[Durham INC] Durham Invites Community to Celebrate New Public Art Installations at Police Headquarters

[PublicAffairs]

[Title: City of Durham Office of Public Affairs Logo]
News Media Contact
Amy Blalock, Public Affairs Manager
919.560.4123 x11253 | 919.475.7735 (mobile)
Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov

News Release
For Immediate Release: July 18, 2019

Durham Invites Community to Celebrate New Public Art Installations at Police Headquarters
July 30 Event to Unveil Three New Pieces of Public Art in the Bull City

DURHAM, N.C. - Three new pieces of public art work will soon be on display in the Bull City and you're encouraged to mark your calendar now to see the pieces unveiled at an event later this month.

The City of Durham, community partners, and residents are invited to celebrate the installation of new public art work at Durham Police Headquarters and Emergency Communications Center<https://youtu.be/0pelnQuS_Qw>, located at 602 E. Main Street, on Tuesday, July 30 at 3 p.m.

The Placemaking at HeadquARTers celebration will include remarks from Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, Durham Technical Community College President Dr. William Ingram, Artist Norman Lee, and Artist David Wilson.

Three public artworks are being installed at the complex this month - Woven Shield, Sewing Peace, and Culture of Transparency. Each artwork uniquely expresses a theme of common threads and the weaving together of ethnicities and cultural traditions. Themes were inspired by meetings and community engagement sessions with the project's artist teams and stakeholders including residents, City departments, community groups, and police employees.

"The event is a wonderful way to celebrate police-community partnerships and to further commemorate the City's 150th birthday," said Police Chief Cerelyn Davis. "Already the public art has energized spaces and stimulated conversations among officers and visitors to headquarters. Woven Shield, Sewing Peace, and Culture of Transparency are creative and engaging reminders to police employees and residents alike of the safety and relationship ideals we collectively aim to achieve."

The July 30th celebration marks the culmination of an 18-month process coordinated by the City's Police Department, General Services Department, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and Public Art Committee in collaboration with Durham Technical Community College.

"It's exciting to see how an artist transformed courageous and heartfelt community conversations about justice and peace into a beautiful work of public art," said Durham Technical Community College Executive Vice President and Durham Cultural Advisory Board Chair Tom Jaynes. "I offer my sincere thanks to David Wilson, to those that participated in the community engagement workshops at Durham Tech, to our partners at the City, and to the Public Art Committee and Cultural Advisory Board members who helped to make this a reality."

For details about each work of art, the artist selection process, community engagement, and project cost visit https://durhamnc.gov/3905/Placemaking-at-HeadquARTers, or contact Senior Public Affairs Specialist Kimberle Walker with the Public Affairs Unit in the Durham Police Department's Office of the Chief of Police at (919) 560-4322, ext. 29194 or Kimberle.Walker at durhamnc.gov<mailto:Kimberle.Walker at durhamnc.gov>.

About the Artists
Durham-based artist David Wilson is the creator of Culture of Transparency. The story of community and place is the primary driver of his installations. His work in public art explores the connection between architecture, nature, and the public. Wilson has experience as an artist-in-residence for the Durham County Detention Center and Durham County Youth Home and has received commissions throughout North Carolina including the Black Wall Street mural at Phoenix Square, the Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, Kinston Music Park, and the City of Gastonia. Recent projects include commissions for Chavis Memorial Park, the Arts & Science Council, and the new Durham Admin Building II. He also serves as Public Art Consultant for GoTriangle, assisting in the creation of original art for new transit shelters throughout Durham. Wilson is also an accomplished fine artist with works in many notable private and celebrity collections.

Woven Shield and Sewing Peace are the creative works of Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee, co-founders of RE:site<http://www.resite-studio.com/>. They explore notions of community, identity, and narrative in the context of public space. According to the artists, they create dynamic, multi-layered works that draw on a site's cultural landscape to generate strong narrative concepts that resonate with local meanings, but also transform and transcend the familiar to converge in a site-specific context. The Houston-based team has been awarded public art commissions across the country, including police and fire departments. In 2003, Lee was named a finalist in the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition.

