Working on street mural Erradica El Racismo, painted on East Davie Street outside Artspace. This project was led and organized by Artspace Board Member Pepe Caudillo and created in collaboration with Latinx artists Lety Alvarez, Cornelio Campos, Jose Manuel Cruz, Peter Marin (Artspace Studio Artist, Studio 105) and Luis McKeney and with the help of many volunteers.
Artspace In the Community
Artspace on the Go
Spring 2024
We’re excited to share that we’re launching Artspace on the Go – a mobile art van that brings the magic of arts education to children in grades K-12 and their families in underserved neighborhoods. The van tackles inequity in arts access head-on by providing free, artist-led, high quality art education experiences. Check out our upcoming tour dates and meet the van and create with us and help the van hit the road with a donation of any size.
Striving for Equality Mural
April 2024
Studio Artist Adriana Ameigh’s mural, Striving for Equality is temporarily up at Moore Square. This community art project was painted by the public during Feminist First Friday. Striving for Equality celebrates the achievements of women in history and contemporary society. Funding provided by Downtown Raleigh Alliance with support by Artspace .
Mural at Cortez Restaurant
March 2024
Recently Artspace Board Member Pepe Caudillo organized the creation of a mural at Cortez Restaurant on Glenwood Avenue. He, along with five volunteers, completed the project in 12 hours. This is the second mural Caudillo has organized to address racism in our community and society, and he hopes to organize more murals in the future.
Reflecting on our Residencies
January 2024
January was the final First Friday for NC Emerging Artists in Residence Isabel Lu and Anna Payne Rogers Previtte and HBCU Artist in Residence Jalen Jackson as our 2023 Artists in Residence! We are excited to share that all three residents will be staying at Artspace and moving into permanent studios happening later this month! Check out these interviews with our Artists in Residence by IDEAL intern Mona Abraham.
Artspace continues partnership with Dix Park
2023
Artspace is excited to continue its partnership with Dix Park to bring Raleigh more Connect + Creates! These classes, hosted at the Dix Park Chapel, are free and open to all ages. Register for classes through dixpark.org.
Artspace President + CEO, Carly Jones, attends the Loophole of Retreat symposium
October 2022
Artspace President + CEO, Carly Jones, had the incredible opportunity to attend the Loophole of Retreat symposium organized by Rashida Bumbray with curatorial advisors Saidiya Hartman, University Professor at Columbia University, and Tina Campt, Owen F. Walker Professor of Humanities and Modern Culture and Media, Brown University. This three-day symposium, held during the Venice Biennale October 7-9, included dialogue, performances, and presentations centered on Black women’s intellectual and creative labor.
Studio Artist Jane Cheek To Install Public Art Sculpture at IBMA
September 2022
For the first time in ten years, IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC will have a public art installation on display, celebrating Bluegrass music and culture.
Artspace Studio Artist Jane Cheek (Studio 217) will be installing an immersive, kinetic installation, Rolling Down A Hill and Staring At The Sky, to celebrate the 10th annual IBMA Bluegrass Live!
About the work, Jane shares, “The work is based on the concept of creating a piece that represents the feeling of childhood joy and freedom, and is inspired by memories of watching my own children frolic and roll down hills along the Blue Ridge Parkway while remembering doing the same thing myself as a child. As a North Carolina born artist now living in Raleigh, NC, the landscape, music, arts and culture of our state and region are deeply ingrained in my memories and I am excited to share this joyful moment from mountains that are so integral to Bluegrass music.”
Experience the work Sept. 29-October 2, inside the Raleigh Convention Center.
To make this large-scale installation possible, the project received funding support from Artspace, DECO Raleigh, City of Raleigh, PineCone, the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, Visit Raleigh, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Aliyah Bonnette is September's Bed-Stuy Art Resident Artist
September 2022
Artspace Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Aliyah Bonnette (Studio 215) is currently the Artist in Residency at Bed-Stuy Art in Brooklyn, NY, for the month of September.
Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Freddie Bell Painting a Mural for Mettlesome
August 2022
Artspace Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Freddie Bell (Studio 215a) is working on a mural for Mettlesome in Durham. In Bell’s work, iterative, graphic shapes, saturated color, and pattern become the visual language to explore themes of binaries and systems we have created for ourselves as individuals and communities.
President + CEO Carly Jones joins ARTS NC Board
August 2022
We are excited to share that our President + CEO, Carly Jones, is a part of the recent cohort of new board members for ARTS North Carolina, our state’s advocacy organization for the arts. ARTS North Carolina calls for equity and access to the arts for all North Carolinians, unifies and connects North Carolina’s arts communities, and fosters arts leadership. This week she attended her first Arts North Carolina Board Retreat, held in Asheville this year, along with arts leaders from across the state. To learn more about how you can be involved in ARTS North Carolina or support its work through leadership, advocacy, training, or networking, check out their website.
