfect” words—just your honest voice.

(Note that by sending a recording, you gave permission for your voice to be edited into short excerpts and included in this public, non-commercial audio artwork.)

FAQ About the Audio Art

Please reach me at felixobelix@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

where is this greenway?

Robeson Creek itself runs through Chatham County, into the Haw River, and into Jordan Lake. The Robeson Creek Greenway is a paved, point-to-point trail that follows the creek in downtown Pittsboro, NC. One entrance of the greenway is off Sanford Rd., across the street from the Laundry Land Laundromat. The other entrance is off S. Small St., in a residential neighborhood. See this map for more. It is approximately 0.3 miles one way (so, 0.6 miles if you go out and back).

Googlemaps will indicate the Robeson Creek Greenway at the S. Small St. entrance.

For the audio piece, do you want me to say something positive?

Not necessarily! Please feel free to say exactly what's on your mind (about nature or the Robeson Creek Greenway), whether that's positive, negative, or neutral. I firmly believe that you shouldn't ask questions that have "wrong' answers"—that's not a legitimate way to make community-based, participatory art. Your responses, whatever their tone, are all valid.

That being said, I will bleep out expletives to keep the piece family-friendly, and I won't include language that discriminates on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. In the many years I've done this kind of work, I've never had anyone leave discriminatory/hate speech responses.

how old do you have to be to participate?

All ages are welcome! In fact, I'd love a variety of ages participating: it makes for interesting perspectives and good audio!

What is the audio piece going to sound like?

This depends on who participates, how many people participate, and what they say. I generally edit responses into short, useable snippets, and then overlap voices to create a kind of conversation among the respondents. Add in some field recordings I will take of the site itself and original music (composed, performed, and recorded by me), and you have a complete piece of audio art. To give you an idea, you can listen to another project on grief, one on living in uncertain times, and one on the history of Dorothea Dix hospital in Raleigh.

I'm not a chatham county resident. Can I participate?

If you live or work in Chatham County, NC, I invite you to participate. Since this is a commissioned project by the Chatham Arts Council, and since it's place-based within Chatham County, I'm focusing first on participants who spend significant time in the county. If you aren't sure if you should participate, the answer is probably "yes." I err on the side of "yes" generally!

What if I mumble or sound dumb when i leave my message?

This is fine, and it's expected! You're welcome to speak naturally, off the cuff, in the moment because 1) it makes for natural-sounding, interesting audio and 2) I'll be editing out any "ummms" or "uhhhs" anyway. My goal is to handle your voices and responses ethically and with sensitivity. I'll make you sound good.

What does it cost to participate?

Nothing! It is free to participate, and the event on May 2 will be free and open to the public.

Are there any other things I should know?

If you leave a voice message, you're consenting to it being used in this piece of non-commercial audio art.

Felix Obelix

Wendy Spitzer, interdisciplinary artist

Holds Many Secrets, Hides Many Stories

Segment 1

Segment 2

About

How do I experience this project?

Experience

FAQ

Parking Map

Premiere on May 9, 2026

May 9 at 1pm at the Robeson Creek Greenway

Photos of the Premiere (photo credit: Erin Scannell)

Photos of the Premiere (photo credit: Erin Scannell)

The Visual Art

Bonus Material: Poem

The Solicitation for Participation

FAQ About the Audio Art

Thank You

This project is commissioned by the Chatham arts council...

...in collaboration with pittsboro parks and recreation & The town of Pittsboro.

This project is commissioned by the Chatham arts council...

...with support from Chatham county...

...in collaboration with pittsboro parks and recreation & The town of Pittsboro.

This project is commissioned by the Chatham arts council...

...in collaboration with pittsboro parks and recreation & The town of Pittsboro.

...in collaboration with pittsboro parks and recreation & The town of Pittsboro.

...in collaboration with pittsboro parks and recreation & The town of Pittsboro.

Additional Thank Yous

This project was also supported by fidelity bank...

This project was also supported by fidelity bank...

This project was also supported by fidelity bank...

...and the jester group at baird.

This project was also supported by fidelity bank...

This project was also supported by fidelity bank...