Federal funding cuts affect Durham's arts community: 'Safe space and launching pad'

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Much of T.D. Hall's photography explores the tradition of the Black church and its history. She showed ABC11 pieces that hung from the halls of NorthStar Church of the Arts just weeks ago from her first exhibition.

"NorthStar has really offered me a launching pad to be able to present and show my work formally," said Hall. "A lot of these symbols you just don't see anymore. It just reminded me of growing up. I went to a rural church in Virginia."

Artists such as Hall could lose the safe space they have in NorthStar. The Trump administration proposed cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts, which led to dozens of organizations, including NorthStar, receiving notification that grants have been rejected or rescinded. This is part of the administration's sweeping overhaul of federal cultural agencies, including the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

"This space has stood here for 100 years, and it's my dream that NorthStar stands, too, regardless of who is president and regardless of that type of rhetoric. We can serve our communities," said NorthStar Executive Director Lauren Garcia.

Garcia is the organization's only full-time employee. There are three part-time positions. She said grant money received from the NEA covers all their salaries, which she said means that on May 31, funding will stop.

"It could be the death of our organization," she said.

NorthStar was launched in 2019 by the well-known architect, the late Phil Freelon, and his wife, Nnenna. It started as a safe space for artists, and now federal funding cuts are threatening the mission. The space is used for about 100 events a year that include exhibitions, youth theater, free yoga, dance classes, and wrap-around support for artists. Pierce Freelon said his parents purchased the 95-year-old building in 2017.

"They wanted to put a flag in the ground and say we need to have a safe space where artists can do their concerts and their shows," said Pierce Freelon, who is a NorthStar board member and once ran for mayor of Durham.

Freelon and others remain optimistic about preserving what they call a vital place for artists in Durham. He is tapping into wisdom he believes his father would give. Phil Freelon died in 2019.

"I think he would remind me that Durham has been resilient in the face of oppression and opposition before, and we need to rally just like our ancestors did," he said.

The NorthStar Church of the Arts is launching a series of fundraisers to help raise money. The first fundraiser will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. this Sunday at the facility. There will be food, drinks, music, and merchandise.

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