Studio Artist Jane Cheek Installs Temporary Work at Shelly Lake
July 2022
Raleigh Arts commissioned Artspace Studio Artist, Jane Cheek, (Studio 217) to create a temporary outdoor installation at the Shelly Lake trailhead next to Sertoma Arts Center. The work hangs across the trail and is titled They Danced Among The Trees. It will be on exhibit for the month of July. They Danced Among The Trees is inspired by memories of twirling in forests and watching dappled light dance through green canopies. Jane’s installation work as a whole, memorializes personal moments and memories in immersive formats. She offers these glimpses into her daily life as a queer Southern woman to help create connections.
Studio Artist Richard Wilson Recently Interviewed by PBS NC-TV
July 2022
New Artspace Studio Artist Richard Wilson (Studio 216) was recently interviewed by PBS NC-TV, for an episode called the “The Creative Economy,” which will explore how local support of the arts can spur economic development. Stay tuned for future airing dates!
Richard was also recently commissioned to paint six portraits for the University of Georgia. Additionally, he recently completed for the University the official portraits of Harold A. Black, Mary Blackwell Diallo, and Kerry Rushin Miller, the first African American students to enroll as freshmen at the University and to complete their undergraduate degrees. These portraits will be unveiled on August 4, and will be displayed in the newly constructed freshmen residential hall, which is named after them. In 2018, Richard Wilson painted for the University the official portrait of Mary Frances Early, the first African American to graduate from the University of Georgia. Early’s portrait now hangs in the administrative building in front of the President of the University, Jere W. Morehead’s office.
5 Ways to Engage with Artspace this Summer
With its neon-green awning at the front door, and the bright orange letters covering the building, Artspace is an art and cultural destination in Downtown Raleigh that you literally cannot miss. We are a space for creativity and social practice composed of affordable studio spaces, artist residencies, exhibitions, arts education, and community programming. Check out these five ways you can experience all that Artspace has to offer this summer!
Artspace Director of Community Engagement David Moore appointed to the City of Raleigh Arts Commission
June 2022
Artspace is happy to announce that our Director of Community Engagement, David Moore has been appointed to the City of Raleigh Arts Commission by Councilwoman Stormie Forte. David will serve on the official advisory body and advocate for the arts to the City Council. The Arts Commission is dedicated to the ongoing goal of connecting people to the arts and building a vital and ever-expanding creative community for Capital City residents and visitors. Moore has been an advocate for public art and developed Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s public art program resulting in several temporary and permanent installations, an interactive public art map, and the Illuminate Art Walk, Raleigh’s first light art festival.
Studio Artist Jean Gray Mohs in global project Taking Up Space
May 2022
Studio artist Jean Gray Mohs (Studio 110) is among eight women from across the Triangle featured in Taking Up Space, a Grassroots Female Focused Community Global Art Exhibition (as initiated by the Artist/Mother Podcast & the Thrive Artist Network) at the Pocket Gallery, Raleigh, during the month of May.
She is joined by artists Caitlin Cary, Natalia Torres Del Valle, Shanny Kohli, Susan Martin, Joanna Moody, Kelly Sheppard Murray, and Jennie Traill Schaeffer. This exhibition is the beginning of a yearly invitation for female-identifying artists to exhibit work, invite their communities to view art made by living, working women artists, and the start of a community project to bring women artists into conversation with each other.
In its first year, there will be 80+ Taking Up Space exhibitions globally. Interested? Reach out to join in the conversation.
Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Aliyah Bonnette participates in Conversation on Creating a Home, Not an Empire
May 2022
Artspace Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Aliyah Bonnette (Studio 215) took part in an intimate conversation along with three other artists in the exhibition Creating a Home, Not an Empire, where they discussed their art practices and inspirations. Watch the recording of the conversation here.
A Weekend Celebration of the Dreamville Festival
April 1-3
Join us for an epic April First Friday (April 1, 6-10pm) and weekend celebrating Dreamville Festival and hip-hop culture! Our April First Friday outdoor activities are supported by Historic City Market.
// First Friday April 1:
- Browse our three exhibitions
- Create your own abstract string painting during a free guided art activity
- Enjoy a street art painting demo by Lord Phly at our Davie Street entrance
- Showcase your dance skills in an open style cypher hosted by Raleigh Rockers for your chance to win a $100 prize
- Express yourself through rap, poetry and beats in a community cypher hosted by Cypher Univercity.
