cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744
DURHAM -- Imagine trolleys, painted by artists, that connect people to Durham's various pockets of arts-related businesses -- say, Brightleaf Square with Golden Belt. Imagine also that those areas are made easier for pedestrians to navigate.
Those visions were part of what came out of a panel discussion held Thursday at Dos Perros restaurant, sponsored by the Durham Arts Council and the Institute for Emerging Issues at N.C. State University. Four panelists participated in a discussion of how communities can make artists more welcome in their communities. The Institute for Emerging Issues has been conducting similar discussion in communities across the state, and in February will pull together what they have learned at the Emerging Issues Forum to be held in Raleigh. The goal of that forum will be to develop a statewide strategy for connect the arts and creative endeavors with North Carolina's future economic development, said Anita Brown-Graham, director of the Institute for Emerging Issues.
Panelists at Thursday's discussion were Sherry DeVries, director of the Durham Arts Council; visual artist Nancy Tuttle May; Todd Atlas of Sound Pure Studios in Durham; and Gary Kueber, development manager for Golden Belt.
DeVries began the discussion by asking panelists what Durham does well to support the arts, and all praised Durham as a city that welcomes creative activity. Atlas said Durham allowed him to start his recording and music equipment business with relatively little income. "It's really some of the best quality of living you can get for the dollar," Atlas said. Kueber praised the "opportunity and authenticity" that Durham offers artists. Durham "has less pretension than other places I have been," he said, allowing people who may not be artists to feel a part of the process. May said that while her visual art is known nationally, "my mainstay is here" because of the community's support.
DeVries then asked panelists to list areas of improvement, and there was no shortage of ideas. A lot of the discussion focused on providing more connection with Durham's various arts-related districts. "My idea is to have art trolleys" painted by artists, May said. Those trolleys could connect the various arts areas during Third Friday and other events. Kueber talked about filling in some of the spaces between those districts with new businesses, and making the area more walkable "so that it feels more like one area downtown."
Beyond bridging physical distance, Durham needs to see more connections "across genres of art," Atlas said. He gave as an example the recent Troika Music Festival, which also featured a visual arts component. He wants to see more such cross-genre efforts. "I think that we can work as a team and improve those relationships," Atlas said.
As downtown Durham redevelops, one challenge will be finding ways to maintain affordable rents for artists, Kueber said. The Golden Belt development has studios for artists, which are in part subsidized by other portions of the Golden Belt factory redevelopment project. Durham also needs policies that will help artists reuse existing and historic spaces "in beautiful ways."
The Durham Arts Council will participate in several national studies that will provide more information about the economic impact of the arts locally. One of those is a study that will provide Durham with an updated dollar figure for the impact various arts have on the local economy, DeVries said.
Audience members also offered suggestions for improving the environment for arts and artists. Among them:
n Doing a better job of making students in lower-income schools aware of various arts programs.
n Pursuing policies in the General Assembly to allow for creation of cultural districts.
n Making more money available for artists generally.
n Creating more arts-related jobs in the area.
