Acme Art Studios, a longtime visual arts institution in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, has been listed for sale at $4.4 million. The one-acre complex at 711 N. Fifth Ave. includes a 12,000-square-foot warehouse with studio and gallery space, plus four vacant lots. Founded in 1991 by a collective of artists in a former carpet warehouse, Acme has become a vital hub for the local arts scene, renting to dozens of artists and hosting countless shows over more than three decades. The property is owned by five artists, including co-founder Pam Toll, who said the decision to sell was unanimous and that the timing is right for a number of reasons.
The sale matters because Acme Art Studios has been a cornerstone of Wilmington's Brooklyn Arts District, which has transformed from a low-value area into a high-traffic cultural zone. The listing suggests the site is ideal for mixed-use redevelopment, raising concerns about the future of affordable studio space for local artists. Current leases run through November, and art shows are scheduled through 2026, but artists including Toll and Dumay Gorham are already searching for new spaces. The outcome could set a precedent for how redevelopment pressures affect grassroots arts communities in rapidly gentrifying urban neighborhoods.