Triangle ArtWorks moves to Durham’s Research Triangle Park

Research Triangle Park is eager to shed its corporate stereotype by filling some of its space with the arts.

Triangle ArtWorks, a nonprofit that promotes collaboration in the Triangle’s creative community, moved into the park’s new building — The Frontier — to push the effort.

The nonprofit will host an open house tonight inviting artists into the space.

“We know that the typical stereotype of the RTP is a bit corporate and old fashioned,” said Jacob Newbauer, community coordinator at RTP. “We’re trying to address this head-on by trying to create opportunities for people to do something very forward-thinking rather than typical work in a big corporate building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then go home.”

RTP is home to more than 190 research companies and big corporations, including IBM and Credit Suisse. But the scientists and engineers have double lives too — Newbauer said many of them are creative people who practice art.

“They feel like to be creative and practice their art they have to go outside of RTP,” he said. “They shouldn’t need to leave the RTP to channel their creativity.”

Beth Yerxa, executive director of Triangle ArtWorks, approached RTP about merging fields to foster innovation.

“There is a global movement to bring science, technology and arts together,” she said. “If this is happening around the country and the world, then it should be happening in RTP.”

The organization will have its first office in The Frontier, along with a community space where it can bring together artists across disciplines in the Triangle.

The group aims to connect artists with resources and opportunities in the Triangle and to experiment with collaboration between the arts and science communities.

“We also hope to work with arts entrepreneurship education,” Yerxa said.

The new hub for artists could also bring economic benefits, said Aaron Shackelford, postdoctoral fellow for Carolina Performing Arts.

“It’s going to make Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary and Apex even more exciting places to live,” he said. “If you have all these creative artists and opportunities in the area, it’s going to make starting a business and recruiting people to come all the more appealing.”

Artists would also have an opportunity to communicate with each other, Shackelford said.

“I don’t run into my peers from Raleigh all that often,” he said. “I actually ran into one of them in New York two weeks ago — we had to go to New York City to talk and see each other.”

But Newbauer’s plans for RTP aren’t limited to professional artists.

“We don’t only want to work with adults,” Newbauer said. “We also want to work with innovative students.”

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