Durham, North Carolina
The Muslims, a local band formed after the 2016 election, combines punk, hip-hop and political satire. This performance at The Durham Fruit and Produce Co. (also called The Fruit) apparently inspired the band’s bassist, Genevieve Palmer, to take a leap. The Fruit was formerly a giant refrigerated warehouse for fruits and vegetables arriving by train. It is now a 22,000-square-foot arts space. Owner Tim Walter, a photographer, originally planned to convert the building into offices, generating $200,000 a year in rentals. When fellow artists told him they needed raw, inexpensive space, Walter decided to defer the income until he retires and sells the building. “That’s my art philanthropy,” he says. Another goal, he says, is to “keep our financial burden low so we are accessible to artists who’ve yet to become commercially successful.”