Press Releases

Raleigh, N.C. (April 23, 2018) — The North Carolina Arts Council, The Arts Council of Wilson, and the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park will present a free concert, The Jazz Revival Project, Thursday, June 7 at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson.

The Jazz Revival Project is a new effort that recognizes and celebrates the jazz heritage of Wilson, which is part of the African American Music Trails.

A limited-edition poster that celebrates the 2018 North Carolina Heritage Award recipients is now available in advance of the May 23 ceremony and concert in Raleigh.

Created by artist Katy G. Collier, the screen-printed poster is the first-ever commissioned to celebrate the N.C. Heritage Award.

Raleigh, N.C. (Feb 26, 2018) — The North Carolina Arts Council’s Artist Fellowship Exhibition opens Saturday, March 3 at the Cameron Art Museum (CAM) in Wilmington with the works of 17 contemporary artists.

The artists participating in the show include ten visual artists, three craft artists, two film/video artists, and two choreographers — all were recipients of the 2016-2017 Artist Fellowship awards.

Raleigh, N.C. (February 19, 2018) — Three free bluegrass and old-time music concerts performed by students, alums, and instructors in the Junior Appalachian Musicians program are planned this spring as part of the 50^th -anniversary celebration of the North Carolina Arts Council.

The popular Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) after-school program provides a growing number of North Carolina students with the opportunity to learn the music of their region from master players.

Information Sessions for Potential 2019 Schools Set in March

Raleigh, N.C.  February 12, 2018 — A+ Schools of North Carolina announced today that it has accepted seven new schools to join A+ Schools Network. A+ Schools of North Carolina is one of the longest-running and most successful arts-based school reform models in the country.

The seven new schools, located in Charlotte, China Grove, Fayetteville, Kannapolis, Mebane, and Raleigh, will join the A+ Network following a five-day institute that will be held this July. 

Raleigh, N.C. (January 9, 2018) — The North Carolina Arts Council’s 2018 grant guidelines for nonprofit arts organizations are now available at www.NCArts.org. The deadline for submitting applications is Thursday, March 1.

The N.C. Arts Council’s grant programs are designed to sustain and advance the arts infrastructure that reaches into all 100 N.C. counties, to enhance the education of children and youth, and to ensure that all North Carolinians have access to a wide range of high quality arts programs. 

Raleigh, N.C (December 5, 2017) —Six traditional artists from across the state will receive North Carolina Heritage Awards on May 23, 2018 for their contributions to our state’s cultural vitality, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.

The 2018 North Carolina Arts Council Heritage Award winners are:

Raleigh, N.C. (November 13, 2017) — Nominations for the state's next poet laureate, the ambassador of North Carolina literature, will be accepted from Wednesday, Nov. 15 to Friday, Dec. 8 online at www.NCArts.org.

The public is invited to nominate any North Carolina poet, or themselves, if they feel they are best suited for the position. Only current North Carolina residents are eligible to be nominated. Judging will be based on the following criteria:

• A North Carolinian with deep connections to the cultural life of the state;

Arts and cultural organizations in all 100 North Carolina counties will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the North Carolina Arts Council in October through music, dance, visual arts, theater, literature and other art forms presented across the state.

Nineteen artists living and working in North Carolina are recipients of the 2017 – 2018 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award in the categories of literature, musical composition and songwriting.

Artists receive a $10,000 fellowship to support creative development and the creation of new work. Recipients were selected by panels comprised of artists and arts professionals with expertise in each discipline.

CONTACT: Liz Auclair (NEA), auclaire@arts.gov, 202-682-5744

Washington, DC –Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will visit Burnsville, Penland, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilson, and Durham, North Carolina, August 21–23, 2017. While in the state, she will visit arts organizations funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and give remarks at a public event in Asheville.

A study released today by Americans for the Arts, in partnership with the North Carolina Arts Council, shows that the nonprofit arts and culture sector in North Carolina generated $2.12 billion in direct economic activity and supported almost 72,000 full-time equivalent jobs in 2015.
 
