We were pleased to collaborate with King Kenney and Shana Tucker to host their first year of "Local Jazz" providing another opportunity to enjoy some of the great talent resident in Durham.
In our first year of operation we were acknowledged by IndyWeek for having four of the top 15 plays in the region that year - twice any other theater in the area, including Raleigh and Chapel Hill. We aim to serve companies well, but mostly we provided a highly flexible space and low costs that allowed for the creation of ambitious, immersive environments. The next year, Durham Magazine has adopted us as one of their favorites:
November gala for LiveGlobally.com to raise funds for children in east Durham, Costa Rica, and Nigeria. A water-themed night of camaraderie, a performance by Shaleigh Danceworks, silent auction, fine food, and dancing by dj Maydnew.
NC and Virginia vendors and designers descended on The Fruit for a day of fashion, accessories and fun, celebrating African-inspired contemporary fashion. The spirit of respect and creativity permeated the day. Can't wait to do this again!
Looking back at the end of 2017, we played host to JCope Productions Solstice Event and R&B party. Just wow. In October 2016 we hosted Georges Rousse from Paris who installed the Blue Room and Dream Room illusions with the help of 40 volunteers. We also hosted a show by another international star, Zanele Muholi and her team of collaborators (including Lindeka Qampi, pictured) who'd been in residence at Cassilhaus for the month and making work here in Durham. Her portraits included materials such as inner tubes found in Durham's Scrap Exchange. Pieces of the show traveled to the national museum in South Africa after our show. Read her NYTimes Magazine interview.
Thanks, Indyweek, for this honor. Oh my. Thank goodness these are "attaboy" awards, not retrospectives of a lifetime. There's still time to accomplish something. So much gratitude for those who've encouraged The Fruit's emergence!
The Fruit has been used by me and other invited photographers to test its studio potential. Below are some photos of local musicians: Shirlette Ammons, Ernest Turner II, and ZooCru's Christian Sharp, Russell Favret, Alan Thompson and Jonathan Curry. Turner and Zoo were shot during renovation, when our concrete floor was removed for a stairwell, opening up sunlight from 15 feet above, and revealing a dark corner of the old basement where we discovered graffiti from Birds of Avalon, a band still playing from Raleigh.
I just love this photo of the original part of the building, prior to renovation. It evokes those sleepy southern towns, baking in the heat of the summer. And then there's a picture from this evening, just after sunset, 66 degrees on December 5th. Thank you all, I can't believe we made it. -tim-
During renovation we came across stickers, some of which had been covered up for years. Durham Fruit was occupied (apparently) by a company known as "Mountain Warehouse" in the 80's, and we found this sticker on the elevator door. In the early 2000's, it was known as the Antimall, home to the Electric Blender shop and 305 South music venue, perhaps where one could enjoy Metal Matinee Saturday. More recently we see three artist badges from Moogfest 2016, secured now for posterity under a metal stud for a bathroom. And from a range of recent years, the stickers by The Floor, a group which led the Moogfest all-night afterparty was placed on a column with graffiti perhaps left during art installations by Heather Carrol and Kai Barrow. Corrections to this history are welcome. -tim-
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THE FRUIT305 S Dillard St.
Durham, NC 27701 |