From visual artists, writers, graphic designers, and those employed by creative organizations, Orange County Arts Commission Director Katie Murray described creative people as the heart and soul of a community. So when they cannot be in it, she said the loss is profound.
And Orange County is currently a challenging space for artists to affordably both live and create, she told 97.9 The Hill last month.
“I’m sure we all know people who have left because they can’t afford [it],” she said during the ‘Supporting The Arts’ panel of Forum On The Hill. “I know one guy that moved to Chicago because it was cheaper for him to live there than it was in Carrboro, which is just nutty.”
Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership Executive Director Jeri Lynn Schulke said rent is one of the biggest challenges for local artists. While higher rent prices can show a thriving, desirable community, it is hard for arts organizations and emerging artists to open a gallery at the price Chapel Hill can demand, she explained.
“Where to create art, where to showcase art, where to present art, where do we have those spaces? They are fewer and fewer,” she explained. “So [to have] artist studios, people are having to fashion their kitchen to paint their paintings or they’re doing it in their homes.”
Artist and musician Tre. Charles said he hopes to see more community support for artists by way of collaborative events. For example, he said many businesses have unique spaces to host artists and their work.
“Even the Lantern with their garden spot, they could host it with a bunch of different people and make it a festival so that artists can get a bigger audience,” he said. “It could be more events for the community, and it could be held as a collaborative revenue stream versus just focused on that one sole business.”
Katie Murray (far left) stands with Jeri Lynn Schulke (far right), Tre. Charles (center right) and Aaron Keck after their ‘Supporting The Arts’ panel of 97.9 The Hill’s 2024 Forum On The Hill.
The Eno Arts Mill in Hillsborough provides gallery and creative spaces for artists in Orange County. But it’s one of the few, big places available for artists to rent out space — one of the barriers to being a professional artist in the community. (Photo via the Orange County Arts Commission.)
And if the artists cannot live here at all, nothing else arts-related really matters, Murray said. She described affordable housing as a critical issue in the community and one elected officials are constantly discussing. And the conversation impacts artists “100 percent,” she added.
“What I wish would happen is that artists and creative minds are brought into the conversation and not discounted as ‘Oh, they’re an artist,’” she said. “Artists are the best problem solvers.”
For example, Murray cited New York City’s Public Artists in Residence program (PAIR), which embeds artists in city government to implement creative solutions to civic challenges.
“We had an artist here a few years ago who was the artist in residence with Manhattan Public Waste, and he literally rides around on garbage trucks and makes artwork out of found garbage,” she said. “He does traditional, Asian water-printmaking out of the oil and residue on the Hudson River. He’s making these art pieces and statements to educate the community on waste and what we’re doing to the planet,” she said.
Murray described it as just one example of a trend taking place across the country. She said Orange County is a leader in North Carolina, with the means and resources to do the same.
For artists to feel more supported in Orange County, Schulke said it is important for people to understand how a creative economy can revitalize a community.
“You go out and see a play, see a dance performance, you’re going to go out for a drink beforehand, you’re going to go window shopping, you’re going to go out for dinner,” she explained. “The economy is boosted by the creative endeavors that are happening.”
It is all intertwined, she explained. When a community supports the arts, she said the arts return the favor. While Chapel Hill is already a thriving town, she said it could be so much more with increased support for artists.
And Charles said Orange County should want to have it all.
“To have a situation where we can have a thriving community of artists and a thriving community of business can be a connected thing,” he said. “We just have to have more conversations about collaboration and be more creative about solutions.”
To hear the full discussion of the ‘Supporting The Arts’ panel, visit Chapelboro’s Forum On The Hill page.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines