This sculpture stands on a traffic island at the center of Reidsville where Morehead Street switches from west to east, and Scales Street switches from north to south. It was unveiled in 2016. The sculpture replaces a prominent Confederate monument had stood in that spot from 1910 to 2011 when it was damaged during a car crash. A replica of the monument is in Greenview Cemetery with the original in the collections vault of the Museum and Archives of Rockingham County.
"Budding Future" is 17 feet tall and is brushed stainless steel and acrylic. According to articles, it is a "metaphor for the evolution of Reidsville. Its design honors our past while symbolizing a hopeful future and an inclusive community. Its image replaces a broken relic that represents honor for some, and repression for others."
The sculpture cost $68,000 at the time, funded about half from the Reidsville Area Foundation and the remainder paid from the city's general fund out of a line item for quality of life. It was created by artist Jim Gallucci of Greensboro and and includes 2,000 pounds of stainless steel bought from Tri-State Steel Products in Reidsville. The base, shaped as a star, weighs 2,300 pounds. From the artist's statement "[Budding Future] is the signpost you put out that says, 'We're open to new ideas, success, new business.'"
The side panels on the sculpture include several symbols and inscriptions that include references to the Piedmont Railroad, spindles to represent the textile industry, the city's elliptical horse trotting track, the Waynick Motorcar that was one of the first automobiles manufactured in North Carolina, 1873 which was the year of Reidsville's incorporation and several people who were influential in the city's success such as Clarence "Tuck" Tucker who was the first African-American Rockingham County Commissioner since Reconstruction, H.K. Griggs Sr. who was the first African-American principal of Reidsville Senior high School and Susie Sharp who was a Reidsville native and the first female Justice of the NC Supreme Court and as its first female Chief Justice.
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