Jim Cohen - Show Opening | May 17th, 2019 | 6-9pm

"Past and Present: a Metalsmith's Journey" is a retrospective featuring one of Liberty Arts newest artisans, Jim Cohen.  The show traces his 20+ year and 4 act career as a metalsmith. You will see his initial foray into the field at a community arts center in Northern Virginia, through graduate school, followed by a sojourn in mythical Santa Fe, and concluding here at Liberty Arts.  The show will highlight Jim's work in Judaica, hollowware, and jewelry.

Jim’s show will run in the Liberty Arts Gallery through June 17th.

Spring Open Studios & Sale | May 4, 2019 | 11-5pm

It's Spring!!

And that means we open our doors and invite you all in for a big party - otherwise known as our Annual Spring Open Studios and Sale Weekend! We're SO excited this year to offer a few more opportunities for fun, shopping, learning and giving.

Starting at 11am we invite you in for a day of demos, music, a silent auction and interaction with all the artists who will be selling fantastic pieces for your home or as gifts for friends and family. Food trucks will be available for brunch/lunch/dessert and drinks.

Peep Show Fundraiser | May 3, 2019 | 6-8pm

On Friday evening, May 3rd, we will host our first Peep Show to raise money for the Liberty Arts Community Scholarship Program.

We want to be able to bring in deserving students from all over Durham to learn new skills in our studio. Tickets are either $30, $50, $100, $250 or $500 - your choice of donation level - with a goal of raising at least $3,000 to start this meaningful fund. All tickets give you access to early buying opportunities for all of our pieces, heavy hors d'oeuvres, drinks (beer, wine and soft), live music and the very good company of art lovers and supporters.

Register here

The Silent Auction will start this evening with a “Buy It Now” option, and just SOME of the items on the table will be:

$100 Gift Card to any M Restaurant from Mike Lee

Lunch with NY Times Bestselling Author, Cat Warren, and a signed copy of her book “What The Dog Knows”

Hands-on Pie making class with Phoebe Lawless from Scratch

Lunch with sculptor Steve Little

Holly Aiken backpack

Kindle Fire

$100 Gift Card to NANASTEAK

Patina Painting by Jackie MacLeod

5-pack yoga classes with Aubrey Zinaich - Kundalini Yoga & Sadhana

Hand-made pots from Delores Hayes

A Bee Necklace - Tricia Becker

Bull City Burger & Brew Card

More items are coming in every day. Stay tuned

100% of the proceeds of the ticket sales will go toward the Scholarship Program.

Register here and donate to this really important program

Feast from the Furnace | April 13, 2019

Glass blowing demonstrations by Durham-based designer Elijah Leed.

Watch as he makes beautiful hand-blown glass art while you sip wine and feast on an array of small plate appetizers cooked in the same furnace. The evening will kickoff with a leisurely tour of the Liberty Arts studio where you can interact with some of our very talented artists and browse the art they create, while grooving to Dex and the Half Tones, a Durham based 6-piece Jazz band featuring bebop, swing, latin and blues tunes.

This one-of-a-kind fundraising dining event is one you won’t want to miss.

Your Chef will be Chris MacLaurin. McLaurin was raised to appreciate simple food made with quality ingredients and lots of love. After cooking in DC for a number of years Chris returned to Durham in 2013. Time at Rose's Meat Market and Sweet Shop as well as Picnic Restaurant introduced him to the amazing food community found in the Triangle. Most recently he was the executive Chef at LaPlace in Hillsborough. Chris is now working to open his own restaurant in Durham.

(Sorry, but we are not able to accommodate dietary restrictions. Also, we are not able to issue refunds for this event.)

Major fun - celebrate with us! | April 12, 2019

Major the Bull turns 15

To help mark his 15th birthday during Durham’s year-long sesquicentennial celebration, the community’s beloved Major the Bull sculpture in CCB Plaza will be receiving new, bronze signage, in both English and Spanish, and the Bull City is invited to the celebration. 

Hosted by the City of Durham and Liberty Arts, the event will take place in front of the Bull sculpture at CCB Plaza, which is located at the corner of Corcoran and West Parrish Streets in downtown Durham, on Friday, April 12 at 11 a.m. At this event, community members will have the opportunity to meet the artist team behind the sculpture, Leah Foushee Waller and Mike Waller, and hear them speak about creating the Bull, and what the sculpture means to Durham today. Mayor Steve Schewel also will speak and Liberty Arts representatives will be giving out free cupcakes.  

The sculpture, titled Major the Bull, was cast in bronze and created from start to finish in Durham at Liberty Arts, a studio and foundry dedicated to enriching our communities with arts experiences that inspire, empower, educate, and entertain. The sculpture and plaza were gifted through a grant by the Central Carolina Bank to the residents of Durham. The statue depicts a bull, a symbol for Durham since the 1800s, and stands 10 feet tall. The monument reinforces the strong qualities of the city and its residents, even in the face of negative perceptions of the area.

Scratch Block Pick Up at the studio

Come pick up your beautiful iron tiles at the Liberty Arts Studio.

If you weren’t able to get your tiles(s) on Sunday the 17th, please contact info@libertyartsnc.org to schedule a pick up time. We are keeping it/them safe and sound at the Liberty Arts Studio, 918 Pearl St.

To Add A Finish To Your Tile:

If you’d like to add layers or depth to your tile you may follow these instructions:

1. Put the tile outside for a few weeks to a month - until it rusts

2. Use steel wool and/or very fine tri-mite sandpaper to “erase” the rust where you’d like the shiny iron to come through.

3. When you like the effect, spray your tile with Clear Coat. It’s a clear sealant for metal available at JoAnne’s or Michael’s or online.

4. We’d love to see the finished product, especially if you want to take the time to show the process - before and after pix. Send pictures to info@libertyartsnc.org

Enjoy! You’ve created a fabulous memory!!

Durham County Pottery Tour | November 9 & 10, 2019

This year, Delores Hayes (www.deloresjhayes.com ) is putting us on the map by having her studio here at Liberty Arts be part of the Durham County Pottery Tour.

Our studio is at 918 Pearl St., Durham NC 27701. Come through gate at the Mallard St. end of Pearl St, turn right and find parking at end of lot. Go in through yellow door under ENTRANCE sign.

Saturday, November 9, 10am - 5pm and Sunday, November 10, 12pm - 5pm

Please look online to find more information and maps to help guide you around to all the amazing studios here in Durham County.

https://www.durhamcountypotterytour.com/general-info