Founded in 2001, Liberty Arts is a 501(c)(3) non‐profit corporation dedicated to making art accessible to everyone in our community. Liberty Arts is a collective of artist studios at 918 Pearl Street and a foundry at Durham Central Park.

For the first 10 years after its founding, Liberty Arts was housed in the historic Liberty Warehouse, from which we get our name. Over the years our artists have made some of the most iconic sculptures in Durham, the highlight of which is Major The Bull, located in the heart of downtown. Our artists have taught more than 2,600 individual students of all ages and almost half of our students have taken more than one class for a total of 4,700 student classes in various media over the past 5 years.

Our Mission

To create experiences that enhance artistic growth and community building through creative practice and collaboration.

Our Vision

Liberty Arts of Durham, North Carolina will be a premier multimedia arts destination dedicated to enriching art experiences for artists and the surrounding communities. This evolution includes establishing a permanent home, which will amplify our educational offerings, while embracing a wider sector of the community through dynamic new partnerships and programs.

Our Core Values

1.Artists and the Creative Process
Liberty Arts values the individual and collective contributions of artists in society, the ingenuity and imagination of the creative process, and is committed to freedom of artistic expression. We believe in amplifying the voices of artists as leaders and advocates in our organization, the arts sector, and communities.

2.Arts Education 
Liberty Arts is passionate about arts education as a tool for creative growth and personal and community development.
Liberty Arts believes that education is at the very core of any artist's growth and development. This belief fuels our passion for creating an environment where learning is exciting and fun and drives us as we create new opportunities and programs for all of our artists and their students. 

3.Community and Collaboration
We believe that art truly thrives in a collaborative community and that the growth of partnerships and access to art making tools and skills can change lives. 
Liberty Arts strives to bring arts to our community through popular and unique public events and exhibits, partnerships with arts and culture-oriented organizations, and an outreach program designed to empower through creativity.

4.Accessibility & Diversity
Liberty Arts provides resources to artists of all levels regardless of their age, race, creed, religion, or sexual orientation, to enable and enhance their careers and creative endeavors. 
Liberty Arts values an equitable, diverse, and inclusive world, which we interpret as all people having fair access to the tools and resources they need to realize creative and community endeavors. We acknowledge structural inequities that have excluded individuals and communities from opportunity based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, and geography, and strive to counter those inequities in our work. 

Over the years, Our Artists have contributed to Durham’s permanent outdoor public art collection. Below, you can see examples of some of these works.