Raleigh-based Lamar Whidbee’s “Get Well Soon” Celebrates “Compassion and Fearlessness”

RALEIGH, NC – Nov. 11, 2024 – Over the weekend, Dix Park Conservancy (DPC) installed a new public artwork as part of its privately funded arts initiative. Get Well Soon is the first large-scale public artwork by Raleigh-based artist and licensed mental health counselor Lamar Whidbee. The piece is installed on Dix Park’s Spruill Building, part of the now-closed mental health facility established in 1856 and named for activist Dorothea Dix.

Get Well Soon features five suspended panels creating a large-scale three-dimensional collage, with the principal subject being Whidbee’s daughter holding a flower. Artificial flora, blossoms and greens entwine the piece, floating off the building and rising 15 feet in the air.

“With one foot in the mental health realm and another in the art world, I wanted to create something that speaks to the unique mental health conditions that many face and the results of having said conditions,” said Whidbee. “With this piece, I wanted to acknowledge the history of Dix Hospital and mental health patients past and present, while encouraging greater compassion and fearlessness — often exhibited by the children around us — as we engage and improve mental health care today.”

“Within our offices at Dix Park, the team works every day to strengthen mental and behavioral health supports for all North Carolinians,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. “This beautiful piece of public art acknowledges the history of Dix Park, raises awareness for mental health and instills a sense of hope and healing for our communities — all critical to creating a health care system that provides care to people when and where they need it.”

Get Well Soon is a temporary installation commissioned by DPC in coordination and partnership with the City of Raleigh, the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh and several local businesses, including:

• Tactile Workshop, a local Raleigh design firm that fabricated the components of the artwork and managed the final installation.

• TG Floristry, a Raleigh florist that collaborated with Whidbee to design the flowers featured in the piece.

The artwork is a continuation of the Conservancy’s commitment to its Arts and Culture Program recommendations for “site-specific works inspired by Dix Park’s landscapes and buildings” that “deepen visitors’ understanding of Dix Park’s past and potential.”

The installation further aligns with recommendations made in the Dix Park Cultural Interpretation Plan, which advocates for art that connects park visitors to the history of the site. The plan is a joint project between Dix Park Conservancy and the City of Raleigh that offers structured recommendations on how history, community, recreation and reflection can come together at Dix Park.

“Dix Park’s rich and thought-provoking history is part of what makes it such a compelling, world-class destination,” said Orage Quarles, former board chair and interim president and CEO of Dix Park Conservancy. “We are thrilled to honor that history with a creative installation that is not only meaningful and moving, but comes to us from a talented Raleigh-based artist.”

A free, public opening reception will be held on Tuesday, December 3 from 10-11am at Dix Park. Learn more about the event and register HERE. The new installation can be found on the façade of the Spruill Building at 1100 Umstead Dr. and can be viewed from the nearby sidewalk.

About Dix Park Conservancy

The City of Raleigh owns and operates Dorothea Dix Park. Dix Park Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that exists to support the City in its efforts, serve as its philanthropic and community engagement partner, and ensure the creation and long-term success of Dorothea Dix Park as a place for everyone – a transformative public space for community, health, and celebration that will enrich our quality of life in North Carolina.