Durham Arts Council: A central, versatile arts venue with in-house rentals and community spirit.
Durham Arts Council is a central Durham hub for arts, events, and community. This venue offers in-house rentals for tables, chairs, bar setups, and more, plus a catering kitchen and the option to bring in any caterer. With configurable rooms, a bright atrium, strong acoustics, an auditorium, galleries, and dance rooms, it supports events and local artists alike.
120 Morris St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
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Rent versatile spaces like the atrium and galleries for weddings, parties, and corporate events, with in-house tables, chairs, and bar setups.
Explore rotating exhibits in the Truist Gallery featuring local artists, with frequent changes to showcase diverse creative works.
Host or attend shows in our auditorium, ideal for theater, drag shows, concerts, and community performances with great acoustics.
Affordable rental of dance floors and rooms for rehearsals, classes, or creative practice sessions.
Access programs, classes, and resources that foster local arts, including partnerships and events for all ages.
Overall rating
Lila Lawson
This is a cool place to visit . I also like that they feature local artists and change the artwork often.
Nina Spence
I love the Durham art council. I grew up in Durham and it always was a part of my creative Up-bringing. Today I had a very bad experience in the space. I suggested to my colleagues, in which we share a creative development company based out of Durham, that we should check out the space (Since they have not seen it before), and with permission, we would take a few pictures because the lighting is so beautiful on the lobby stairs. Again with permission!!! We had no problem not taking pictures in the space if it was not permitted! When we entered into the space, I asked the gentleman at the front table if it was okay for us to take a few company pictures in the space. I again asked for Permission and if not, then we were okay to just admire the space and leave. He said it was fine so while we were waiting for the photographer, we checked out the Gallery. We had a quick company discussion while waiting for the photographer once we left the gallery. All in which he was watching us the whole time as if we were going to do something wrong. After about 10 minutes the gentleman asked where we done taking our pictures. We obviously had not taken any pictures yet, so I let him know we were just quickly waiting for our photographer to bring their camera. He said "I didn't know anything about a camera" Again, we asked if we could take Company pictures ( Head shots) In the space, I don't know how we would have been able to take the pictures if no one had brought out a camera yet. I gently explained to him the photographer was getting ready to walk up, but we were okay not using the space (the staircase not the gallery) if it was not permitted. He shood me away rudely with his hand and told me to "get to it". I honestly was shocked at the immediate lack of respect. And my team and I quickly decided it would be best for us to just leave. We were treated like rowdy teenagers, even though we had on business clothes and are adults. As young black business owners, this did not feel good, especially seeing his caucasian coworkers being treated with respect. My feelings were deeply hurt by this interaction, being a Durham native and growing up in the space. Not all young black people are rowdy and destructive, some of us have done a lot of deep-rooting work in our city and have connections through our craft. Our company has partnered with the city, surrounding cities, and nonprofits to put on creative events and to expand opportunities for creatives in the city.. it was just truly disappointing to have an interaction such, with no care, especially when you have no clue who we are and what we have done. He could have simply told us no to taking pictures in the space. Again, I love the art center and will continue to support and would love to book the space for future events. But that interaction put a nasty taste in my mouth and left me pretty upset. I hesitated on saying something, but decided I should because it's supposed to be a welcoming space, and you should know how people are being treated in your space.
Lucy Barber
The Durham Arts Council is truly a gem, and I’m so grateful that our city has such a wonderful facility! My husband and I hosted our rehearsal dinner here for ~120 guests, and we can’t say enough good things about the staff and the venue itself. The location is fantastic—centrally located and easily walkable from where our guests were staying. One of the things we loved most was that DAC offers in-house rentals for tables, chairs, bar setups, and more, so we didn’t have to worry about coordinating with a third-party vendor for those (we did work with American Party Rentals for table cloths and plates). I worked with McKayla, who was an absolute pleasure to communicate with. She was always positive and super helpful throughout the whole process. DAC also offers various options for which combination of rooms you want to rent depending on your guest size. Their pricing and rental information is clearly laid out on their website, which made planning that much easier. The venue features a catering kitchen and allows you to bring in any caterer you want, which gave us great flexibility. Coordinating pick-ups and drop-offs for the items we brought in was seamless, and they were kind enough to let us store everything overnight, so we didn’t have to spend the end of our night shuttling things home. We hosted our cocktail hour and toasts in the big atrium with the balcony—it was such a beautiful space, and the large glass windows provided a stunning backdrop. We also brought in a jazz band, and the acoustics in that space were fantastic. One of the highlights for the kids was an art scavenger hunt we put together. DAC kindly allowed the kids to explore the art in the Truist Gallery, even though that wasn’t part of the space we had rented—such a generous touch! On top of all that, DAC offers so much to the community, supporting local arts and providing spaces for events and activities. We’ve even rented out their dance rooms on multiple occasions to practice dance routines, which has always been easy and reasonably priced—definitely a great option if you’re looking for a dance floor! Overall, I’m just so proud that this venue exists in our city, and I highly recommend it for anyone planning an event or looking for a space to support local arts.
Thomas And Vanessa Mitchell
It was great The Emunah stage play that we attended yesterday was absolutely amazing.
Jackie Boykin
never knew they had an auditorium. the security was very helpful and friendly helping us find our was to the elevator. the drag show was kid friendly and we all enjoyed ourselves
