Well 10 years ago but not in many years my friend.
Those were my formative years. Like I said, it fell off my radar. It was just the idea that it wasn’t worth it to me for the small place, back then. It really doesn’t matter now. I am much more disappointed the whole large project of redevelopment for that block never happened, which obviously isn’t their fault.
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Ten years ago is recent history to many of us.
Needless to say, foot traffic increased substantially when admission became free. But the board (specifically the Contemporary Art Foundation) hasn’t figured out a sustainable financial formula in all that time.
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Ok guys. If you don’t think CAM is an asset to downtown then you may get your wish. I hope not because I think it is a great asset. I think art adds tremendously to downtown experiences and we are losing them one by one. If nothing else it’s something to do for a lot of people. I guess we could just roll over and let downtown Durham be the focal point for art in the area but I wish we could make the effort at least. Raleigh does not have a lot of large companies or wealthy philanthropists to support arts organisations in general so it is an uphill climb.
The CAM Board and leadership are and have been making the very best decisions they can and are only interested in providing a venue for contemporary art exhibits and instillations in downtown Raleigh for the benefit of Raleigh citizens and visitors.
There is zero benefit to posting negative false statements when you have no clue what you’re talking about.
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Listen, I wasn’t trying to piss you off. I was just sharing my experiences and thoughts. I was kind of meh on the place from the few times I went. I’m entitled to my opinion. But the only thing I said that was incorrect was that they charge(d) admission, when I should’ve said charged admission. I haven’t been in awhile.
I’m not here rooting for them to close; I’d like just the opposite, for them to expand like the plan they released awhile back. It’s a loss for everyone if they do shut down.
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I hope CAM, or something like CAM, survives. I go there several times a year and donate money.
As for Durham, clearly it was a major victory for them to get DPAC which Raleigh was also lusting for. Downtown Durham needed a boost, and I don’t begrudge them for it. When the new performance venue opens adjacent to the Lenovo Center, it will be interesting to see the equillibrium between that facility and DPAC. It will be about 50% larger than DPAC.
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A bold next chapter for CAM Raleigh
We’re selling our building at 409 West Martin Street. We know that’s a big sentence. So, here’s the honest version of why. The cost of operating a physical space has outpaced the support available to sustain it, a reality facing small-to-midsized museums across the country. Instead of letting a building quietly set the limits on our mission, we made a bolder choice. Selling frees our resources to go where they belong: into artists, exhibitions, programs, and the community that has always been the real heart of CAM.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. Ultimately, though, this block has become an eyesore and complete dead zone compared to the once-vibrant art and entrepreneurial hub it once was. I’m sure whatever big bucks this property demands will never conjure the same level of interesting creativity that it once was—and I fully expect it to become a gravel parking lot for several years—but at least maybe we won’t have empty buildings with piles of trash and human waste there like there is now.
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It’s already a gravel parking lot. CAM has outsourced that entire front part for parking for a while. If CAM can’t/won’t use the building anymore I hope someone buys it and activates the space again. What a loss though. CAM was great when it was open.
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CAM has been around in one form or another since 1983. Have they finally used all nine lives? I don’t know. At one point they were charging admission fees, but that didn’t work either. Competing (even indirectly) with NCMA and the university art museums (Gregg at NC State, Ackland at UNC, Nasher at Duke, etc) for patrons and money is tough. It’s too bad. I always looked forward to exhibitions at CAM.
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If there wasn’t one already a couple of blocks away, the CAM building would be an excellent food hall location.
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Oh yeah, I forgot about that. And people in cars crushed the benches at the edge of that gravel “parking lot.”
I guess it will just become a bigger gravel parking lot now!
I’m not holding my breath that anyone will activate the space. Call me a pessimist, but the Docker and HQ Raleigh spaces have sat empty and rotting for nearly half a decade now.
I wish the city could somehow penalize property owners that leave dead zones like this that become eyesores and detract from the community. The community deserves better while the owners wait for their payday.
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I mean, if the Depot redevelopment happens, this whole area will likely be ripe for transformation, including HQ and CAM.
It’s still happening, right? Right???
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