Eno Arts Mill 2025 BIPOC Artists in Residence create community around junk journaling

The start of 2025 has meant many things: New Year's resolutions, a new set of classes and Eno Arts Mill's new BIPOC Artists in Residence.

This year, Kathy Burnside and Neysa Rojas will benefit from the resources of the BIPOC artist residency — private studio space, promotional support, a $500 stipend and a featured exhibit at the Eno Arts Mill. 

Located in Hillsborough, the Eno Arts Mill is operated by ​​the Orange County Arts Commission, a nonpartisan agency of the Orange County government working to develop and strengthen the art community through a wide range of high-quality programs. 

Katie Murray, the Arts Commission director, encouraged Burnside and Rojas to apply for the residency after they participated in the Makers at the Mill Holiday Bazaar in November 2024. They saw the application as an opportunity to expand Blue Wagon Studios, an art company which they started together. 

“Had it not been for the networking, meeting other people, then I don't think we'd get this far,” Rojas said when discussing the pair's journey to landing the residency. “So, I really just think it's special to talk to people. Go to the free exhibits, go to Open Studio at the Eno Arts.”

Before starting Blue Wagon Studios, Rojas worked as a nurse for 17 years. Rojas' late career transition into the arts inspired their business motto “It's never too late to create.”

“It is not an easy thing, right?” Rojas said. “I mean, you always hear about this starving artist, struggling artist. Yeah, that's a reality. But I think, at least for me, I got to the point where I was like, ‘Hey, if this is still your passion, if it's still in your heart, then you have to give it a chance.’” 

The artists recognized that there are many people who want to become artists but see a lack of money and resources as a major barrier. Rojas said the studio space the residency offers them is crucial to expanding their artistic reach.

UNC senior Olivia Stokes is pursuing a degree in studio art and has felt the same sentiment that Burnside and Rojas described.

“A lot of times when I tell people that my major is studio art, their first question is like, ‘Oh, what do you plan on doing with that?’” Stokes said.  “And it just has this undertone of being so judgmental and like, ‘Oh, are you gonna make any money?’ And I think that people just fail to realize how integral art and design is to our everyday lives. If you look around, art truly is everywhere. It's in the clothes you wear, it's in the logos of your favorite restaurants, it's in the menus at your favorite restaurants, it's in the ad campaigns that air on TV, it's everything.”

Burnside and Rojas said that they are still figuring out exactly what to do with the $500 stipend, but hope to use it, alongside other grants, to furnish the studio space and offer affordable classes. 

Burnside and Rojas' chosen art form is junk journaling, described as the messy cousin of the scrapbook or bullet journal, which is identified by its neat handwriting and carefully coordinated color palette. 

The studio space the residency offers has allowed Rojas and Burnside to open their doors to people to make appointments, attend their workshops or just swing by.

“Neysa and I said we need a place where we can go and hang out,” Burnside said.

She described the community and collective excitement their residency has created, saying that people are always texting back and forth about the materials everyone is bringing and the projects they're working on.

“I enjoy teaching classes because that gets other people involved,” Burnside said. “A lot of people don't realize that there's an artist in everyone, and I just like to bring it out.”

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