Kernersville to study sign-ordinance changes after mural festival sponsors withdraw

Kernersville Board of Aldermen members on May 28 directed town staff to research whether and how the town could allow small "sponsored by" placards on public murals after organizers said businesses had withdrawn $17,000 in pledged funding when told the plaques would be treated as off-premise signage under the town's sign ordinance.

The request came from Christina Parrish, who identified herself as a former educator and a full-time mural artist organizing the Kernersville Mural Festival featuring Ladies Who Paint. Parrish told the board she had raised private funds through the Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County as fiscal sponsor and had committed to paying artists directly for murals planned downtown. She said several business sponsors withdrew when told their names or logos could not appear on small donor placards next to painted walls.

Parrish said the project had 44 artist applications and about 15 potential wall locations and that she had planned sponsorship levels including a bronze package at $1,500. "The majority of that money goes directly into the hands of the artists that are executing the murals," Parrish said, and she added the Arts Council will take a 5% fiscal-sponsorship fee. She told the board that sponsors pulling back represented roughly $17,000 in retracted funding and that, personally, she was about $2,700 in the red after covering costs for murals whose sponsors withdrew.

Town staff told the board that adding a small placard next to a mural would be classified as off-premise signage under the town's sign ordinance and Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). "If we allow one, someone will come up and say, 'well, I want to put one on the side of a wall that doesn't have a mural on it,'" said Curtis Swisher (staff member), describing the legal risk of treating similar signs differently. Swisher and other staff said changing the ordinance to permit mural placards would require careful drafting to avoid content-based or arbitrary-and-capricious claims and likely outside legal review.

Staff estimated outside counsel familiar with the sign ordinance could charge roughly $650'$700 per hour; Swisher said a comprehensive review could require on the order of 50 hours and cited a notional cost of about $35,000 to $36,000. The board discussed other options: (1) proceed without sponsor names on murals, (2) have the town fund public art directly so sponsor placards are unnecessary, or (3) pursue a text amendment to the UDO with planning-board review and legal review.

Several residents and business leaders spoke in favor of allowing tasteful sponsor recognition. Bruce Frankel, who noted his ties to the chamber of commerce, argued that murals drive foot traffic and help downtown businesses. Aldermen asked staff to review how other municipalities handle sponsored murals and whether a public-art policy or ordinance could allow limited sponsor attribution without running afoul of existing sign rules.

Motion and next steps: Mayor Pro Tem Chris Thompson moved, and Alderman J.R. Gorham seconded, a motion directing staff to research options and return with recommendations; the motion passed unanimously. Staff said they would research municipal examples and legal options and aim to return with a recommendation at the board's August 5 meeting. In the interim, organizers may continue to paint murals that comply with existing sign and overlay regulations, but staff warned that placing sponsor logos or other elements that violate the sign ordinance could expose the property owner to notices of violation and possible fines.

Parrish also clarified contract and funding details in response to questions: artists are to be paid directly from festival fundraising, the Arts Council receives 5% as fiscal sponsor, individual mural costs were described in her presentation as ranging approximately from $2,300 to $8,400 depending on size, and artists are being paid about $35 per square foot. Wall donors (property owners who allow murals) sign a contract requiring the mural be left in place for at least two years.

Why this matters: The discussion tied creative placemaking to downtown economic development and donor recognition. Organizers say sponsor attribution is a critical incentive for private contributions; staff say permitting exceptions to the sign ordinance without careful legal drafting could invite legal challenges. The board's direction gives staff 60-plus days to produce options for the council to consider.

What the board did next: The board's unanimous directive requires staff research and a return presentation at or before the August 5 meeting, with staff advising that a formal text amendment to the UDO would also require planning-board review and potential outside counsel review.

Ending note: Parrish said she would continue fundraising but that several businesses had pulled sponsorships because they wanted public recognition on or near the murals; she asked the town to resolve the matter before the festival's second phase in November 2025.