Eno Arts Mill Studio Guidelines

The Eno Arts Mill is located within the historic Eno Mill in the West Hillsborough neighborhood. The Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC) currently occupies two spaces that contain eleven artist studios, a gallery, classroom, and the OCAC offices. Click here to view a map.

All studios include 24/7 access (workspace only), wifi, utilities, opportunities to exhibit work, communal gathering and workspace, and access to a loading dock and restrooms. Both spaces are on the first floor of the mill.

Applications are accepted from artists, designers, and craftspeople looking to further their professional careers through dedicated studio practice. Studios will be awarded based on criteria listed below.

The OCAC is looking for creatives who:

• Are community-minded and will benefit from a co-working, semiprivate studio environment
• Display commitment to their craft through an existing body of work
• Create original work
• Are willing to participate in monthly public events, such as First Friday Art Walk. The space will not be open to the general public other than during special events and by appointment with studio tenants.

Tenant Selection Considerations:

• The OCAC seeks to represent a variety of artistic disciplines.
• The OCAC seeks to include artists of varying levels in their career.
• The OCAC seeks to include artists of varying ages, races, and backgrounds.
• Will this person’s practice work within the space available? 
• Does this person already have a place to work?
• Will this person use the space regularly? Will they participate in open studios and other public events?

Important Information:

• Filling out an application does not guarantee studio space.
• The Mill Studios are work only, we do not provide live-work spaces.
• A security deposit of one month’s rent plus first month’s rent, which may be pro-rated, are due at lease signing. The lease and payments are handled electronically.
• To ensure the safety and security of all tenants, accepted tenants must be willing to undergo a criminal background check.
• All tenants must hold a minimum $1M general liability policy showing Orange County and Hedgehog Holdings (owners of the Eno River Mill) as additional insured. You can anticipate this costing between $200-$500 per year, or approximately $20-$50 per month. Certificate of Insurance must be on file before the lease is processed. The OCAC can connect you with a local insurance agent to assist you, if needed.  Please note: this is a liability policy ONLY; it does not protect your artwork in the event of damage, theft, or natural disaster. Artists are encouraged (but not required) to insure their artwork and belongings through a separate policy.
• Tenants are required to sign a one-year lease which may be renewed annually for up to three years. 
• Tenants are required to agree to our Tenant Agreement Code of Conduct.
• For studios that do not have access to natural light, interior lighting has been installed which mimics natural light (5,000 kelvins).
• Equipment or materials that produce excessive fumes requiring special ventilation, smoke, fire, excessive dust, noise, or permanent damage to the facilities are not appropriate for this space. Preservatives/solvents including turpentine, ammonia, sodium fluoride, phenol or mercury compounds, as well as spray paint/spray fixative and dry pigments are not allowed. Only low-odor or odor-free mineral spirits are allowed. All solvent-soaked rags must be placed in a self-closing waste disposal can and emptied on a regular basis.
• Tenants must possess awareness of the health, safety, and hospitable working environment of other artist tenants and a respect for the upkeep and preservation of the facilities. This includes but is not limited to noise pollution (eg: loud equipment and music), use of toxic materials, and the use and proper disposal of studio waste (eg: solvent soaked rags, hot wax, turpentine, acetone, etc) and keeping common areas clean. Artists will also avoid unsolicited critiques and only offer feedback when asked.
• Only the Back Studios (studios 1-6) are equipped for ceramics. 
• Pets are not allowed.

Orange County visual artists and poets are invited to apply for participation in Coalesce 2027- an exhibition at the Eno Arts Mill Gallery scheduled for January, 2027. Ten selected poets and ten selected visual artists will be paired for collaboration. Each poet will write a new poem based on one artwork, and each artist will create a new artwork based on one poem, all of which will be displayed throughout the month of January in the main gallery. A collection of broadsides will be created from each pairing and will be for sale and exhibited during the show. You can view past years' broadside collection here.

The exhibit will open during First Fridays at the Mill on Friday, January 1, 2027. Accepted artists will receive a $100 honorarium and a complementary broadside of each of their works. Artists also receive 60% of broadside sales.

HOW IT WORKS

• Ten visual artists and ten poets of varying styles will be selected from the applicant pool by a panel of past Coalesce artists.
• All twenty selected artists will come together for an artists' dinner on Tuesday, November 17, 6:30pm at the Eno Arts Mill. Visual artists will discuss their submitted works, accompanied by a slideshow. Poets will read one selection of their submitted works. 
• Following the dinner, each artist will complete a form ranking which artist they'd prefer to be paired with. 
• ArtsOrange staff will play matchmaker and notify all pairs by Friday, November 20. 
• Visual artists will submit one work to the poet who will write in response to the artwork. Poets will submit one piece to the visual artist who will create one piece of art in response to the poem. As a result, each pair will have two finished pieces of visual art and two pieces of poetry. Poems will be shown beside the visual works in the gallery.
• During the opening, the poet will first read their original work, and the visual artists will discuss their response to the poetry, then the visual artist will discuss their original work and the poet will read their response.

