The Durham Artist Archive

A Podcast by Artists, About Durham

5.0 (3)
VISUAL ARTS

The Durham Artist Archive is an oral history podcast that interviews artists in the Durham, NC area. The project provides a platform for artists to share their stories and experiences while exploring the evolution of the city. The podcast will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in art, culture, or Durham history. durhamartistarchive.substack.com

APR 9

"The Dream is the Truth" + An Exhibition Next Week!

Join us for the Durham Artist Archive Exhibition Friday April 17 6-8pm and Saturday April 18 12-3pm at 104 W Parrish St on Durham’s Black Wall Street. This episode feels like me catching up to my own thoughts. Yes, I invite you to the Durham Artist Archive exhibition. But I end with a reflection. I’ve been moving through the work, recording, planning, building, but this moment asks me to step back and see it. To recognize that staying with one idea has brought me here. To a beautiful gallery space on Black Wall Street, inviting people to step inside something that once only existed in my head. It makes me think about how quickly we’re taught to move on. But what happens when we don’t? What happens when we sit with an idea long enough for it to deepen and take on a life of its own? For me, this exhibition is an answer to that question. It’s what it looks like to trust that the dream is already telling the truth, (Word to Zora Neale Hurston) and to keep moving in alignment with it, even before you have proof. Let’s get into it together. Upcoming Events at 104 W Parrish St, Durham, NC I would really love to see some Archivists in the room. Come wander in, talk to the artists, and maybe even take something home that you love. Here are the remaining events this month. * (in)Good Company Music & Art Event * Saturday, April 11 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM * The Durham Artist Archive Exhibition * Friday, April 17 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM * Saturday, April 18 | 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM * Blink of an Eye Exhibition (APPLY BY APRIL 13) * Friday, April 24 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM * Saturday, April 25 | 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM * Sepia Soul Poetry Event * Sunday, April 26 | 2:00 - 10:00 PM * A Taste of Your Love (Making) Exhibition by Nori McDuffie * Tuesday, April 28 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Support the Podcast 🎙️ Love what you’re hearing? The best way to support the Durham Artist Archive is by liking or rating the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps more people discover Durham’s creatives. And if you’d like to go deeper with Durham-focused art writing and podcast reflections, follow us on Substack. Paid subscribers get exclusive perks like a credit in the show notes and a shout out in our season finale for helping preserve these voices. 👉 Join as a paid supporter today and keep these stories alive Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Read on Substack 👋🏽 Connect with me, Alyssa Cuffie Onuoha:https://www.instagram.com/alwhyssa.artlab/alyssacuffie.com ☕ Support the Pod:https://ko-fi.com/alwhyssa Get full access to The Durham Artist Archive at durhamartistarchive.substack.com/subscribe

9 min
12/31/2025

Live reading of 'Sinners in the Sugar Shack': A history of Durhamite Ernie Barnes' Sugar Shack painting

So here’s your invitation: Find your own Sugar Shack. Dance like your liberation depends on it. And when the lights come up, let the art of that moment live on; whether in a photo, a story, or the way your body still remembers the beat. Let it be sweet like sugar. -Alyssa Cuffie Onuoha Happy last day of 2025. This year I published more writing online than ever. And one of my most popular essays was an in depth history of The Sugar Shack painting by Durham native and NCCU grad, Ernie Barnes. So in this episode, I’ve decided to dig deeper into the Durham creative archive and read my research on the painting for you. I spend time with The Sugar Shack as a puzzle to be solved. From the location of the painting to the recently uncovered mystery of two versions, I talk through Barnes’s story, the cultural weight of his work, and how art becomes a bridge between generations. As we close out the season, I hope this episode feels like an invitation. To remember. To honor. And to recognize our role in carrying these stories forward. Thank you for a warm 2025 and I look forward to sharing a new season of the Durham Artist Archive soon. Let 2026 be sweet. Associated Songs I want you - Marvin Gaye Dance tonight - Lucy Pearl Related Reading Sinners in the Sugar Shack Support the Podcast 🎙️ Love what you’re hearing? The best way to support the Durham Artist Archive is by liking or rating the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps more people discover Durham’s creatives. And if you’d like to go deeper with Durham-focused art writing and podcast reflections, follow us on Substack. Paid subscribers get exclusive perks like a credit in the show notes and a shout out in our season finale for helping preserve these voices. 👉 Join as a paid supporter today and keep these stories alive Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyRead on Substack 👋🏽 Connect with me, Alyssa Cuffie Onuoha:https://www.instagram.com/alwhyssa.artlab/alyssacuffie.com ☕ Support the Pod:https://ko-fi.com/alwhyssa ✏️ Additional Details:Recorded at Queeny’s in Durham, North Carolina Get full access to The Durham Artist Archive at durhamartistarchive.substack.com/subscribe

