About six months ago, artist Kamakshi Duvvuru moved to Durham, a decision she made after several visits to the city in recent years and a desire to find a home in the South. As she adjusts to a new city, she said the NorthStar Church of the Arts has really helped her find community among creative individuals engaged in social justice and mutual aid efforts.
Duvvuru noted that fondest memories of the place include their weekly Sunday Service where she heard a sermon centered around an iconic Audre Lorde essay and an environmentally-inspired craft event that involved making vessels from red clay soil from a nearby river.
"If there was a church for me, one where the sacred text is Audre Lorde's 'Poetry Is Not A Luxury,' where I can connect with the land and soil and wetlands with my hands, that's the perfect thing for me," Duvvuru said.
But on May 6, NorthStar Church of the Arts, along with scores of other arts organizations across the country, was notified that it would lose its federal funding. In the past week, the organization launched an emergency campaign to raise the funds it needs to keep hosting community events.
"It's really devastating, knowing how core it is to the community and how much of a guiding light it is for me and so many others," Duvvuru said. "It feels like a call to and step up so we can keep having these spaces.
NorthStar had been awarded a $130,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts through a program called ArtsHERE, a pilot program that was born out of an executive order former President Joe Biden signed in September. NorthStar had applied to Atlanta-based nonprofit South Arts, which managed the ArtsHERE grants.
Prior to this award, the Durham-based arts organization had never before received federal funding, said its executive director Lauren Garcia. NorthStar's budget largely depended on financial from the N.C. Arts Council, Durham Arts Council, and some private foundations. The federal funds made it possible for Garcia to become a full-time employee – the only one in the organization – and for NorthStar to hire two part-time employees to work on donor and digital outreach.
As of May, NorthStar had received one installment of the grant, which was meant to be handed out in three disbursements, Garcia said. Not only would NorthStar not receive the rest of its grant, there is the possibility it would have to return some funds, she added.
"At NorthStar, we do about a hundred events a year," Garcia said. "We produce events for artists. We produce events in partnership with other organizations who don't have a physical space. What's at stake is the programming for the community. Without staff, we would have to not do events. And we would have to not pay artists. We pay between 40 and 50 artists a year (who do) visual art, music, and performance art, teaching, dance and movement classes that are free to the community. "
One such event is a solo exhibition by Durham artist Hillary Onig Ensminger, which opens on June 13. Garcia also noted the venue can operate as a shelter during extreme weather events.
"We're able to make sure people know if the water goes out or if a natural disaster happens, they can come here," she said. "If the power goes out in the winter, we serve as a warming station."
NorthStar has planned multiple fundraising events now through July 6 to try and make up a $65,000 funding gap. Garcia hopes to have a matching pool so the organization would have to raise only $50,000 from the community. They plan to host an "Offerings" event on June 19, Juneteenth, and a three-day festival from July 4 to July 6.
Garcia said she is also concerned about the possibility of state arts funding being revoked and wants to pivot away from depending on government funding.
"My hope is that we can look to our community for reinvestment and not rely on state or federal funding that is subject to the whims of a presidential change," she said. "There is enough money (in our communities) to put the power back in our hands. We don't have to wait for someone else to come and save us. We are saving ourselves all the time. There is a deep and rich history in this country of not depending on the federal government because we've long not been able to."
NorthStar Church of the Arts was founded in 2019 by Grammy Award-winning artist Nenna Freelon and her late husband and architect Phil Freelon, with the goal of building an inclusive arts venue to and uplift marginalized communities. Their son, Pierce Freelon, said he was shocked to hear about the funds being rescinded and said it aligns with the current presidential istration's "a posture of aggression" towards BIPOC and LGBTQ communities.
"My dad ed away from ALS in 2019 and this was an important part of his legacy," said Pierce Freelon, a member of NorthStar's Board of Directors and a former member of the Durham City Council. "I think a lot of people ired and respected my dad for the structures he built and designed around Durham and the country. I would call on those folks to help preserve his legacy by pouring in resources to NorthStar and helping the next generation of architects and musicians thrive in a safe space."