About the Durham Police Department
The Durham Police Department<https://durhamnc.gov/149/Police-Department> is a progressive law enforcement agency committed to public safety and reducing crime by providing the best quality of service, fostering public confidence and maintaining the highest standards of excellence as a community partner for positive change. The agency proactively fosters strong police-community partnerships that have earned various awards and distinctions in the arenas of mental health outreach, victim services, community engagement, youth enrichment and technology and resource innovation. To learn more, follow on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/DurhamPoliceDepartment>, Twitter<https://twitter.com/DurhamPoliceNC>, Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/durhampolicedepartmentnc/>, and Nextdoor<https://nextdoor.com/agency-detail/nc/durham/durham-police-department/>.

About the Durham Emergency Communications Center
The Durham Emergency Communications Center<https://durhamnc.gov/435/Emergency-Communications> is the primary public safety answering point for the City and County of Durham. Guided by the City's Strategic Plan<https://durhamnc.gov/183/Strategic-Plan>, the center helps to ensure that Durham is a safe and secure community by providing around-the-clock 911 access and services to the residents and user agencies in and around Durham County. Services include emergency and non-emergency requests for assistance; dispatch of police, fire, and emergency medical services; and other city/county support agencies. The geographic service area encompasses 296 square miles with approximately 250,000 residents. The center has earned the internationally recognized APCO Project 33 Certification from the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International, Inc.; Emergency Medical Dispatch Accreditation by the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch; and accreditation by the Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement  Agencies. To learn more, follow on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/Durham911>.

About Durham Technical College
Durham Technical Community College<https://www.durhamtech.edu/> champions learning and student success, delivers outstanding teaching and service, and develops career skills for the people of Durham. The College aims to be an active community partner in educational, workforce, and economic development.  Durham Tech's mission and strategic goals clearly commit the institution to engaging with our communities in ways that not only help those served, but also allow members of the college community to learn. Durham Tech extends the walls of our classrooms and the boundaries of the campuses, providing students, faculty, and staff with hands-on, real-world experiences while helping others.

About the City of Durham General Services Department
The General Services Department<https://durhamnc.gov/733/> builds and maintains City properties to make Durham a great place for people to live, work, and play. Guided by the City's Strategic Plan<https://durhamnc.gov/183/Strategic-Plan>, the department's core functions include the acquisition and sale of properties, design and management of new construction and renovation projects, building maintenance, landscaping and urban forestry services, cemeteries management, sustainability and energy management, cultural and public art program management, and supporting the nonprofit Keep Durham Beautiful<https://keepdurhambeautiful.org/>.

About the City of Durham Public Art Committee
The Public Art Committee<https://durhamnc.gov/453/Public-Art-Committee> serves as an advisory body to the Durham City Council and the City Manager, and its functions include assisting the City's Office of Economic and Workforce Development on matters relating to public art; implementation of the Public Art Policy; and reviewing proposals for public art projects brought to it by the City administration; and making recommendations to the Cultural Advisory Board<https://durhamnc.gov/452/Cultural-Advisory-Board> regarding project approvals. To further help artists connect with opportunities, the City has a Durham Calls for Artists<https://durhamnc.gov/2984/Durham-Calls-for-Artists> page on its website, which lists a number of upcoming opportunities for artists in and around Durham. Artists and other stakeholders who would like to be notified of current and future art-related opportunities and news can now sign up for alerts through the Cultural and Public Art mailing list<https://goo.gl/forms/dr4ZJmVUJB2D75bq2>. For more information about the City's Public Art Program, visit the City's public art web page<https://durhamnc.gov/453/Public-Art-Committee>. Artists interested in more information about the Public Art program may also contact Special Projects Manager Stacey Poston with the City's General Services Development at (919) 560-4197, ext. 21254 or by email<mailto:Stacey.Poston at durhamnc.gov>.

About the City of Durham Office of Economic and Workforce Development
Guided by the City's Strategic Plan<https://durhamnc.gov/183/Strategic-Plan>, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development<https://durhamnc.gov/446/Office-of-Economic-Workforce-Development> helps ensure that Durham has a strong and diverse economy by increasing the city's tax base through several revitalization initiatives, including new development efforts in the central city area. The department also plans and promotes cultural awareness and events, identifies and recruits target industries as well as assesses and trains Durham residents to fill new jobs.

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[Title: City of Durham Office of Public Affairs Contact Information]

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