15 min
12/31/2025

Getting Beyond the Mic with Songstress LaPrince-Miller Smith

Authenticity is the most human part about you. Even your mistakes.— LaPrince Miller-Smith LaPrince-Miller Smith reminded me that authenticity is a practice you return to again and again. And in this episode, we talk about the long arc of her artistic life and what it has taken to keep choosing herself within it. From singing in the Durham Children’s Choir to studying jazz and science at NCCU, teaching, performing, acting, and eventually stepping into full-time artistry, her story is rooted in commitment, curiosity, and care. LaPrince is the embodiment of honoring all of the things she’s ever loved. We talk honestly about fear, practice, and self-advocacy, especially when navigating creative spaces that do not always make room. Sometimes, you have to make room for yourself and we get into the benefits that can come from it. LaPrince also shares what she has learned through mentors and building Beyond the Mic, her radio segment and budding podcast dedicated to uplifting local music artists. This episode is for musicians and creatives who are still figuring out how to stay true to themselves while growing. It asks what it really means to be authentic and what becomes possible when you allow community to hold you as you do the work. It’s not one to miss. 💕 This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in: * Navigating a transition into full-time creative work * The role of community and mentorship in artistic growth * Authenticity, practice, and continual learning as an artist * Building platforms that uplift local creatives Related Episodes Support the Podcast 🎙️ Love what you’re hearing? The best way to support the Durham Artist Archive is by liking or rating the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps more people discover Durham’s creatives. And if you’d like to go deeper with Durham-focused art writing and podcast reflections, follow us on Substack. Paid subscribers get exclusive perks like a credit in the show notes and a shout out in our season finale for helping preserve these voices. 👉 Join as a paid supporter today and keep these stories alive Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyRead on Substack 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼 Connect with LaPrince-Miller Smith:https://www.instagram.com/laprincesings/ 👋🏽 Connect with me, Alyssa Cuffie Onuoha:https://www.instagram.com/alwhyssa.artlab/alyssacuffie.com ☕ Support the Pod:https://ko-fi.com/alwhyssa ✏️ Additional Details:Recorded at Queeny’s in Durham, North Carolina Get full access to The Durham Artist Archive at durhamartistarchive.substack.com/subscribe

57 min
11/23/2025

3D Rendering the Spirit with Digital Artist Atigré Farmer

“I want to archive more because a lot of Black people in America have not been afforded the freedom of having history and being the ones who tell it.”— Atigré Farmer In this episode of the Durham Artist Archive, I sit with Atigré Farmer, a multitalented 3D artist, community advocate, and creative whose artwork explores the limits of technology. Her early interest in fashion and film have lead her to experiment with digital design including her Artificial Intelligence-inspired project Xia. Together, we unpack how Black femininity, spirituality, and self-reflection show up in her work. Plus, we dig into my favorite topic of how archiving both personal and collective stories can become a radical act of preservation. In addition to her creative work, Atigré’s contributions to the community are felt through her work with Durham’s Office on Youth- one of the few in the state. Her passion for empowering the next generation of artists was exciting to hear about alongside the resources for young creatives locally. This episode is all about art as innovation, liberation, and love. Join me as we parse through it all on the pod. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in:• How artists are blending spirituality, technology, and storytelling• The making of Xia, an AI character exploring Black identity and empathy• What community art and youth programs look like in Durham, NC Related Episodes Support the Podcast 🎙 Love what you’re hearing? The best way to support the Durham Artist Archive is by liking or rating the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps more people discover Durham’s creatives. And if you’d like to go deeper with Durham-focused art writing and podcast reflections, follow us on Substack. Paid subscribers get exclusive perks like a credit in the show notes and a shout out in our season finale for helping preserve these voices. 👉 Join as a paid supporter today and keep these stories alive Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyRead on Substack 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼 Connect with Atigré Farmer:https://www.instagram.com/atigrexia/ https://www.instagram.com/theworldofxia/ https://www.atigrexia.com 👋🏽 Connect with me, Alyssa Cuffie Onuoha:https://www.instagram.com/alwhyssa.artlab/alyssacuffie.com ☕ Support the Pod:https://ko-fi.com/alwhyssa ✏️ Additional Details:Recorded at Queeny’s in Durham, North Carolina Get full access to The Durham Artist Archive at durhamartistarchive.substack.com/subscribe

