Entry No. 24 — the Raleigh file — filed under: public art
Satellite Park at Duke Arts Annex
Eight decommissioned 1990s satellite dishes that once broadcast educational cable TV were rescued from the landfill and turned into an open-air park of giant, circular mural art.
The story
Before they became canvases, these eight giant satellite dishes spent the 1990s pointing straight into the sky on Duke grounds, pulling down educational cable TV broadcasts. When modern fiber and digital feeds made the heavy steel hardware obsolete, standard procedure was to dismantle them and haul the junk straight to a landfill. Instead, someone looked at the disused broadcast dishes sitting off Gattis Street and saw an open-air gallery waiting to happen.
In April 2018, Duke teamed up with local initiative Mural Durham to turn the abandoned dish field into Satellite Park. Local artists took brushes and spray cans to the concave faces of the dishes, wrapping vibrant original murals across the curved fiberglass and metal. Because the canvas is circular and dish-shaped rather than flat, the paintings distort and wrap around your field of vision as you stand in front of them.
What it's like
You'll find the dishes scattered across the lawn behind the Duke Arts Annex on Gattis Street, sitting quietly on a lot that feels more like a secret neighborhood hideaway than a university venue. You can walk right up to the base of each dish, standing inside the shadow of the bowls to inspect the detailed brushwork or frame photos inside the giant radar dishes. It's free, open-air, and unstaffed—stop by on a quiet weekday and you'll usually have the entire field to yourself.
The move: Stroll through this secluded neighborhood art park, inspect the detailed paintings sweeping across the concave dishes, and pose for photos framed inside the giant radar bowls.
- 📍 Durham
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 404 Gattis St, Durham, NC 27701
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Fruit — Pair one salvaged outdoor satellite park with a raw, 22,000-square-foot former produce warehouse converted into Durham's central underground arts hub.
- Gene Dillard's Fantasyland (The Mosaic House) — Follow up industrial recycled art with a visit to a home entirely encrusted in mirrors, glass, and mosaic art just two miles away.
- Arcana Durham — Transition from daytime weird public art to an evening drink in a cozy, subterranean tarot-themed basement lounge downtown.
Good to know
Where exactly is Satellite Park located?
It sits on the outdoor grounds of the Duke Arts Annex at 404 Gattis Street in Durham.
How much does it cost to visit?
It is completely free and open to the public as an outdoor public art installation.
How many satellite dishes are in the park?
There are eight decommissioned 1990s satellite dishes painted by local artists.
What were the dishes originally used for?
They were originally used to receive and broadcast educational cable television channels for Duke University.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: discoverdurham.com · nctripping.com · Official site · triangleonthecheap.com
last checked: 2026-07-21