Asheville’s Wall Street steps get a new mural inspired by local ecology

The Wall Street Steps are turning into a new canvas in downtown Asheville, where Canton printmaker and muralist Dayna Walton is reimagining the staircase between Battery Park Lane and Wall Street with imagery rooted in Western North Carolina’s plants, mushrooms and wildlife. The temporary project is meant to do more than decorate: it is being used as a downtown placemaking tool, tied to wayfinding, walkability and a push to bring more people back to the corridor after Tropical Storm Helene.

Walton said her work on the stairway grew from the region itself. After moving to Western North Carolina four years ago, she was struck by the area’s ecological variety and its natural-science culture, and that sense of place became central to the mural’s design. Her approach marks a shift from treating the stairs as a blank surface to treating them as part of the public experience of moving through downtown Asheville every day.

The new mural replaces Catawba Falls, the 2019 work by Ian Wilkinson that was installed to make the connection between Battery Park Avenue and Wall Street more visible. The city said that earlier project was also intended to improve wayfinding and encourage pedestrians to explore nearby shops and businesses. It was used as a test project for a broader approach to private investment in creative placemaking on public property.

This latest commission came through a formal request for qualifications released in February 2026 by the Asheville Downtown Association, the Asheville Downtown Association Foundation and the Asheville Downtown Improvement District. The project was described as temporary and site-responsive, with a $6,000 artist budget and a separate $2,000 maintenance reserve for conservation over three years. Concept designs were not required at the qualifications stage, and the deadline for submissions was March 10 at 5 p.m.

The organizations said the mural was meant to support downtown wayfinding and walkability, local creative talent and paid opportunities for artists, engagement with residents, workers and visitors, increased foot traffic along Wall Street, and a celebration of the area’s history and character. The selection was reviewed by a community panel appointed by ADAF and ADID, and the groups said the final choice would follow a transparent rubric and include a public design presentation before final approval.

Walton said she appreciated that the committee did not require unpaid design work up front, a point that resonates in a public art field where artists are often asked to produce speculative concepts for free. Erica Waltemade, ADAF deputy director, said the project was possible because of advocacy from Wall Street businesses and called it “a symbolic step toward reenergizing Wall Street.” Grants from the Duke Energy Foundation and ArtsAVL supported the work, underscoring how a small staircase in the middle of downtown has become part of Asheville’s effort to restore energy, movement and civic life to the city center.