By day, Broad Street Cafe off of East Campus is an open space for coffee and baked goods. On Friday, Oct. 19, however, the cafe will transform into an art gallery.
This event is part of Durham's Third Friday series, a branch of the Triangle's Friday art series. Raleigh, Chapel Hill/Carrboro, Durham and Cary all take a different Friday of each month and sponsor a variety of art events-from film to painting exhibits to performances-throughout the community.
This Friday, Broad Street Cafe will play host to a photography show called Liminal States. Photographer and art curator for Broad Street Cafe, Daniel George is both a contributing artist and the developer of the event. Featuring eight photographers, the show will present their varied work all under the theme of "liminal states."
George said that Liminal States refers to a "transitional space" and is characterized by "ambiguity, openness and indeterminacy." Each artist contributed different pieces to the exhibit with this theme in mind.
"Everyone has got such beautiful work and it's distinct to who they are and their styles," Pittsboro-based photographer Martha Manning said.
Manning typically shoots for weddings. Some of her photographs for the event will reflect the wedding theme but also possess what she calls "stylized" and "fine art" qualities that allow her work to rise above typical wedding portraiture.
While his work is not limited to photography, George said his work is more along abstract lines.
"I seek to create works that are an extension of the evolving consciousness of nature, that dissolve the boundaries and rules of traditional art," George said. "With my photography, I like to create enigmatic works that are open to interpretation using a variety of experimental techniques."
The event also incorporates photojournalism. Justin Falls, a photographer from Elizabeth City newspaper The Daily Advance, contributed seven pieces for the event. He said he became aware of the event due to a long-standing friendship with George and noted that though photojournalism is not typically considered fine art, it still has many artistic qualities.
"One way to make your job interesting is to care about what you do. If you care about it, it's sort of a communication of how you feel," Falls said. "That's pretty much art in a nutshell. It boils down to communication."
George said that having so many artists sharing one space helps fuel creativity.
"Sharing a space with other artists is always rewarding," George said. "New connections between works surface and artists inspire and encourage each other. Simply seeing others work can spur new directions and epiphanies about one's own work."
George said he decided to connect the event to Third Friday in hopes of showing more art, increasing interest for the event and enhancing Broad Street's connection to the Durham arts scene. This is the second event he has held at the cafe in conjunction with the program.
Third Friday touts "Culture Happens Here" as its tagline. The event opens up art to the entire community and invites a wide range of people to occupy the same space for one night a month.
"From what I've seen from these Third Friday things. it's just a big variety of people. There's business professionals and other artists. It's just all these people who [come out to] appreciate art and go back to their normal lives," Manning said. "It's so important because it's bringing art into all the different parts of the community-different socioeconomic groups, backgrounds, ages."
Manning added that she is especially excited to be involved in the event because it is in Durham.
"I'm always looking for opportunities to be involved in art in Durham because I think there's just a strong sense of community with the artists in Durham," she said. "I'm excited to be part of something that's bigger."
Liminal States will be at the Broad Street Cafe Friday, Oct. 16 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. More information on the photography, show and other Third Friday events can be found at www.thirdfridaydurham.com.
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