CAM Raleigh is Open!

July 8, 2011

A lively evening of street-festival activities, an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a weekend of free admission and special programs mark the grand opening of CAM Raleigh, a museum for contemporary art and design in Raleigh’s historic Warehouse District. Elysia Borowy-Reeder, who begins as Executive Director on May 16, will lead the museum’s dedication to exploring what’s now and nearing within an always-changing museum experience. Its inaugural exhibitions feature artists Dan Steinhilber (Washington, DC) in the main gallery and New York–based Naoko Ito, the first artist in the Independent Weekly Gallery’s Emerging Artists Series. CAM Raleigh is a partnership between the community and North Carolina State University’s (NC State) College of Design.

Exterior view of CAM Raleigh, a museum that explores what’s now and presents an always-changing museum experience. Image courtesy CAM Raleigh

“I am thrilled to celebrate new ideas in art and design in a home commensurate with both the College of Design’s program and the ambitions of the many artists that we showcase,” said NC State’s College of Design Dean Marvin J. Malecha, FAIA. “Elysia Borowy-Reeder will contribute the same intrepid energy, excitement, and willingness to experiment that brought us to this extraordinary milestone.”

“I’m excited by the breaking of boundaries between different art forms, connecting audiences with artists and designers who use street art, design, performance, craft, architecture, and other disciplines and mediums to create a message that has to do with human condition,” says Borowy-Reeder. “I am thrilled and honored to be selected by the CAM Raleigh Board and Dean Malecha to guide the Museum at this exciting period in its history.”

CAM Raleigh Board Members, staff, and NC State officials will preside over a grand ribbon cutting ceremony at CAM Raleigh on April 30 at 11:30 a.m. Free admission is offered Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sponsored by Progress Energy, the weekend includes hands-on activities in the museum classroom, middle school student docents, and opportunities for visitors to interact with exhibition artists.

A Grand Opening Celebration is planned for the evening of April 29, providing the community a first look inside the Museum. The lively street party begins at 7:00 p.m. with fare by Poole’s Diner, Humble Pie, Jibarra, The Pit, and bu•ku; signature cocktails from Foundation; locally crafted beers from Carolina Brewery and Big Boss; wine and spirits; and a variety of entertainment and festivities. At 9:00 p.m. the CAM/now After Party portion of the evening kicks off with gourmet desserts from Escazu, Crumb, and Locopops. Tickets to the entire Grand Opening Celebration from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. are $150. Tickets to attend the CAM/now After Party beginning at 9:00 p.m. are available for $50. Either ticket level gets you a discount to the official CAM Raleigh AFTER After Party at Kings featuring the Smith Westerns. Visit camraleigh.org to purchase tickets to the event. Honorary Chairs for the grand opening are Dr. and Mrs. James Goodnight.

CAM Raleigh’s new home is an early twentieth-century structure that is located in the Depot National Register Historic District. The downtown warehouse was designed and renovated by the architectural team of Clearscapes and Brooks + Scarpa. Clearscapes, based in Raleigh, is a multi-disciplinary design firm that focuses on cultural facilities, higher education, urban mixed use, and large scale public art. Brooks + Scarpa is the successor architecture firm formerly known as Pugh + Scarpa, founded in Santa Monica, California in 1991. The firm was recently chosen to receive the prestigious 2010 AIA Architecture Firm Award, the highest honor the AIA bestows on an architecture firm and recognizes a practice that consistently has produced distinguished architecture for at least 10 years.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITIONS
Inaugural Exhibitions: Dan Steinhilber and Naoko Ito

ABOUT THE EMERGING ARTIST SERIES

CAM Raleigh is the only museum in the region with a dedicated gallery for emerging artists and designers. Through exhibiting emerging artists whose work is still in progress and fresh from the studio, CAM Raleigh celebrates the diversity of artistic expression and places the artist at the center of the community. The museum supports early career contemporary artists in an atmosphere where they are encouraged to foster a cross-fertilization of ideas and dynamic interaction with visitors. Visitors from all walks of life will often have a chance to meet and exchange ideas with the artists celebrated in this series. CAM Raleigh’s Independent Weekly Gallery features the Emerging Artist Series.

Photo of Elysia Borowy-Reeder, courtesy the Milwaukee Art Museum

ABOUT ELYSIA BOROWY-REEDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CAM RALEIGH

Elysia Borowy-Reeder received her first degree in visual arts from Antioch College, Ohio, and has two Master of Arts degrees from Michigan State University, in art history and art education. Borowy-Reeder attended the Getty Leadership for Museum Management in 2008 and the Yale School of Management in 2010. Throughout her career, Borowy-Reeder has served on professional panels and advisory committees. She has held senior leadership positions at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and at the Milwaukee Art Museum. In her curatorial capacity, she has organized contemporary art shows at Kolnischer Kunstverein in Cologne, Germany, General Store in Milwaukee, White Columns in New York, Locust Projects in Miami, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and Gavin Brown’s enterprise in New York. Her curatorial work has been reviewed in Artforum, the New York Times, Paper Magazine, and the Village Voice.

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CAM Raleigh is a non-collecting museum that explores what’s now and presents an always-changing museum experience. CAM Raleigh is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization created through partnership between the community of Raleigh and North Carolina State University’s College of Design. CAM Raleigh is generously supported by the Contemporary Art Foundation, North Carolina State University, individual and corporate members, private and corporate foundations, and government agencies.

CAM Raleigh is located at 409 West Martin Street, Raleigh, NC 27603, between Harrington and West streets and in the heart of Raleigh’s Depot National Register Historic District and Warehouse District. CAM Raleigh has a parking lot; additional parking is available at metered spots on the street or at the Davie Street Parking Lot located at 201 W. Davie Street. Museum hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and first and third Fridays of the month open until 9 p.m. The museum is closed on Tuesday. General admission to the museum is $5. CAM Raleigh members, children 10 and under, members of the military, members of NARM and Mod/Co, and NC State students, staff, and faculty are admitted free. Information about CAM Raleigh’s exhibitions, programs, and special events is available on the CAM Raleigh website at http://camraleigh.org or by phone at 919.513.0946. Follow @camraleigh on twitter.

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