A team of young curators from Durham present an exhibition of youth artwork addressing personal identity and lived experiences. With a grant from the Durham Youth Leadership Fund for the 2023-24 season, the team behind Haptic Happenings aims to broaden Durham’s idea of how fine art can be made, exhibited, and interacted with by our youth community.

Exhibiting in August & September 2024

Haptic Happenings will be open to the public during a month long exhibition at the Durham Arts Guild's Truist Art Gallery in Durham, North Carolina. Our exhibition will feature 50 pieces from local artists aged 13-24, with no limits imposed on media form or artistic discipline. We invite visitors to immerse themselves in all the different textures, colors, feelings, and forms that represent the way these youth artists see themselves at this moment.

We believe that art is a tool for radical positive change and that young people deserve opportunities to share their creative expression with the world. In an effort to make participation as accessible as possible, our curatorial team will provide both material and financial support directly to Durham’s youth artist. In addition to the exhibition opportunity, we will provide free art supplies through our request form during the exhibition submission period, so that any youth artist in Durham can apply. Finally, each selected artist will receive a $100 honorarium for their work to be included in the final exhibition.

Exhibition visitors are encouraged to participate in an ongoing public vote for best-in-show, which will result in a first-place prize of $500, a second-place prize of $300, and a third-place prize of $200 being awarded at the closing reception.

Acknowledgments

Haptic Happenings was first imagined by Faith Reagin and realized in partnership with The Durham Powerful Arts Collective.

Funding for Haptic Happenings is provided by the City of Durham Office on Youth's Durham Youth Leadership Fund. 

Haptic Happenings is fiscally sponsored by VAE Raleigh, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, creativity incubator.

We are grateful to Pop Box Gallery for their guidance and assistance while applying for the Durham Art Guild's Truist Gallery.