Durham Central Park

PLAYlist Concert Series: What’s in a name?

News

PLAYlist Concert Series

This Friday, we will be unveiling the full lineup for our newly named PLAYlist Concert Series! You may be wondering what’s behind the name. Here’s why we named it PLAYlist.

Over the years, Durham Central Park has become a place for people of all ages to relax and play. As the park has developed, we have built physical playgrounds like Mount Merrill and our climbable statues, the skate park has become one of the most regularly activated areas in the park, and there is open areas where people can play with kids and dogs. But, it’s not just physical structures. We have worked to intentionally design events that cultivate community interactions and maintain a lighthearted and fun atmosphere.

Last year, as we expanded our concert series from 4 to 10 weeks and invited bands of diverse genres, we started noticing how playful the crowd had become. People of all ages and from all walks of life were coming together on a Friday evening, seeing friends, dancing, laughing, having a good time. As the organizer of this series, we were absolutely delighted to see a field full of happy people playfully enjoying a few hours together in the park. So, incorporating the word “play” into the name really felt like a natural fit.

You may have also noticed that before each concert, we have put together a custom playlist of songs to set the mood for the evening and get folks pumped up for the show.

As we build the series every year, we are also very intentional about the musicians that we invite to our stage. Each concert is meant to evoke an evening that feels spirited, soulful, refreshing, warm, and happy. We hope that concert attendees feel uplifted during the evening and can take that feeling into the weekend. What better way to do that, after seeing a great show, than to add the music to your own personal summer playlists.

So, there you are… PLAYlist.

We hope that you can join us for a fun and playful concert series at the park this summer!

 

More about PLAYlist Concert Series

PLAYlist Concert Series covers a wide range of genres (funk, soul, jam, jazz, americana, hip hop, etc.) and feature local, regional and national performers from diverse backgrounds as well as a diversity of age, race, and gender. The concerts are intentionally designed to be all ages, family friendly events that are welcoming to all. Every concert and event associated with the series is completely free of charge (of course, donations are always welcome). One of our major goals for this series to to ensure, as downtown changes and revitalizes, people are not priced out of enjoying live music. We hope that PLAYlist Concert Series enriches our community and deepens appreciation for the arts.

The 2018 PLAYlist Concert Series starts June 8th and runs every Friday evening from 6-8pm through August 10th.

Cardinal and Turtle Scuptures Getting a Fresh Coat of Paint!

News

It may be safe to say that the Cardinal and Turtle sculptures are Durham Central Park’s most loved features. Recently, they have started showing that love and they are ready to get back to looking new again.

 

Starting on Thursday April 5 (weather permitting, of course), our beloved climbable sculptures – Rockin’ Reuben (the Cardinal), Mister Pickles (the Turtle) and the Earthsplitter sandbox (or whatever you love to call them) – will get a fresh coat of paint! Local artist Mike Waller, who created and installed these sculptures over the last several years, will be in the park working on them this week. He will put on several coats of fresh paint and and sealant. Then, we will need to let them thoroughly dry and cure so that the sculptures can go back to looking their best. The whole process will take about 7 days.

During this time, all three of the sculptures will be fenced off and people are asked to stay off of them so that we can get the best results. Thanks so much for your patience during their maintenance. We’ll let you know as soon as they are ready to be climbed on again!

DCP Year In Review video: A Place For Durham To Be Durham

News, Park Stories


Wish you had a GoPro on your head every time you enjoyed a Food Truck Rodeo, free concert, Farmers Market, parade, wedding or simply being at Durham Central Park? Storyboard Media captured Durham Central Park in this Year In Review: A Place for Durham To Be Durham.

For nearly 20 years, this city-owned park has been managed, developed and programmed by Durham Central Park, Inc. a 501c3 non-profit organization. With the overwhelming support of the community, DCP Inc. has spent years working towards our mission of Providing Space for Community. If you’re as moved by this video as we are, please donate to our end of year Cardinal Campaign. 

 

 

Meals from the Market 2017 raises more than $30,000 for DCP!

News

Durham’s chic rooftops, offices, restaurants, event spaces, private homes and Durham Central Park were the backdrop for 16 ticketed meals that raised more than $30,000 this fall for Durham Central Park, Inc. As a 501(c)3 organization, DCP Inc. relies on fundraisers like these plus the generosity of local residents and businesses to sustain the park. DCP, Inc. receives no funding from the City of Durham to manage, develop and program the park. Therefore, events like Meals from the Market are key to meeting the park’s fundraising goals every year. Thank you!

