NEW TENANTS
Special ADF performance inspired by Golden Belt
Mark Dendy
New York dance and theater artist Mark Dendy is Golden Belt’s newest artist-in-residence. Dendy, an ADF alum living and working in NYC, will be in residence in the corporate loft from May 18 – July 19. As part of this year’s American Dance Festival, Dendy will be choreographing two site-specific works–one in the lobby of the Durham Performing Arts Center and the other at Golden Belt. The Golden Belt performances on the evening of July 17 and during the day on July 18 will utilize the stunning top floor space of Building 2. The historic architecture instantly inspired Dendy: “The moment I stepped off othe elevator and onto the top floor, I was choreographing.” Dendy and his dancers will begin rehearsing in the space mid-June. In addition to his site-specific works, Dendy will be capturing the the diversity of this year’s ADF events via an online video blog titled “May we have this CyberDance?”. The blog will highlight ADF classes, rehearsals, performances, and other events, as well as feature interviews with artists, students and community members on various dance related topics. Check out www.americandancefestival.org for new videos posted every day and please join us in welcoming Mark to the campus.
LabourLove Gallery
LabourLove Gallery (LLG) is opening the doors into its sleek, 1800 square foot space May 15, this upcoming Third Friday. The grand opening promises to be a lively celebration of the arts. See the event section below for details on the evening’s festivities. The first show in the gallery features three young, talented artist: Luke Miller Buchanan, Kevin McGoff and Kelly Dew.
Luke Miller Buchanan is a graduate of NCSU who lives in Raleigh, and has already built a solid reputation in the area. His work focuses on the man-made world with images of architectural spaces that were once vibrant places now left neglected. He seeks to tell the lost stories of personal interactions with the buildings while bringing awareness to their current state in hope for a brighter future. One of the featured pieces on display will be of Golden Belt before its renovation.
Kelly Dew’s mixed media work
Kevin McGoff recently relocated his family to the Triangle from Brooklyn, NY. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at New Paltz. Kevin captures personal moments and inner-city movement with attention to the often overlooked events in our busy lives. LLG will be the first gallery show for Kevin since moving to North Carolina.
Kelly Dew is one of the owners of LLG. She graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she was a merit scholar. Kelly’s work will be a permanent fixture in the gallery with new paintings in a wide variety of styles for each show. For the May 15 exhibition, she will feature work created while pregnant with her two year old son, Porter. The mixed media paintings are meant to be fun and enjoyable for all ages and backgrounds.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, May 15: 6 – 9pm
Third Friday: Grand Opening of LabourLove Gallery and more
The grand opening of LabourLove Gallery, in conjunction with additional Third Friday festivities, promises to be a lively celebration of the arts. Three talented, young artists—Kelly Dew, Kevin McGoff, and Luke Miller Buchanan—are lined up for the first show with over forty original pieces plus limited edition prints, clothing and furniture. The first fifty guests will receive a free, limited-edition Giclée art print and for $30, patrons can create eco-friendly, custom t-shirts featuring works by the opening artists. The renowned Only Burger and Sabor taco trucks and the lauded Daisy Cakes desserts will delight the hungry and home brew master Jason Salemme will treat the crowds to a sampling of his award-winning Scottish Ale and Stout beers. To complete the evening, the “hot pickin’, sweet singin’, good lookin’ bluegrass band”—the Cadillac Stepbacks—will fill the Golden Belt courtyard with tight vocal harmonies, fast instrumentals, and their own blend of energy.
And that’s not all—there is more fun to be had with the open artist studios, the This is Bull City art exhibition with new works added since the opening last month, and the kick-off of the national FUNDRED DOLLAR BILL PROJECT.
Friday, May 15 – Friday, June 19: 10am – 7pm
Fundred Dollar Bill Project
The FUNDRED DOLLAR BILL PROJECT is a national project intended to support the rebuilding of New Orleans by making the environmental conditions safer for its residents. Each FUNDRED DOLLAR BILL is a unique artwork that will be delivered to the US Congress via armored truck along with a request for an “even exchange” of funds to solve the problem of lead contaminated soil in New Orleans.
The awareness raised by FUNDRED will support Operation Paydirt, an extraordinary art/science project uniting three million children with educators, scientists, health care professionals, designers, urban planners, engineers and artists. Together they are working to make safe the lead polluted soil of New Orleans that places thousands of children at risk for severe learning disabilities and behavioral problems, including violent crime.
Local residents of all ages can have a meaningful hand in a coordinated national process so come out and design currency for a cause. Originality and personality will be valued. Creative collective action can make a difference!
Friday, April 17 – Friday, June 21: 10am – 7pm
This Is Bull City Exhibition
Visual artist Casey Robertson spills his cache of inspiration on the twisted history of the City of Durham, asking viewers to look beneath the sidewalks and coats of fresh paint, to question everything, and to revisit their understanding of this city in the midst of another renaissance.
We hope to keep the music excitment going this summer as we work toward finalizing a deal on the official live music venue in Building 7.