Nicholas Burton Bragg was born in 1936.  He graduated from Wake Forest College in 1958, and attended graduate school at UNC Chapel Hill, studying History. He was Historic Site Specialist with the North Carolina Department of Archives and History in Raleigh; Director of Education and Interpretation at Old Salem; Executive Director of Reynolda House in Winston Salem; and Director of the Reynolds Homestead Birthplace, Critz, Virginia.  He married Nancy Neese in 1959 and they had four children.  Since retiring Nick has painted over 20 murals, many oils on canvas, and watercolor studies. 

His cousin, Betty Burton, recently found this baby photo of Nick. She said “Such a pondering little expression, the gifted hands and your open arms. That is you Nick and the story of your life journey moving onward.”

Nick is well known for his many murals (25 in North Carolina as of 2024), like this one (below) at the Poe Center for Health Education in Raleigh, NC which is 5 feet tall and 12 feet wide. You can see Nick’s murals in many public spaces, including: City Hall in Oxford, North Carolina; the lobby of the UNCSA Library in Winston-Salem, NC; Janeway Tower in Baptist Hospital (Atrium) in Winston-Salem, NC; Foundation for the Carolinas in Charlotte, NC; Intergenerational Center for Arts and Wellness in Winston-Salem, NC. Visit this link to watch a video about the mural he painted for R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, NC for their 100th anniversary.