Local business sponsors including Urban Durham Realty, Kompleks Creative, Inc., Acme Plumbing Co., Duke Office of Durham and Regional Affairs and Coulter Jewell Thames PA. helped offset costs, enabling DCP to provide space for community, which includes:

  • Continuing to maintain and improve an already amazing urban park;
  • Working hard to ensure that the park is accessible to everyone;
  • Hosting enjoyable, free events to enliven the park and enrich the community;
  • Offering an affordable and attractive venue in the heart of downtown; and
  • Safeguarding a place for people to gather in celebration or rally around a shared belief, meet up with friends or just be alone for a moment, appreciate public art or simply play in nature—a place for Durham to be Durham.

 

2nd annual Iron Pour returns November 18!

Events, News
People pour iron into a forge with sparks flying.

Durham Central Park and Liberty Arts Sculpture Studio & Foundry present their 2nd annual public iron pour at Durham Central Park, Saturday, November 18 from 4-9 p.m. After sunset, 1,500 pounds of molten, 2,500 degree iron will be poured into molds, in an exciting fiery display. Additionally, there will be Liberty Arts artists’ work for sale, scratch block workshops, raffles, drumming performances from Batalá Durham, DJ Yammy, art, raffles, and local food trucks and craft beer.

The public has several opportunities to make their own mold and cast iron art at the Liberty Arts Foundry at Durham Central Park during pre-pour scratch block workshops. The cost is $30 per mold. You will be able to take home your iron sculpture that day after it cools off or pick up the tiles that were too hot to take home Sunday, November 19, 10 am-12 pm.

  • Saturday November 11, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
  • Thursday November 16, 5-7 p.m.
  • Friday, November 17, 5-7 p.m.
  • Saturday, November 18, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

“Come prepared with an design or let our artists help you design one–less detailed is often more successful” says Liberty Arts’ Executive Director Michelle Gonzales-Green.

Admission to the iron pour is free.  Blankets and folding chairs welcome.  Food trucks and breweries will serve from 4-9 p.m., and to kick off the event, Batala will perform two sets between 4 and 5:30 p.m. Schedule food trucks/brewers include The Pit, Route Bisto and Fullsteam Brewery. For more information, visit www.durhamcentralpark.org. For information about the scratch block workshop, contact Liberty Arts at (919) 260-2931 or register online here.

Request for Qualifications for Public Art on Liberty Warehouse Wall in Durham Central Park

News

Request for Qualifications For Public Art in the Park

We are pleased to announce that we have issued an RFQ for a brand new piece of public art in the DCP!

Durham Central Park, Inc., Liberty Warehouse Apartments and the City of Durham, NC Government North Carolina General Services Department in collaboration with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Durham Parks and Recreation and the Durham Cultural Advisory Board’s Public Art Committee, invite qualified artists or artist teams to submit qualifications to design, fabricate, and install signature public art on the Liberty Warehouse Wall in Durham Central Park.

 

Project Details

Location: Durham Central Park

Site Info: The site of the proposed art wall is a newly constructed brick wall that forms the northeastern boundary of the park and encloses the neighboring Liberty Warehouse Apartments. The brick wall is composed of 5 panels that are interrupted by brick pilasters. On average, the wall height measures approximately 11 feet tall. It totals approximately 110 feet in length. The wall is composed of a concrete masonry unit (CMU) with a brick veneer. The use of the entire wall length (5 panels) is not required, but a competitive submission will preferably activate at least 3 panels. In addition, submissions are allowed but not required to project out onto the ground plane a maximum of 15 feet from the wall.

Project budget: $50,000

Entry deadline: November 1, 2017

Site details.

Click here to apply.

 

 

This week’s Indy cover story: here’s what we want you to know

News, Press Mentions

You may have noticed that this week’s Indy cover story takes place in Durham Central Park. Here’s what we we want you to know.

Statement to the Indy

Durham Central Park is a 5 acre public park in downtown Durham. The land is owned by the City of Durham. Durham Central Park, Inc, a 501c3 non-profit organization, holds a management agreement to develop, manage and program the park.

Since the park was established in 2001, it has become an active, public community gathering space. For over a decade now, the park has been the backdrop for concerts, movies, celebrations, food truck rodeos, the Durham Farmers’ Market and many cultural events that have helped to make downtown Durham a lively, vibrant place to be.

DCP, Inc.’s mission is Providing Space for Community. That means a number of things, including continuing to maintain and improve an already amazing urban park, working hard to ensure that the park is accessible to everyone, hosting enjoyable free events to enliven the park and enrich the community, and safeguarding a place for people to gather every day of the week. We strive for Durham Central Park to be a vibrant, urban park where everyone feels welcome.

As the neighborhood around us changes and new residents move in, we hope that they have chosen to be our neighbors because they value the activity and culture of the park that has been cultivated by the wide diversity of park users. However, we realize that there may be some friction with new residents and long established activities. We are dedicated to working with all parties when there is an issue and want to find win-win solutions.

