What is the Guild ?

The Durham Art Guild was established in 1948. Our Mission is to function as a non-profit, member-driven organization with the primary goal of operating a visual arts gallery that features the work of regional artists.

The Durham Art Guild excels in featuring the best exhibitions in the area. We operate a public gallery as well as an on-line gallery.

We connect our community's artists and arts patrons. We support emerging and established artists alike.

The Guild's membership includes a wide variety of artists and art lovers from across the state. Your membership in the Durham Art Guild provides essential support for our organzation and helps us to offer a professional, non-market driven gallery that presents quality exhibitions and programs that enlighten, educate and engage viewers.

We are one of the oldest visual arts organizations in North Carolina and among the five oldest in the entire country. It was from the strength of The Guild's original organization that the Durham Arts Council (DAC) was created 7 years later. DAC expanded its focus to include performing arts as well. The two organizations have maintained a cooperative relationship that has encouraged citizens, businesses and artists to develop and support a major arts center in the city of Durham.

The Galleries

The Guild maintains and manages the Central Carolina Bank Gallery, a 3,000 square foot premier gallery space located in the Durham Arts Council in the heart of downtown Durham, NC. We have been graciously awarded the use of this space by DAC since the renovation and reopening of their downtown building in 1988. Our gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The gallery is free and open to the public. Each year we conduct a call for slides in coordination with the Durham Arts Council by which visual artists may apply for exhibition in our large professionally administrated gallery space. Exhibitions change on an average of every 6 weeeks and usually showcase 4 artists at a time. The opening receptions for these shows are the perfect opportunity for area artists to meet and mingle with each other as well as those exhibiting work.

Receptions for every show offer the public an opportunity to meet the exhibiting artists.

We also host a virtual gallery on this Website that can be accessed by clicking on "Online Gallery". This growing artist registry features a catalog of artists and sampling of their works. The collection can be searched by a number of ways and provides direct links to the artists.

The Guild holds an annual Juried Art Show which receives wide regional, often national, recognition for the caliber of the jurors selected each year. We also have a yearly non-juried membership show each season at which time all members are invited to exhibit original work.

The Durham Art Guild is governed by a board of directors made up of business owners, leaders and area artists. The organization is funded by membership dues, grants, corporate sponsorships, gallery art sales and revenue generated by our annual fund-raiser, Sweet Arts.