There is so much going on right now in the Triangle arts community, it is time for an update. Four Triangle municipalities are in the throes of long term planning in the area of arts facilities and programming. We believe that this work makes clear that they are recognizing the importance of the arts to the economic futures of these municipalities and the need to support and integrate the arts, both nonprofit and for profit, into their long range planning.
Here are the details:
![Kelly.artscenterAERIALFINAL]( "Renderings of proposed new ArtsCenter faciity. By Philip Szostak.")
Carrboro
Redevelopment around the ArtsCenter is creating an opportunity for the ArtsCenter to move and expand its facility. Although ArtsCenter owns it current building, it is smack in the middle of a major redevelopment project by Main Street Properties, who owns the surrounding properties. ArtsCenter has long talked about expansion, so is working with Main Street Properties to move to a new facility, which would allow them to expand their space and programming. Get more background about how this move came about here. The possible relocation of ArtCenter was proposed to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen on October 14, so the plans are still not final.
One reason the relocation plan is still under consideration is because the new building that will house ArtsCenter is part of a larger plan for the ArtsCenter and the Town of Carrboro. As indicated in the Board’s agenda, ArtsCenter and other arts and economic development entities in Carrboro and Orange County, are working on a broader project to create a “Cultural Arts and Entertainment District”. They are seeking funding from the Board to move forward with the planning process for the District. As part of this proposal, the ArtsCenter building expansion would include space for incubation of creative workers, expanding ArtsCenter’s work and reach, and, they hope, make Carrboro a hub for creative businesses in the area. There are a lot more specifics about this project in this article. This is a big project and could do a lot for the creative economy in the Triangle and for the town of Carrboro, so we will be watching it closely.
Chapel Hill
Bench in Chapel Hill
The Town of Chapel Hill is beginning the process of “cultural asset mapping” to assess the available arts and cultural venues in the Town. This “mapping” will “produce an inventory of facilities within the downtown and University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill campus that are currently (or have the potential for being) utilized for arts/entertainment or creative industry activities. Mapping would include town, university, non-profit, for profit, church, and community and school-based assets”. An intern is currently being hired to conduct this work, under the guidance of the Town of Chapel Hill Public and Cultural Arts Office.
This mapping is just the first step in a larger effort by Chapel Hill economic development and arts entities towards the possible creation of an Art and Entertainment District in Chapel Hill. The idea for such a district was identified during the Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive planning process and during a Chamber trip to Bloomington, Indiana. Bloomington, has “a designated arts/entertainment district that is thriving,” explained Meg McGurk of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, “We know we have a tremendous amount of cultural assets, but we need to package it as such. With a unified vision, it can lead to more economic investment by individual arts organizations and development too.”
The CHDP and the Chapel Hill Arts Office are leading this work, but the Ackland Museum, Chapel Hill Chamber, Economic Development Office, Visitors Bureau and UNC are also involved. Meg says there has been “support from the Town and University from the beginning — we all know and agree that arts are an economic engine for our community and specifically for downtown and campus.”
The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and Chapel Hill Public and Cultural Arts Offices are both ArtWorks Partners. So, we will continue to keep you informed as this work progresses and of opportunities for input. One such opportunity coming up soon, is Rosemary ReImagined. On the evening of November 21, the Town will be hosting a community meeting to get input on development and growth of Rosemary Street. So be there and be heard!
Fuquay – Varina
The Town of Fuquay-Varina is one of the Triangle’s many small towns that is growing FAST and working hard to provide the cultural resources demanded by their growing populations, as well as increase the number of local arts experiences to make their downtown more engaging and vibrant. Following a well attended public interest meeting, the Town’s Council and a Cultural Exploratory Committee commissioned a study to determine the feasibility of a new cultural facility. The Study recommended building a $39.6 million, 113,000-square-foot facility over three phases, but said that such a facility would not be feasible without major private support. Recently, the Town received a big dose of such support from Bob and Pat Barker who donated a $5 million, 140,000 square foot warehouse in downtown Fuquay-Varina to be used as the arts center and convention hall. Corley Redfoot Architects of Chapel Hill were hired to prepare preliminary plans, which include a 620-seat theater, a 245-seat black box theater, as well as convention and meeting space, arts studios and dance studios. While the facility is certainly not a “done deal” with this donation, as there is much more money to raise, it is certainly a big step in the right direction.
Raleigh’s Shimmer Wall
Raleigh
The City of Raleigh Office of City Arts has seen a lot of changes in recent years. The Office has moved out of the City Manager’s office and is now under the newly renamed Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department. This move finally put most of the City’s arts programs, from the City of Raleigh Arts Commission to its Arts Centers, under the same umbrella. The City owned arts and performance venues, however, remain under the umbrella of the Convention Center.
Now, as part of the Parks Departments’ development of a new System Plan, the Arts Office is beginning work on an Arts Vision Plan. You can see the Draft Objectives for this Arts Vision Plan in the Parks System Plan here. As you can see, this includes Mayor McFarlane’s stated goal that Raleigh should become the “Southern Capital of Arts and Culture.” As the next step, the City will be hiring a consultant to help develop an Implementation Plan based on these Objectives and is taking input on what the City should be considering as it moves towards Implementation. I attended a meeting this week, where local stakeholders helped craft some overall guidelines for the creation of the Implementaion Plan, but the public can also have input here. Once the consultant is hired, there will likely be more opportunities for public input into the Implementation Plan. We will keep you informed of those opportunities.
Whew!
So much to keep up with! Don’t worry, we will keep you informed and make sure that you are aware of opportunities for the arts business community to have input in all of these processes. To assure you get these updates, sign up on our email list!
Beth