“Not only do the arts fuel the mind and spirit, they fuel our economy,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “This study confirms that the arts bring jobs, income and visitors to North Carolina, and underscores the important role the North Carolina Arts Council plays in nurturing our creative economy.”

Lori Cozzi, Executive Director of ArtSpace Charter School in Swannanoa, was named the 2017 Gerry D. Howell A+ Educator of the Year at an A+ Network webinar on Thursday, May 4. The award recognizes an A+ educator who best exemplifies the values of A+ Schools of North Carolina and its philosophies.

Raleigh, N.C. (February 21, 2017) — North Carolina high school students from 30 school districts across the state will take the stage on Saturday, March 4, in Greensboro, to compete in the annual statewide Poetry Out Loud Semifinals and Final Competition. The state winner will advance to the Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C. this April.

A collaboration with universities across the state will bring music from 11 countries in east Africa, all connected by the Nile River, to North Carolina for a series of musical celebrations.

A cross-cultural collaboration, the Nile Project features artists who collaborate on new songs that combine the rich diversity of one of the oldest places on earth that represent more than 450 million people. The first U.S. tour was in 2015.

The Arts Council of Henderson County, in collaboration with the Transylvania Community Arts Council, and the Tryon Fine Arts Center in Polk County, announces the Regional Artist Project Grantees for 2016-17. These grants are awarded to artists planning projects that have artistic merit and promise to advance the career of the artist or collaborating group. The grants are open to emerging and established artists.

Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network Launches New Sites and Programs

Bethesda, MD (October 25, 2016)— The Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C. is one of five new clinical sites for expansion of the Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Department of Defense (DoD).

Raleigh, N.C. (October 11, 2016) — Shannon Silva of Wilmington has received a North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award in the category of film and video.

She is among 17 from across the state to receive the 2016–2017 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award. Artists receive a $10,000 fellowship to support creative development and the creation of new work. Recipients were selected by panels comprised of artists and arts professionals with expertise in each discipline.

Raleigh, N.C. (October 12, 2016) — Andrea Vail, John W. Love, Jr., Stephanie J. Woods, and Thomas Schmidt all of the Charlotte area, have a received a North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award in the category of visual art or craft.

The artists are among 17 from across the state to receive the 2016 – 2017 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award. Artists receive a fellowship to support creative development and the creation of new work. Recipients were selected by panels comprised of artists and arts professionals with expertise in each discipline.

Raleigh, N.C. (October 12, 2016) — John Huneycutt of Oakboro in Stanly County has received a North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship Award in the category of visual art.

Huneycutt is among 17 artists from across the state to receive the 2016 – 2017 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award. Artists receive a fellowship to support creative development and the creation of new work. Recipients were selected by panels comprised of artists and arts professionals with expertise in each discipline.

Governor Pat McCrory has proclaimed the week of Sept. 11 –17, 2015 as Arts in Education Week in North Carolina.   

“Arts education is an essential element of a complete and well-rounded education for all students,” said North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory. “Arts education contributes to increased attendance and graduation rates; elevates academic achievement; and prepares students for college, career and citizenship readiness.”

Raleigh, N.C. -- A vision six years ago by Wilson community leaders to restore and preserve the gigantic wind-driven kinetic sculptures created by one of North Carolina's most recognized artists took a giant leap toward completion with the announcement this week of a Kohler Foundation gift.

Organizers of the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park announced that a new partnership with the Kohler Foundation will complete the restoration of the balance of Vollis Simpson's kinetic sculptures, set to top-off the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park & Museum, located in downtown Wilson.

The deadline to apply for the Mary B. Regan Community Artist Residency award is set for Tuesday, March 15, 2016.

This is the second cycle for the grant that honors Ms. Regan's four decades of leadership as executive director at the N.C. Arts Council and her long-held beliefs in the importance of the contributions of artists and the transformative potential of creativity to community life.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced that sixteen nonprofit organizations in North Carolina will receive $320,000 from two grant categories for fiscal year 2016.