About Liberty Arts

Our Mission

Liberty Arts supports a working community of resident artists and invites the public to learn through classes in metal casting, metal working, plasma cutting, and glassblowing. The studio provides space and equipment, while the gallery presents exhibitions open to the neighborhood.

Liberty Arts operates as an arts incubator in Durham, NC, where working artists gather to teach, learn, and inspire one another. The organization is structured as a community-driven nonprofit that values collaboration over competition, inviting both seasoned practitioners and curious newcomers into a shared creative space. By pooling skills, tools, and experience, resident artists create an environment where ideas move freely between studios, classrooms, and public exhibitions.

Central to the studio's identity is its hands-on approach to traditional and contemporary craft. Classes and workshops span metal casting, metalworking, plasma cutting, ceramics, glassblowing, and wood, giving visitors a chance to move from observation to direct participation. The on-site foundry adds a rare dimension, allowing members and students to witness and engage with the dramatic process of pouring hot bronze, aluminum, and iron. For many, this combination of messy, exciting, and tactile work transforms curiosity into lasting creative confidence.

The studios and gallery occupy two complementary locations in Durham, including the Cordoba Building studios and the Foster Street foundry, anchoring the organization firmly within the local arts scene. The gallery serves as a public-facing window into resident practice, hosting exhibitions, openings, and events that welcome neighborhood residents and visitors alike. Together, these spaces extend the studio's mission beyond private making, presenting finished artwork in settings designed for dialogue and shared experience.

Beyond classes and exhibitions, Liberty Arts works to educate, empower, and entertain a diverse public audience through tours, team-building workshops, and collaborative projects. The studio also nurtures emerging talent through internships and skill-sharing among artists with different specialties, from welding and fabrication to glass fusion and ceramics. Guided by a board of directors and an advisory council, the organization continues to enrich Durham's creative communities by offering a place where hands, ideas, and materials come together in purposeful, public-facing work.