Carl, with Carl Johnson Real Estate, is honored to collaborate with Durham CAN for listening sessions about an idea for a Community Arts Collaborative Center. This session invites artists and interested community members to a forum where they will have the opportunity to speak about this possible affordable housing community center where artists can live, create, showcase and collaborate together. This opportunity is for artists of all practices. 

This idea came to me in a dream after traveling the U.S. over the past 5 years. I visited Austin, TX where buildings are being leveled and artists are being pushed out of the downtown area, as they are unable to afford to live there. When I visited New Orleans, I learned that the government subsidizes housing for artists so they may live in New Orleans.

I attended The University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC for High School and College. This dream led me to a concept of an affordable housing opportunity for artists of all practices in the downtown Durham area. The dream uncovered the opportunity for the artists living in this community space with the possibility to create, collaborate and showcase their work. I dreamed that this center would have street level gallery space to increase connectivity, walkability and transparency of the city. I also dreamed about a performing venue where productions would be held in different types of theatres, while also providing gallery space. This community center would add to the mix of the downtown Durham experience and act as an attraction for our community, driving more visitors and residents downtown while embracing our creative class that Durham is so well known for.
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When I helped start Durham Magazine almost a decade ago, one of the most important attributes of the Durham community was the creative class. Now that Durham is growing and housing prices are rising, now is the time to embrace our artists and provide a forum to collaborate and showcase artist's talents while providing affordable housing. Please help me make this dream into a reality by coming to our listening session in early 2018. We want to hear what you have to say. Watch your e-mail for a save the date announcement.