CHAPEL HILL -- The Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission will unveil the first phase of a public art project at Southern Community Park on Friday.

Seattle-based artists Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan of Haddad-Drugan three years ago created the park's art plan, which incorporates regional culture and history. Other art elements will be completed later this spring, with the end of park construction.

At 1:30 p.m. Friday, Haddad and Drugan will present one completed element of the plan: four birdhouses built by the fifth-grade students of Mary Scroggs Elementary School on Kildaire Road in Chapel Hill.

Gina Conyers, the students' teacher, has worked with the young artists throughout the year as they created birdhouses that will mark a seasonal stream crossing, located along the park trail to the school. The birdhouses will sit atop cedar posts created by local woodworker Luke Barrow.

"When we first were presented with the Southern Community Park project, we were very excited by the opportunities to create environmental art installations while tying in part of Chapel Hill's history," Drugan said. "Each element of the plan for the park ties to the elements of earth, air, fire, water, fauna and flora, and many of them repeat patterns of circular shapes."

The unveiling ceremony of the children's birdhouse projects will include presentations by the young artists, as well as Haddad-Drugan.

Later that afternoon, Haddad-Drugan also will speak to participants of the Chapel Hill Public Art Tour, which is being conducted in conjunction with the Public Art 360 Symposium in Chapel Hill. Symposium registrants have the option of registering for one of a number of art-related tours in the Chapel Hill area.

The Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission advises the Town Council on art-related matters and works with town staff to administer the Town's Percent for Art program.