701 Center for Contemporary Art + The Mills, an off-campus student-housing complex, will host a grand opening and unveiling of The Mills District Art Trail on Wed., Sept. 7, from 7-9 p.m.

The event will showcase new public art installations from 11 artists, with five of the installations being installed in the Guard Houses along Heyward Street in Olympia and Granby Mills.

The trail connects three neighborhoods — Granby, Olympia, and Whaley — with each art installation showcasing the history and cultures of the Mill District.

The Mill guardhouses will now be public art installations. | The Mills

Starting at 7 p.m., take a self-guided tour of sites best viewed in daylight. The opening event at The Mills will include food trucks, a live DJ, beverages, and more.

With several of the installations best viewed at night, the unveiling of the Guard Houses will take place just after sunset at 8 p.m., followed by the final unveiling at 601 Catawba St., across from Pacific Park.

The Artists

Doug McAbee - Pacific Park, 200 Wayne St.
Robert Lyon - 200 Block of Williams St.
Carey Morton - Granby Park, 100 Catawba St.
Fletcher Williams - West Whaley Street Terminus

Guard House Installations

Diana Farfan - Granby Mill, 510 Heyward St.
Susan Lenz - Olympia Mill, 600 Heyward St.
Phil Moody - Olympia Mill, 600 Heyward St.
Jordan Sheridan - Olympia Mill, 600 Heyward St.
Brittany Watkins - Granby Mill, 510 Heyward St.

Site best viewed after dark

Anna Redwine + David Cianni - 601 Catawba St.

Each point on the map shows the location of an art installation. | Google Maps

Need to know

Parking for this event will be marked and located at the 612 Whaley Building, where Village Idiot and Granby Grill are located.
Map of locations for a self-guided tour.

The Mills District Public Art Trail was made possible by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Central Carolina Community Foundation, the City of Columbia, and Richland County.

If you can’t make it out to the event Wednesday, add it to your list of places to visit in the Soda City.