47 min
11/10/2025

On Poems and Processes with Coach Toci

“You can be an artist and you can monetize your art and you can be very successful at it. The question is: you have a strength in the artistry, are you willing to be trained on the things that you don’t know how to do?”— Coach Toci This week on the Durham Artist Archive, I sit with Coach Toci, a poet and business coach who treats structure as a creative tool for possibility. She’s building Mompreneur Academy, where she helps artists and mothers streamline their operations, set prices with confidence, and integrate AI without losing their voice. We talk about what it takes to run a sustainable creative business including systems that save time, standard operating procedures (SOPs) you can actually follow, and the village you need for family and business. We also dig into how she’s used poetry to capture her experiences with motherhood. If you want a creative practice that runs as well as it dreams, this episode will meet you right where you are with tactical tools to help. Make sure you take notes on this one. ✏️ This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in: * Practical systems for creatives, from SOPs to project management * Responsible use of AI that keeps your personality intact * Maternal health, community care, and support for artist-parents * Turning a creative practice into a scalable business Comment or send me an email- did any of the tactics mentioned resonate with you? What might you be implementing into your own work? Related Episodes Support the Podcast 🎙️ Love what you’re hearing? The best way to support the Durham Artist Archive is by liking or rating the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps more people discover Durham’s creatives. And if you’d like to go deeper with Durham-focused art writing and podcast reflections, follow us on Substack. Paid subscribers get exclusive perks like a credit in the show notes and a shout out in our season finale for helping preserve these voices. 👉 Join as a paid supporter today and keep these stories alive: [Subscribe Here] Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Read on Substack 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼 Connect with Coach Toci:www.join.mompreneuracademy.biz www.join.mompreneuracademy.biz https://www.instagram.com/mompreneuracademyofficial/ 👋🏽 Connect with me, Alyssa Cuffie Onuoha: https://www.instagram.com/alwhyssa.artlab/ alyssacuffie.com ☕️ Support the Pod:https://ko-fi.com/alwhyssa ✏️ Additional Details:Recorded at Queeny’s in Durham, North Carolina Get full access to The Durham Artist Archive at durhamartistarchive.substack.com/subscribe

56 min
10/19/2025

On Turning No's into New Doors with Writer and Poet Khalisa Rae

“Take the seeds you find in the Durham soil and go plant it where you are. That’s literally why we started—it was so that people could get rejuvenated and inspired by the beauty of Durham in the triangle.”— Khalisa Rae In this episode of the Durham Artist Archive, I sit with Khalisa Rae, an award-winning artist, writer, educator, and curator whose work moves with both rigor and tenderness. Khalisa Rae let us into her story of an artistic childhood in Gary, Indiana, through musical theater, and into the hard-won voice that shaped her poetry book Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat. Throughout our convo, she talks openly about higher education, adversity she faced, and her experience of being a poet in the South. Time and time again her story shows the power of trusting an ordained path and how community kept showing up as both anchor and engine. We also dig into what it means to create spaces built on purpose like her cofounding of The Griot and Grey Owl Writers Conference. These, among her other projects make a strong case for the value of collective practice over isolation. Khalisa Rae has the kind of resilience that turns a no into a new door and I can’t wait for you to listen in. Enjoy. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in: * Practical guidance on practice, resilience, and moving through rejection * Creating inclusive literary spaces and running artist-centered programs * What it looks like to serve a community through arts leadership Want to attend the Griot & Grey Owl Writers Conference? As a special thank you to Durham Artist Archive listeners, Khalisa Rae and I would like to share a discount code for the conference coming up on November 7-9th 2025! Whether you’d just like to attend my session (Lunch Time Pizza & Podcast Pull-up), or want the full All-Access VIP experience to connect with writers from across the South, use this code for a discount on your ticket. And remember- the Friday Opening Ceremony and the book fair is completely free! This is a family friendly event that writers and book lovers alike will love. Come hang out with us! Discount code: GROUPGRIOT25 Link to event page Related Episodes Support the Podcast 🎙️ Love what you’re hearing? The best way to support the Durham Artist Archive is by liking or rating the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps more people discover Durham’s creatives. And if you’d like to go deeper with Durham-focused art writing and podcast reflections, follow us on Substack. Paid subscribers get exclusive perks like a mailed zine, a credit in the show notes, and a shout out in our season finale for helping preserve these voices. 👉 Join as a paid supporter today and keep these stories alive: [Subscribe Here] Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Read on Substack 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼 Connect with Khalisa Rae:khalisarae.com https://www.instagram.com/khalisarae/ https://griotandgreyowl.org https://www.instagram.com/griotandgrey/ 👋🏽 Connect with me, Alyssa Cuffie Onuoha: https://www.instagram.com/alwhyssa.artlab/ alyssacuffie.com ☕️ Support the Pod:https://ko-fi.com/alwhyssa ✏️ Additional Details:Recorded at Queeny’s in Durham, North Carolina Get full access to The Durham Artist Archive at durhamartistarchive.substack.com/subscribe