GUIDELINES 

• Applications are due by 11:59pm on Tuesday, October 27, 2026
• Selected artists must be available in-person for the Coalesce Artist Dinner on Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 6:30pm and the show opening on Friday, January 1, 2027, 6-9pm, both at the Eno Arts Mill, Hillsborough
• Coalesce is open to artists and poets currently living in Orange County, NC
• Artists who participated in Coalesce 2025 are not eligible to apply
• This is a blind selection process and all identifying information will be hidden
• The Eno Arts Mill is a family-friendly environment; material must be appropriate for all ages 

Visual Artists

• Submit three representative work samples (they do not have to be works you plan to submit for the exhibit) for application. An image list with the title, size, medium, year.  Images should be a minimum 300 resolution.
• All mediums are allowed
• All final works submitted for the exhibit must be for sale
• Artists will be invited to discuss their works at the exhibit opening on Friday, January 1, 2027
• Two and three-dimensional works allowed
• There are no size limitations
• Works on paper and canvases less than 1″ thick must be properly framed and wired (no sawtooth hangers)
• WORK SOLD: For all work sold, the Orange County Arts Alliance will retain a 40% commission. The OCAA will collect all monies from the sale of artwork, including tax, through the end of January. Artists will receive payment within 30 days of the show's conclusion. 
• UNSOLD WORK: Artists may donate (in writing) unsold artwork to the OCAA or pick up their work the first week of February. 
• Artwork is insured against damage and theft through the Orange County Arts Alliance.
• Artists agree to allow ArtsOrange use of images of artwork for promotional purposes (credit will be given).

Poets

• Submit three representative works of any genre. Work samples for review should be no longer than one page in 12-point Times New Roman font.  
• Final submissions for Coalesce should be no longer than one page in 12-point Times New Roman font.  
• Selected writers will be invited to read their works at the exhibit opening on Friday, January 1, 2027. 
• Artists agree to allow ArtsOrange to promote selected works through social media and artsorange.org (credit will be given)
• Selected works will be displayed in the gallery during the exhibit.

TIMELINE 

Please pay attention to these dates; due to the holidays and staff availability, adhering to this schedule is very important! Please make sure you can commit to the schedule before applying.

• Call to artists closes 11:59pm on Tuesday, October 27, 2026
• Artist selection notifications no later than Friday, November 6, 2026
• Artist "meet and greet" dinner Tuesday, November 17, 6:30 pm at Eno Arts Mill
• Pairing notifications sent no later than Friday, November 20
• Images, inventory information and poems due to ArtsOrange by 11:59 pm Monday, December 21
• Visual artwork drop-off: Monday, December 21, 2026, 12-7pm and Tuesday, December 22, 2026, 12-7pm.
• Show opening Friday, January 1, 2027
• Work pickup Monday, February 1, 12-7pm.

HISTORY OF COALESCE

Coalesce began at the Eno Arts Mill in January 2023 as an experiment in creative collaboration—bringing together Orange County poets and visual artists to inspire one another across disciplines. Created and curated by artist Max Dowdle and poet Morrow Dowdle, the inaugural exhibition paired ten poets with ten visual artists. 

The idea was simple: what happens when artists who normally work independently are given the opportunity to create with one another? The result was an exhibition where poetry and visual art became intertwined, each work offering a new way of seeing the other.

The success of that first exhibition led to Coalesce becoming an annual tradition at the Eno Arts Mill. Coalesce returned in January 2024 and again in January 2025, continuing to bring together Orange County artists and writers in unexpected collaborations while building community across the local creative landscape. Following Tropical Storm Chantel, which closed the Eno Arts Mill from July, 2025, through June, 2026, ArtsOrange is excited to once again kick off a new year with one of our most popular programs.

In many ways, Coalesce embodies the spirit of the Eno Arts Mill itself: a place where artists come together, ideas cross-pollinate, and something new emerges from the collision of different creative voices.

PAST PARTICIPANTS

Coalesce 2023

• Theresa Arico / Bartholomew Barker
• Tonya Brami / Fred Joiner
• Dennis Szerszen / Paul Jones
• Ann Brownlee Hobgood / Samir Knego
• Ryan Solstice / Amelia Loeffler
• Natalia Torres del Valle / Blaine Purcell
• Sudie Rakusin / Soteria Shepperson
• TJ Mundy / Gideon Young
• Esten Walker / Katie Bowler Young
• Max Dowdle / Morrow Dowdle 

Coalesce 2024

• Susan Brubaker-Knapp / Pam Baggett
• Sia Yazdanfar / CJ Suitt
• Jan-Ru Wan / Liza Wolff-Francis
• Anne Anthony / Luna Hou
• Joel Sobelson / Lisa Merschel
• Laura Williams / Ash Chen
• Jill Moffett / Philip Krieger
• Thomas Stevens / Jeffery Beam
• Tema Okun / Gary Phillips
• Bernard Thomas / Aaliyah Mitchell

Coalesce 2025

• Bartholomew Barker / Ellie Snow
• Morrow Dowdle / Max Dowdle
• Cassidy Englund / Kate Kryder
• Alexander Gast / Keri Carnes
• Maura High / Sarah Gruber
• Matt Poindexter / Julia Nagle
• Tori Reynolds / Diana Newton
• Helena Walsh / Ikorma
• Gideon Young / Barbara Tyroler
• Katie Bowler Young / John Claude Bemi