Making Dalton Proud: Peacock Stamp Honors Textile Heritage, Supports Arts Community
If you’ve ever had the privilege to visit Dalton, Georgia, home of Prodigy Disc, you’ve definitely noticed the ample plumage dotting the downown streets.
Together with Dalton’s Creative Arts Guild, Georgia's oldest multidisciplinary community arts center, the city spearheaded a public art project to honor the area’s textile heritage. The “Peacocks on Parade” are eclectically deorated peacock statues that now adorn the main drag of Dalton, and fit right in next to the Prodigy PAR2 Trail disc golf course that winds through town.
But why peacocks? According to the city, “Peacock Alley” was a nickname given to Highway 41 at the height of chenille bedspread popularity. Catherine Evans Whitener created the chenille process that led to the invention of modern tufted carpet and Dalton’s position as Carpet Capital of the World. The most recognizable patterns on the bedspreads were peacocks that decorated the exterior of the Highway 41 chenille shops.
The King Peacock of Dalton
In addition to the Peacocks on Parade, the Dalton Renaissance strategic vision, a downtown master plan, called for more public art. The Leadership Dalton-Whitfield Alumni Association helped to sponsor the King Peacock mural on King Street, painted by local artist Ruth Park. That mural wall has since become a destination photo opportunity for visitors.
As a way to support, and with the help of, the Creative Arts Guild, we’ve digitized the King Peacock mural and turned it into a stunning dual-foil stamp.
Our first run of the Dalton Peacock stamp is going on A3 approach discs in 500 Spectrum Glimmer plastic for the extra level of detail, not unlike the peacock spreads of the past.
