Jim Lee

Photo by Matt Ramey

Change is ever-present in our minds, and with the arrival of spring, there’s no better time to put away our winter coats—and perhaps even some outdated ways of thinking. Let’s embrace a fresh start! Here’s an inspiring idea: What if we reimagine Five Points Plaza as Baba Chuck Davis Plaza? This thought was first brought to light by local artist Jim Lee during our recent collaboration on an art project. Last September, he contributed a powerful projection to Duke Arts’ Light Lane initiative, proposing this very transformation. We believe it’s a brilliant way to honor the city’s rich cultural history while helping newcomers connect more deeply with its vibrant roots. We invite you to enjoy this interview with Jim (whose artwork unquestionably deserves a place on your walls!) and share your thoughts in the comments before you leave.

We heard you were recently hospitalized—are you back to being your awesome self yet?

Thanks for asking. Yes, I did have some recent surgery. The recovery has been something of a rollercoaster with all the ups and downs. Thanks to all the support from family and friends and the excellent medical care, I am on the mend. Not quite back to 100% but getting there.

Your art is delightfully dark. We’re here for it! Do you find beauty in death? We’re dying to know more about your take on it.

You are right. Some of my work is dark. Other works may be just mischievous or overtly political. Then there is the work that is more abstract and purely compositional. I own it all.  As for finding beauty in death, the work is less about death than it is about finding beauty in the remains of natural processes. Sometimes those remains are not signs of death, but rather signs of transition from one form to another or one phase of life to another. Shed snake skins or cicada shells often suggest “dead things” to people but they are signs of refreshed or reimagined life. I simply find compositional opportunities in the use of such materials. So, no. It isn’t about death, it is all about remains. 

You were a key player in the Light Lane project, using art to push for renaming Five Points Plaza to Baba Chuck Davis Plaza. What sparked that? And how’s the campaign shaping up?

The timing of the Light Lanes project could not have been better. A petition to name Five Points Plaza for Baba Chuck Davis had recently been sent to the Mayor and City Council asking that it be done. I think Baba Chuck was the singularly most influential cultural worker in Durham over the past twenty-five years. He did more to build a sense of inclusive community than any other single individual. His reach was international. The well-known chant, “Peace, Love, Respect for Everybody” is the essence of his legacy. The project is still alive, but there has been little action one way or the other on the part of the City that I can see. I thought the Light Lane installation at the plaza offered one more way of making a public suggestion for the renaming right there on the site. It is probably time for another push. Anybody out there who would like to see this happen, feel free to jump in and make your voice heard by any decision makers you can reach. 

What’s your current take on democracy in America? Still keeping the faith, or...?

That question usually stems from reaction to the recent presidential election. The truth is that on the national level, there has never been democracy in America. One has to look to local elections, unmediated by structural groupings like the Electoral College or Gerrymandered districts, to see democracy in America. On the national level I am taking a very dim view and seeing a bleak future. Any optimism I have left is derived from faith in local politics and the hope that it will prove possible to build upward from there to force transformation at higher levels. We have to take the long-range view and not be totally disheartened by the recent turn of events. It is time to stop unpacking all the reasons for this setback and start articulating a clear vision of the future we want to see. Then comes the work of getting it done. 

If you could buy a drink for anyone—dead or alive—who’s getting the first round?

That one is easy. Leonardo DaVinci, hands down.

Art is _______.

One word answer: Essential

Longer answer: Whatever work product an artist puts forward as art. Its value (intrinsic or extrinsic) depends on how it is received by whatever audience it reaches. One person’s art is another person’s ________. It is all relative. 

Art by Jim Lee

Having fun reading our interviews? Please consider a contribution of any size here. Your funds will be spent on commissioning local creatives.