We understand that the Durham Police Department is tasked with enforcing the laws and policies that are set by the City of Durham. We expect that DPD will apply enforcement with consistency and respect. Since downtown Durham is undergoing rapid change and becoming a mixed use area, this may be a good time for the city government officials to revisit the noise ordinance to ensure that the ordinance is clear and fairly written so that the culture and fabric of what has made downtown Durham so appealing is not irreparably altered.

-Durham Central Park, Inc.

Host a Meals from the Market

News

The 12th annual Meals from the Market fundraiser plans are coming together! We are looking for a few more folks to host meals. Would you join us?

What is Meals from the Market?

MFTM is DCP, Inc’s biggest fundraiser event!  It is a series of meals from September to November where DCP enthusiasts host a meal at their home, restaurant or other venue. The meals have different themes and numbers of attendees. All the meals are donated by the hosts and the proceeds from ticket sales go straight to support DCP, Inc.

 

Hosting a Meal – What the Host Does

  • You set the date, time, location, number of guests and suggest a price for a ticket to your meal. Each Meal brings in anywhere from $600 to $6000 in total.  It can be a breakfast, brunch or supper on any day of the week in September or October.
  • You come up with a “hook” to attract ticket sales. This could be a unique menu, location, entertainment or theme. We’ll help you come up with a catchy title.
  • You build interest in the meal among your friends and contact (you get to invite them for ticket pre-sales!). But, you should be prepared to host guests you have never met before.
  • You donate all the expenses involved.  So, it helps to get co-hosts. In the end, DCP can prepare a tax letter for your in-kind donation. All ticket sales go directly to DCP.
  • Host the meal and have fun! Don’t think your meal has to be extravagant. Keep it to a size that will be manageable and fun for you to produce.

Hosting a Meal – What DCP Does

  • DCP advertises the meals by providing a detailed website with info about each meal, sending direct mailers to the DCP mailing list, and through email and social media marketing
  • DCP maintains and oversees ticket sales through eventbrite.com
  • DCP maintains the guest list and will send hosts updates as sales progress. You will be notified when your meal sells out and tickets are no longer available.
  • DCP will provide materials and designate a person to give a shout out to the work of DCP, Inc, during the meal.

 

We hope you can join us!

Meals from the Market is a great opportunity to share your enthusiasm for the park and help support the work that we do to provide this important space for the community. If you can’t host a meal right now, we hope that you will be able to join the fun at a meal this fall!

If you are interested in hosting a meal, please contact MFTM Chair, Lee Ann Tilley – [email protected]

 

Durham Central Park competes for $25K grant and needs your vote!

News

durham_twitter

We need YOUR vote for $25K! Durham Central Park, Inc. is now in the running to bring a FREE 10 week live music series to Durham, June-August 2017.

Sponsored by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a national foundation dedicated to strengthening the social fabric of America through free live music, Durham Central Park hopes to qualify as one of 15 winning organizations competing in the Levitt AMP Durham Grant Awards.

The awards are an exciting matching grant opportunity created by the Levitt Foundation to serve small to mid-sized towns and cities with populations up to 400,000. Up to fifteen nonprofits will receive $25,000 each in matching funds to produce their own Levitt AMP Music Series—an outdoor, free concert series featuring a diverse lineup of professional musicians.

Durham Central Park’s proposal is now posted on the Levitt AMP website for public voting: http://levittamp.org. If successful, Durham Central Park will partner with Durham-based Art of Cool Project on three of the ten concerts. A successful campaign for Durham Central Park depends on community participation to get as many online votes as possible to bring the concert series to town. Community support, as measured by the number of online votes received, will be one of the key factors when the Levitt Foundation selects up to 15 winners.

Supporters are asked to visit https://grant.levittamp.org/voter-registration-page/ to register and vote. Online public voting is now open and ends November 21 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The Top 25 finalists will be selected through online public voting. The Levitt Foundation will then review the proposals of these 25 finalists and will select up to 15 Levitt AMP winners, which will be announced on January 5, 2017.

“Durham Central Park’s public surveys and charettes show people value Durham Central Park as a gathering place and want more FREE concerts at the Park. This is the way we can make it happen, with your help,” says Tess Mangum Ocaña, who co-wrote the grant with DCP Executive Director Erin Kauffman.

Durham Central Park asks supporters to start spreading the word to family, friends, colleagues and neighbors and rally the community to sign up and vote for Durham Central Park’s proposal. Voters must be 18 years of age or older and U.S. residents (or residents of U.S. territories.)

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Durham Central Park is the five-acre downtown oasis on Foster Street. DCP is a city park, developed and maintained by Durham Central Park, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.