// Saturday April 2: Mosaic Workshop with Carlos González, 5-8pm, $110 members/$125 non-members
// Self Care Sunday, April 3, 10-11am, $15 in advance, $18 day of:
Artspace in collaboration with Araminta Wellness presents Self-Care Sunday. Beginner-friendly yoga and guided relaxation practice. Please bring a mat and bottled water/refillable water bottle.
New Mural by Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Freddie Bell
March 2022
Artspace Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Freddie Bell (Studio 215A) recently completed this wonderful abstract mural in North Durham!
Peter Marin named Curator of Exhibitions for Diamante Arts + Cultural Center
March 2022
Studio Artist Peter Marin (Studio 105) is the new Curator of Exhibitions for Diamante Arts + Cultural Center in Raleigh. On display now through May 13 is Mi Gente, Un Reflejo / My People, A Reflection, a solo exhibition by artist Rosalia Torres Weiner and Marin’s inaugural exhibition as Curator.
Becky Joye designs bus shelter for Together Raleigh
February 2022
Next time you’re at Green Road in Raleigh (fronting the Green Road Library), check out Artspace artist Becky Joye’s bus shelter design for Together Raleigh.
Becky shares, “My Together Raleigh station design was inspired by my daily drives by the construction sites around downtown Raleigh with my 5-year-old son Jack, who loves watching the trucks and cranes build. In my city, a forklift and tower crane lift and hoist together to construct playful towers, reminiscent of children’s toy blocks.”
Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Aliyah Bonnette in Creating a Home, Not an Empire
February 2022
Regional Emerging Artist in Residence Aliyah Bonnette (Studio 215) has work in Creating a Home, Not an Empire at VAE Raleigh. This group exhibition explores the co-creation of the black family home and process of remembering, and was curated by VAE’s inaugural Collaborative Curatorial Fellow, Alyssa Cuffie.
Artspace Announces David Moore as New Director of Community Engagement
January 2022
Artspace President + CEO Carly P. Jones has named David Moore as Director of Community Engagement; Moore began his new role on January 10. Moore comes to Artspace from Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) where he served as the Placemaking + Activations Manager and managed strategic partnerships, small-scale activations, and public art projects.While at DRA, he produced Moore Square Market growing attendance by 400% in one year, re-energized the First Friday Raleigh program, and created new public space activations including Dine Out Downtown, Jazz in the Square, and Noon Tunes. Moore has also been an advocate for public art and developed DRA’s public art program resulting in several temporary installations, Green City, USA mural on the AT&T building, Rainbow Head sculpture located in Nash Square, an interactive public art map, and the Illuminate Art Walk, Raleigh’s first light art festival. Prior to joining DRA, he worked for NewTown Macon as a Project Manager spearheading events, placemaking, and public art initiatives in downtown Macon, Georgia.
Wiley Johnson and Peter Marin Part of Group Exhibition Color Focus at Sertoma Arts Center
January 2022
Right now in Sertoma Arts Center’s Gallery is exhibition Color Focus, with work by several artists, including Artspace Studio Artist Peter Marin (Stuido 105) and Artspace artist Wiley Johnson. Color Focus showcases five artists living and working in the Triangle, each exploring and pushing the boundaries of color. The exhibition is on display through February 27 and curated by Charlotte Russell Contemporary Fine Art Gallery. Learn more about the exhibition here.
Artspace Artists part of Reckoning and Resilience: North Carolina Art Now at the Nasher
January 2022
Reckoning and Resilience: North Carolina Art Now at the Nasher, features 30 emerging and establishing artists working across the state, including Artspace Studio Artist Jennifer Markowitz (Studio 109) and former Regional Emerging Artists in Residence Clarence Heyward and Julia Gartrell. The exhibition is on display through July 10, 2022. From the Nasher: “The artists included in this exhibition invite us to reckon with hard truths, seek healing in collective reflection, and demand transformative action.”
Susie Silver Becomes a CDE®️ - Certified Diversity Executive
January 2022
Artspace Studio Artist Susie Silver (Studio 207) recently became a CDE®️ – Certified Diversity Executive, a process that she was working on from April through December of 2021. Check out her work at the Diversity Movement.
Jane Cheek's Artwork Part of the Bus Rapid Transit Stations Public Art Project
January 2022
Next time you’re out at New Bern and Trawick in Raleigh, check out Artspace Studio Artist Jane Cheek‘s (Studio 217) artwork that was recently installed on the bus station there, as part of the Bus Rapid Transit Stations Public Art project.
colored pencil drawing by Jaimon Caceres
Jaimon Caceres Interviewed by 27587 Magazine
January 2022
Artspace Studio Artist Jaimon Caceres (Studio 214) was recently interviewed by 27587 Magazine. Jaimon shares about how he came to be a visual artist after dancing for the Asheville Ballet Company, his artistic process, and what is currently inspiring him. Read the article here.