Press Releases 

November 14, 2019

Three vibrant Art-Deco inspired pedestrian crosswalk designs will be installed on Downtown Durham’s Blackwell, Corcoran and Foster Streets on November 19 – 21, 2019.  The ground plane art is the third major project of the Durham SmART Vision Plan -- connecting the cultural hubs/districts in downtown Durham through creative placemaking. Local artist Mary Carter Taub designed the Pedestrian Crosswalk installations for three locations: American Tobacco Campus at Blackwell/Vivian St., Durham Armory to Marriott/Convention Center on Foster Street; and Durham Central Park at the Farmers’ Market crossing on Foster Street. 

June 14, 2019

Americans for the Arts today honored “Durham in Continuum” - Durham SmART Corcoran Garage Art Banner Wrap which was selected and recognized as part of the Americans for the Arts 2019 Public Art Network (PAN) Year in Review.  “Durham in Continuum” is among 50 outstanding public art projects created in 2018 that have been selected to be recognized through the Public Art Network Year in Review program, the only national program that specifically recognizes the most compelling public art.

October 19, 2017 

Durham Arts Council, the North Carolina Arts Council, City of Durham, and the SmART Resource Team have announced the selection of Olalekan Jeyifous as the artist to create the monumental Art Wrap for the Corcoran Street Garage, which is the first major public art work of the Durham SmART Vision Plan.  His selection follows a rigorous review of 107 artist applications from across the United States.

May 9, 2016

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced 64 awards totaling $4.3 million supporting projects across the nation through the NEA’s Our Town program.  Durham Arts Council is one of the recommended organizations for an award of $100,000 to support the Phase 1 implementation of the Durham SmART Vision Plan – utilizing public art and urban design to create an exciting and vibrant Arts and Entertainment Corridor along the downtown streets of Blackwell, Corcoran and Foster. 

June 25, 2015

The Durham Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council invite you to a presentation by Mikyoung Kim of the Durham SmART Initiative Vision Plan. Mikyoung Kim is a renowned visionary in integrating art, landscape, and design into the urban fabric. She will present her design studio’s Durham SmART Vision Plan.

August 23, 2012

Durham Arts Council has been awarded a $30,000 state grant for the SmART Initiative Pilot Program.   North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Linda A. Carlisle announced today that the communities of Durham, Burnsville, Greensboro, Wilson, and Winston-Salem are the 5 cities selected, out of 18 that applied, to be recipients of the state’s first SmART Initiative grants.