Candidates for Durham office gathered for a forum on the city’s arts and culture sector on Thursday, prior to Durham’s election on Tuesday.

The forum was presented by Durham Arts & Culture Advocates, a coalition of local artists, at the NorthStar Church of the Arts. 

All Durham mayoral candidates and Durham City Council candidates attended the forum as Durham musician Lois Deloatch moderated. DeDreana Freeman arrived to the forum late, while Leonardo Williams and Mark-Anthony Middleton both left the forum early.

 

Arts as a tool for Durham’s broader goals

All candidates discussed their vision for further supporting and uplifting the arts in Durham, but each had different approaches for incorporating the arts into other policy areas, such as public safety, housing and economic development. 

Several candidates emphasized a desire in creating arts programs for youth.  

Both Williams and Bell emphasized the role arts and culture can play in creating a safe space for people. 

Medoff, a former elementary school teacher and the challenger candidate in Ward 3, said the rise in the city’s youth crime rate warranted the need for more access to arts.

“Our current rise in our crime rate, our youth crime rate, shows that we could be doing better,” Medoff said. “We need access to the arts because it will also help us have a more creative and competitive workforce.”

Cook, the incumbent candidate in Ward 3 who has served on the council since being appointed in 2024, said they would like to see creative spaces targeted at youth, such as after-school programs and summer camps, to help them find community. 

Ward 2 candidates Middleton and Burris shared how their personal experiences with art influenced their support for arts in Durham.

Burris said she is specifically focused on reducing disparities in access to arts and cultural programs.

“Research shows that you have higher test scores, more social cohesion when you have early exposure to arts,” Burris said. “But there are disparities in who actually has access to the arts, and we know that many Black and brown children are the ones who are within those disparate communities.”

Middleton said he would like to see Durham put its money where its mouth is when it comes to funding the arts.

Kopac said he would like to see the arts be more affordable, especially when it comes to housing for the city’s artists.

“When our artists and creators can’t afford to live and stay, we lose part of our soul,” Kopac said.

Freeman shared Medoff and Cook’s sentiments of the importance of creating opportunities for youth to pursue art.

 

Funding arts and culture programming

Referencing the Durham Cultural Roadmap, a plan the City is developing to envision the future of Durham’s arts and culture sector, Deloatch asked candidates if they would support significant increases in funding for arts and culture programming. 

Freeman and Kopac both expressed their absolute support for further funding. 

Middleton said the City needs more money and must be careful in how that money is allocated.

“We want to increase money, but I want to make sure that that money not only produces art, but is in a position to help artists stay here that are producing it,” Middleton said.

Burris said she would support increased funding, but also mentioned the need for accountability of the handling of these funds by setting specific metrics and checking in on how funding is being used.

Echoing Burris’ statement, Cook said they support increased funding and would like to see even more community engagement in the development of the plan.

Medoff said she would not promise supporting increased funding, but instead would look to find partnerships with local organizations and companies.

If Durham funds artists, it is important that the City monitors if that funding is being used as intended, Bell said.

“I do believe in oversight,” Bell said. “I believe that if the City is involved in terms of resources, absolutely, we need to be able to say, ‘If this money is given to you, this is, have you done what you were supposed to do?’”

Williams said he wants to see the City fund artists and arts programs more due to the importance arts play in Durham.

“It is an economic driver. It is a cultural navigator and a cultural facilitator of our community,” Williams said. “So, it is necessary.”

 

Private sector partnerships

Deloatch finished her series of open-ended questions by asking candidates how they would expand private sector engagement to support Durham’s creative economy.

Williams said he would like to continue partnering with corporations and philanthropists to support the city’s arts. Williams left the forum following his answer.

Sharing a similar position with Williams, Bell said the City should encourage corporations to sponsor creative opportunities.

“The arts has got to be a part of our economic infrastructure,” Bell said. “It is not just extracurricular. While it might be that, it’s so much more.”

Durham should support more opportunities for festivals and events that bring people to Durham and encourage them to spend money in the city, Medoff said.

Cook said amid funding cuts on the state and federal level, it is important to ensure that funding being spent on arts and culture is going toward local arts, such as through commissioning Durham-based artists or hosting festivals in Durham. 

“I like the idea of sponsorships, of getting folks to invest in art, but we have to have really honest conversations. We have to be able to sit down with our community partners and talk about that,” Cook said.

Burris said the first step to building private sector partnerships is being in Durham’s community and developing relationships with businesses.

Middleton said that due to the federal government’s pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion, many corporations are also stepping away from supporting related initiatives, which could impact funding for artistic expression. Middleton left after he shared his answer.

Kopac said private partnerships will be especially important in the current economy, which has left many United States residents — including artists — struggling.

Freeman said she would prioritize listening to artists and small businesses about how they would like to see partnerships with private businesses conducted.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to hear from artists in our community and to hear some of the ideas around what it looks like to create equitable partnerships first,” Freeman said.