RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Citing a desire to become “a nimbler, more sustainable institution,” leaders at the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh have announced plans to sell their building on 409 West Martin Street.
According to statement posted on the CAM’s website, “The cost of operating a physical space has outpaced the support available to sustain it, a reality facing small-to-midsized museums across the country. Instead of letting a building quietly set the limits on our mission, we made a bolder choice. Selling frees our resources to go where they belong: into artists, exhibitions, programs, and the community that has always been the real heart of CAM.”
The statement went on to say that: “We’re exploring the possibilities of a new kind of space, a smaller footprint, a museum without walls, or a bold model no one’s tried yet. It’s all on the table, and that’s exactly the point of taking this time. What we’re sure of is the direction. The rest is what this next chapter is for.”
CAM stated they have done “a lot of listening through one-on-one conversations with artists, educators, community leaders, and partners who care about CAM as much as we do. We also looked outward, studying how arts institutions across the country are rethinking what a museum can be when the old model stops adding up. Those conversations and that research pointed to us somewhere bold but clear. “
A posting on the site of real estate firm CBRE cited the roughly 20,000 square foot building is in “Raleigh’s Warehouse District, located three blocks west of the Raleigh Convention Center, seamlessly blends 19th-century industrial history with a modern urban lifestyle. Repurposed red-brick warehouses now house tech offices, creative spaces, trendy restaurants, cocktail bars and an active nightlife.”
The price for the building has not been made public.