Methodology

This project uses qualitative research methods, oral history interviews, and digital public history practices to examine how public art functions as a tool for preserving the memory of historically Black neighborhoods affected by urban renewal in North Carolina. Focusing on Durham’s Hayti neighborhood and Charlotte’s Brooklyn neighborhood, the study centers the voices of preservationists, artists, and displaced residents to better understand how visual storytelling contributes to historical remembrance, cultural preservation, and community advocacy.

The primary research method for this study is oral history. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with three groups: preservationists working to document the histories of these neighborhoods, artists whose work commemorates these communities through public art, and individuals or descendants of families displaced by urban renewal. These interviews provide firsthand perspectives on how public art represents community memory, how artists engage with historical narratives, and how displaced residents feel about contemporary efforts to memorialize their neighborhoods.

In addition to interviews, the project includes visual analysis of existing public artworks that reference Hayti and Brooklyn. Murals, sculptures, and installations are examined for their themes, symbolism, and community reception. This analysis helps situate public art within broader efforts to reclaim histories that were marginalized or erased through mid-twentieth-century redevelopment policies.

The research is presented through a publicly accessible digital platform, www.wheredowego.art, built using the Squarespace web platform. Presenting the project digitally reflects the core principles of public history, which emphasize accessibility, public engagement, and the broad dissemination of historical knowledge beyond academic institutions. Because urban renewal displaced thousands of residents from neighborhoods like Hayti and Brooklyn, many former residents and their descendants no longer live in the places where these communities once existed. A digital platform allows these individuals—as well as scholars, artists, and community members—to engage with the research regardless of geographic location.

The website functions as a multimedia public history space that integrates oral histories, historical interpretation, photographs, and documentation of public artworks. Organizing the research into sections focused on Durham and Charlotte allows the project to compare how different cities use public art to preserve the histories of neighborhoods affected by displacement.

Digital presentation also allows the project to operate as a living archive. Unlike a traditional written thesis or a temporary exhibition, a website provides the flexibility to expand over time as new interviews, artworks, and historical materials are added. In this way, the platform supports ongoing documentation and encourages continued dialogue about how communities remember, interpret, and preserve their histories.

By combining oral histories, visual analysis, and digital public history presentation, this project seeks to demonstrate how public art can serve not only as a form of historical remembrance but also as a catalyst for community engagement and advocacy.