“One of my favorite places to find peace, pose questions to the universe and reset is Jordan Lake. There is something special about this water and Carolina clay. I love to bring my artwork along and collaborate with the breeze.” – Maya
“I think all children are artists and storytellers. Durham’s long summer days will always be filled with folklore; all that is needed is for children to get to roam freely, be themselves and have the space to create their magic.”
“The image stems from my hope. I see the hands as a hopeful symbol more so than a religious one, that as Durham grows we do not lose sight of what has made this city unique in decades past. Diversity, both cultural and economic, and a city of opportunity for all those willing to put in the hard work to create something positive and new.
I believe this has been the ethos of this city from when it was a tobacco boom town, up through when it started to become a restaurant and tech darling. I grew up here, just outside what is now referred to as Durham Central Park, and the recent city-wide renovation efforts have benefited many, but have also greatly changed the face of of the city. We cannot lose sight of what made this city strong from the beginning.”
“When I think of Durham, I think of African-Americans, not solely because that is my race and lived heritage, but because of the continued hope for a better future. The photograph of Louise Hawkins was created one Sunday in 2008 as a part of my project, Durham Stories. Ms. Hawkins exemplifies the hopeful spirit that the American Dream will be accessible to all who live in this country.”
“I love anything distressed … my favorite color is rust. This overlooks the Blue Light where a majority of Duke students bought their cigarettes, beer and Playboy magazines. Erwin Square is in the background.”
“Born in Orange County, N.C., in 1929, John Dee Holeman is a legendary Durham bluesman whose roots trace back to the earliest Piedmont blues. He worked for years at the tobacco warehouses in downtown Durham. Here he is pictured with the banjo he inherited from his uncle, a shoe shiner and tobacco farmer who learned the blues from his close friend, Blind Boy Fuller.” – Timothy
“I caught it from my cousin, who caught it from my uncle, who caught it from Blind Boy Fuller.” – John Dee Holeman
“This picture I made of Durham more than three decades ago reminds me of the way Durham used to be, and the sweet, alluring smell of drying tobacco that permeated the air here.”
“Today, Durham is renowned for its restaurant and food scene, but in the mid-’80s, when I was working out of my downtown studio on a portrait series about the diverse and eclectic inhabitants of Durham, there were just a handful of restaurants worth frequenting. My favorite was The Ivy Room, where you could get classic Southern fried chicken with greens or an Upper West Side Reuben with coleslaw. My favorite waitresses: Frieda and Dot.”
“I have been working on a long-term project entitled ‘Drawn to Water,’ and the Triangle area has been rich with subject matter. I’ve always appreciated the quick and easy access to the natural environments along the Eno River, Duke Forest and Carolina North Forest. This particular image was taken on Father’s Day on a hike along the Eno to one of my favorite swimming holes, Bobbit’s Hole.”
“Durham, like many Americans cities right now, is changing at a rapid, almost uncomfortable pace. My experience of the place I currently call home has been largely defined by these transformations. This is an image that visualizes just one of them – a moment of simultaneous preservation and disappearance.”
“Within hours of reports that the KKK was planning on marching in Durham on Aug. 18, 2017, hundreds of residents gathered and marched in protest, eventually gathering at the old courthouse where a Confederate monument was torn down four days earlier. This is what bravery, community and justice looks like, and the Bull City continues to lead the way with a spirit of determination that will not be denied.”
“I was walking down the street late at night with my father, and I saw a man sleeping on a bus bench right next to a busy restaurant on East Chapel Hill Street. When I saw this, I ran into the middle of the street and snapped the photo quickly. I think this image depicts Durham in a nutshell. As Durham grows at an exponential rate, more and more people become displaced. Gentrification has led to an increase in homelessness and displacement; this has become a large part of life here.”
Don’t miss the striking photographs by the 39 artists in the group exhibit at the Nasher when it opens October 4 (running through February 10, 2019).
