MAYOR’S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
Since its inception, the City of Wilmington Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) has produced and supported some of Wilmington’s long lived cultural resources. This includes programming such as; The Art Loop, Riverfront Blues Festival, Wilmington Children’s Chorus and the nationally-renowned, Clifford Brown Jazz Festival.
Arts Education Spaces
Phase I of the project involves the conversion of the decades-long abandoned Wilmington Police Department horse stables into eight art-creation and teaching studios, and a group exhibition/gathering area. Phase I is scheduled for completion in December 2019. Future phases of the UAE are envisioned to include an open-seat amphitheater with an integrated wastewater management system, an outdoor public art exhibition, and environmentally sustainable landscaping.
Aerial Site Rendering
The UAE is located at 1500 Walnut Street in Wilmington’s East Side Historic District, which is one of the city’s traditional African-American communities. Urban Artists Exchange will establish the historic former Old City Stables as a distinctive destination, contiguous to historic sites such as the Clifford Brown Gardens and outdoor listening room, Howard Vo-Tech (formerly Howard High School), and the new Clifford Brown Loft Apartments.
Site Condition before Renovation Construction
Deconstruction by Challenge Program
Timber Roof Truss Under Construction
Project Funding
Funding for this project is derived from the City’s Five Percent for Art Program, which allocates five percent of capital funding for the purpose of providing ornamentation, such as sculpture and artwork, on certain eligible capital projects involving public buildings or structures.
Total estimated cost of project: $1.3 million
Expected completion date: December 2019
