Soon before I left the North Carolina Arts Council we finished a couple of National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant applications for the Durham SmART Initiative and the Burnsville SmART Initiative. We just got word that Durham received a $100,000 grant!

You can read about Durham SmART here and read the vision plan here. Mikyoung Kim Design created the Vision Plan in collaboration with the NC Arts Council, the Durham Arts Council, and the people of Durham. It was a great process. Good luck to all my friends in Durham!
There are great things going on in Durham and the sky’s the limit. For many communities with re-enlivened downtowns, success is a two-edged sword. Just like here in Brooklyn, this gentrification has unfortunate side effects. Here’s hoping the change doesn’t mean the end of the funky and dirty Durham that we love!
And just because I can here’s a photo reflection of me and Mikyoung (and Paris Hilton) at the 21c Hotel.