49 min
10/13/2025

On Graffiti Culture and Art as Activism with Artist & Writer, Wonder

“Art doesn’t have to be pretty or quiet. In a world drowning us with noise, it’s important that some of us whisper, and some of us yell from the mountaintops.”— Wonder In this episode of the Durham Artist Archive, I connected with Wonder, a multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes graffiti writing, muralism, and community work. His passion for the art form is palpable. With his stories of the history of graffiti and the of reimagining barren walls as spaces of opportunity, Wonder is the only word that could arise for me as he dove into this often looked over genre- graffiti. And while spray paint is the medium, social justice is always the message. We talked about art as resistance and the importance of building a community with depth. These are themes that come up often on the podcast but feel very different when taken in the context of an activity that can have adverse consequences. Humans have always wanted to leave their mark on the world whether it be cave paintings or sharpie on a bathroom stall. It’s all graffiti. Exploring this culture and its impacts on a community with Wonder was a pleasure and gave me new perspective on what it means to reimagine a more just future. It might be one where politicians spray paint it out. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in: * The history of graffiti culture and how it appears in all political spheres * The impact of public art on a community whether it be solving interpersonal tensions, gentrification, or something else * The complexities of community building and tactics for how one does so Related Episodes Support the Podcast 🎙️ Love what you’re hearing? The best way to support the Durham Artist Archive is by liking or rating the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps more people discover Durham’s creatives. And if you’d like to go deeper with Durham-focused art writing and podcast reflections, follow us on Substack. Paid subscribers get exclusive perks like a credit in the show notes, and a shout out in our season finale for helping preserve these voices. 👉 Join as a paid supporter today and keep these stories alive: Subscribe Here Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Read on Substack 👋🏽 Connect with me, Alyssa Cuffie Onuoha: https://www.instagram.com/alwhyssa/ alyssacuffie.com ☕️ Support the Pod: https://ko-fi.com/alwhyssa ✏️ Additional Details:Recorded at Queeny’s in Durham, North Carolina Get full access to The Durham Artist Archive at durhamartistarchive.substack.com/subscribe

58 min
09/21/2025

Rebellious Art with Illustrator Wutang McDougal

“I would love to see more zero-commission art spaces downtown. There are so many artists that deserve the opportunity to be seen and to be paid for their work.”— Wutang McDougal In this episode of the Durham Artist Archive, I sit with Wutang McDougal, a queer Black visual artist, storyteller, and graphic designer who’s followed their intuition into a colorful arts career. We traversed their path from Leesburg, North Carolina to Durham discussing their early sketches of cartoons to high-profile work for the Sister Song podcast and Will Smith’s book launch. We dove deep into their illustration process and Wutang shared their design style evolution and ethos- something I was very curious about. We talked about what it takes to build an art scene that pays artists, why creative freedom matters, and how to push past imposter syndrome with the help of collaborators who tell you the truth. There is Scrap Exchange tinkering, public art that meets people where they are, and a vision for Durham that feels generous, accessible, and loud with color. This episode feels super local with all of its classic Durham shout outs but also has invaluable advice for artists anywhere. It’s not one to miss. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in: * Ideas for how cities reactivate common space with art * Moving through imposter syndrome and protecting your creative freedom * How to explore ones personal design style and find comfort in it’s evolution Support the Pod 🎙️ Love what you’re hearing? The best way to support the Durham Artist Archive is by liking or rating the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps more people discover Durham’s creatives. And if you’d like to go deeper with Durham-focused art writing and podcast reflections, follow us on Substack! Paid subscribers get exclusive perks like a mailed zine, a credit in the show notes, and a shout out in our season finale for helping preserve these voices. 👉 Join as a paid supporter today and keep these stories alive: Subscribe Here Related Episodes Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Connect with Wutang: https://www.instagram.com/wutangmcdougal/ http://www.wutangmcdougal.com/ Connect with me: https://www.instagram.com/alwhyssa.artlab/ alyssacuffie.com Support the Pod: https://ko-fi.com/alwhyssa Additional Details: Recorded at Queeny's in Durham Get full access to The Durham Artist Archive at durhamartistarchive.substack.com/subscribe

41 min

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

The Durham Artist Archive is an oral history podcast that interviews artists in the Durham, NC area. The project provides a platform for artists to share their stories and experiences while exploring the evolution of the city. The podcast will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in art, culture, or Durham history. durhamartistarchive.substack.com

Creator

A Podcast by Artists, About Durham
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

32
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Alyssa Cuffie Onuoha
Show Website

The Durham Artist Archive