Part 3 – 32 Farmers: Works and Statements (2003)

Published in the booklet Antfarm Decade to commemorate our first 10 years. Only the statements are shared here. Taking a photo with my phone from the small photos of the work in the catalogue wouldn’t have done it justice. Check out the Roster to see former antfarmers and any available links to their work.

ALLISON BENNER FELTON
33, Richmond, Virginia
July 1993-August 1994

It was in high school that I first fell in love with photography. I found solace in a class with a bubbly teacher and a dark-room. It was my escape. It was how I could hide on a bad hair day (it was 1984 there were many!). I could hide behind a camera but still be part of the world around me. I could cope with the stress of being the new kid in a huge school. I could create without having to display my work on an easel in the middle of the classroom. I was in love.

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Part 2 – 32 Farmers: Works and Statements (2003)

Published in the booklet Antfarm Decade to commemorate our first 10 years. Only the statements are shared here. Taking a photo with my phone from the small photos of the work in the catalogue wouldn’t have done it justice. Check out the Roster to see former antfarmers and any available links to their work.

BRAD WATKINS
33, Raleigh, North Carolina
from the very first thought-December 1995

It’s interesting what can become of ideas. Or how one motivation can lead to something much greater. Ten years ago (has it really been ten years?) my very selfish needs for a large studio space became what has been laughingly labeled my “brain-child”-the Antfarm. After graduating from the School of Design, I discovered I couldn’t afford a space by myself. I thought about asking some friends if they would be interested in getting a large studio together. We met, and they were.

Early Days (2003)

Early Days by Chris Alexander, 2003
published in the booklet Antfarm Decade to commemorate our first 10 years

The rundown warehouse at 303 Kinsey Street was once a hidden and forgotten part of Raleigh’s past. A haven for the homeless and an eyesore to the community, the building was about to experience a true renaissance when Brad Watkins stumbled upon it in the summer of 1993. Brad and I, and six other aspiring artists and recent graduates from the School of Design at North Carolina State University, were looking for a space. A space that, through a common vision, would allow us to explore the principles and skills we had forged throughout our education and put them to practice. 303 Kinsey Street was that perfect space. Despite its neighborhood repute and descent toward condemnation, we began working feverishly to draw up a rental agreement and begin the mountainous task of bringing the building back to life.

Arts Action Fund

New stats for North Carolina from the Americans for the Arts Action Fund for 2022 with the latest data from the BEA (2020), NEA, and state arts leadership. You can download this PDF and share it, or find any state on their website.

It’s Official!

Antfarm Studios has incorporated as a non-profit with North Carolina’s Secretary of State. We filed the papers on September 10, 2021. Each member is on the board of directors and each gets an equal vote on joint endeavors and new members.