Art Walk, Third Friday bookend extraordinarily busy Durham weekend

One of the best things about being in Durham is that there always seems to be something to do. This weekend, make that a ton of things to do. It's hard to know where to begin.

Most obvious on the list: the Durham Art Walk, stretching out this year from Brightleaf Square to Golden Belt, from American Tobacco to the DAP and beyond.

The free bi-annual event is designed to provide artists and craftsmen a chance to show off their wares while Durham shows off some of its downtown retail spaces, restaurants and the like. 400 artists' work will be on hand at this fall's Art Walk, a great chance to do some holiday shopping and enjoy a nice fall day. From one release:

The Durham Art Walk welcomes brand new sites and sponsors including: Alivia's Durham Bistro, American Tobacco Campus, Duke Tower Hotel & Condominiums, J&K Custom Screenprinting, Meridian Design, Piedmont Restaurant and Posh the Salon. We also welcome over 50 new DAW artists!

Literally hundreds of artists will be showing their work at 36 great sites around downtown including favorites such as Vega Metals, The Carolina Theatre, TROSA Furniture & Frame Shop, West Village and many others!

Do not miss seeing the many artists featured at art spaces such as the Golden Belt, The Scrap Exchange, Through This Lens, Bull City Arts Collaborative, the Durham Art Guild and Durham Arts Place.

The Art Walk runs from 10am-5pm on Saturday and 1pm-5pm on Sunday. Get more information, a map of the walk and more at the Durham Art Walk web site.

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This fall's Art Walk starts on the heels of November's Third Friday celebration. 

Downtowners, take note of one particularly unique entry this week: a series of design proposals for a handful of downtown Durham buildings, produced as student projects by some UNC-Greensboro students.

From the photos at the project's web site, a number of the designs look to offer inspiration for the upcoming upfit of the Alliance Architecture-owned space on E. Chapel Hill St. across from the post office set to become an office workspace furniture store. (American Tobacco is getting one of these spaces, too.) Check out the students' designs online, or from 5-8pm tonight in Rigsbee Hall downtown.

A new item this Third Friday: the Triangle Arts Mixer, described by the folks at Golden Belt as "an evening for arts organizations, arts supporters, and artists of all disciplines to mix, mingle, and find new ways to activate and advance the Triangle arts scene." A range of organizations from Durham and the entire Triangle will be there; the free networking event (with cash bar) takes place 6-9pm Friday at The Cotton Room at Golden Belt, which also sees the opening of "Hiroshima: After Aftermath" in ROOM 100. (more info)

Through This Lens Gallery will open two new exhibitions by two photographers (Virginia's Jesse Andrews and Durham's Peter Armenia) tonight. Andrews' "Heroes and Hoodlums: Learning to Remember" looks at the people, places and culture of rural Pittsylvania Co., Va., the heart of that state's tobacco country, while Armenia's "Sacred Light - Asia" exhibition provides a colorful look at history and change documented on his travels through the content.

(At left: The Universe in a Puddle, copyright Peter Armenia, reproduced here courtesy of the artist and Through This Lens.) Both artists will be present for opening night receptions from 6-9pm on Friday.

Three new exhibitions open tonight at the Durham Art Council downtown: new paintings by Maria Britton (at right), as well as mixed media works by Lori Easterlin and Joyce Watkins King. Easterlin will demonstrate collage techniques at 6pm tonight and King will give a gallery talk at 6:30pm at the DAC on Morris St. inside the Loop. (more info)

Downtown's newest art space, the RedMass Art Gallery above The Hair Estate on Parrish St., will be open this Third Friday to show off its current collection of art showings. (More on RedMass and another new downtown arrival next week here at BCR.)

Meanwhile, LabourLove Gallery in Golden Belt sees the opening of a contemporary arts exhibition ("Natural Selection") with works from a range of eastern NC artists, many of whom gravitated around ECU in Greenville. (more info)

Intriguingly, the auto repair show-cum-art and performance space at 715 Washington St. near Trinity Lofts sees Durham writer and artist Chris Vitello presenting a poet's play titled "The dictionary within the dictionary," involving live actors, musicians, dictionaries and... power tools. Two shows, 7:30pm and 9:00pm tonight. (more info)

For a full run-down of more Third Friday events -- including new art hangings at Kung Fu Tattoo, a gallery show by the talented youth of SeeSaw Studio, a new exhibition at the Bull City Arts Collaborative and more -- check out the Third Friday Durham web site.

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This Saturday, Watts-Hillandale celebrates the centennial of their neighborhood, constructed around the expanded Watts Hospital in west Durham, now the site of the North Carolina School of Science and Math. And what better way to celebrate than with a gala event?

From the release: "Join neighbors and friends for an evening of food and dancing at the NC School of Science & Math. Hear vocalists Ellen Ciompi and Nancy Middleton, plus the Durham Jazz Orchestra. Put your name in the hat for the big door prize--dinner for two at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club!"

It's a free event (but bring a donation for food or a covered dish to share) with soft drinks in the NCSSM campus' gym.

Also: neighbors are invited to bring contributions to a neighborhood centennial time capsule being created to celebrate 100 years of W-H. From photos, to house-sale ads, to books written by neighbors -- yes, even favorite listserv exchanges -- they're all welcome contributions.

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One of the best new additions of late to East Durham has been the renovation of the John O'Daniel Exchange Center. The old hosiery mill and farmer's cooperative at 801 Gilbert St. across from SEEDS has been transformed by small-businesswoman Wendy Clark into a space for non-profits like DurhamCares and small businesses, including her cleaning business.

The 14,500 sq. ft. building provides co-working space starting at less than $200 per month or office rents for more; the space includes Internet access, copier facilities and the like. It was renovated with the help of a targeted neighborhood investment grant from the City and private sector equity and loans.

You can check the incubator out for yourself this Saturday from 3-5pm, with free music, kids activities, food, tours and more. For more information, check out the project's web site.

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One way you can tell the holidays are here: Handel's Messiah, in a sing-a-long fashion at the Duke Chapel, Sunday at 7pm. Students and choir members handle the solos, the whole crowd gets into it for the chorus. Free admission. (more info)

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In the spirit for classic sci-fi? The Carolina Theatre is offering the latest in their RETROFANTASMA series tonight.

Frank Herbert's Dune -- the 1980s David Lynch effort, not the later re-adaptation for TV -- is on at 7pm, followed by a 9:30pm showing of Krull.

Also at the Carolina this weekend: Jennifer Holliday, the Tony-winning Broadway star of Dreamgirls and two-time Grammy winner; Saturday at 8pm. (more info)

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Down at the Emily K Center on W. Chapel Hill St., the non-profit BounceBack Kids hosts its annual open house this Saturday from 11am to 2pm.

The organization, which provides enrichment to the lives of children with serious medical conditions through free recreational, social and athletic activities, hosts the open house to give the community a chance to meet the program's staff and board as well as some of the children helped by the program. (more info)

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The community will celebrate what would have been the 99th birthday of civil rights and feminist pioneer Pauli Murray with a celebration with family members and local artists; the free event is set for the Lyon Park community center on Sunday at 3pm. (more info)

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There's lots more happening, particularly in local music and theater performances. For more of what's happening this weekend, check out the Durham Socialite's comprehensive listings.

Comments

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[jonn]

I think Third Friday and Art walk happening on separate days is kind of awkward. Like maybe if art walk was Friday night and then Saturday all day...that might make more sense.

[Rob Gillespie]

For the next Art Walk, the DCVB should make a Google Map. The PDF is convenient for printing, but a Google Map would really make it easier to figure out which events you want to get to.