Topics Related to Arts Across NC

With the slower rhythm of summer finally here, teachers often find themselves balancing well deserved relaxation with moments of creative planning. This season can be an ideal time to explore new ideas, revisit favorite subjects, and discover fresh materials for the year ahead.

Check out these handy resources in visual art, music, poetry, research, and cultural history to enrich your summer and energize your teaching.

As you ease into summer activities, the season is a great time to check out a concert or find a new playlist. 

After nearly 30 years of dedicated service to the North Carolina Arts Council, Deputy Director Vicki Vitiello has announced her retirement. Her last day at the agency is August 1, 2026.

Anyone with even a passing familiarity with our work knows how significant Vicki’s insight, deep institutional knowledge, and steady leadership have been to the agency over the past three decades. As the NC Arts Council approaches its 60th anniversary next year, Vicki’s tenure has spanned nearly half of our history. Among her many accomplishments, a few highlights include:

Header image: Tift Merritt (L) and Rissi Palmer (R). Photos courtesy of the artists

This Independence Day, come to downtown Raleigh to celebrate the best of North Carolina. Capitol 250: North Carolina Freedom Fest is a free all-day festival hosted by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Held on the state capitol lawn, it will offer entertainment for all ages. 

Header image left to right: Alfredo Hurtado, NCDNCR Secretary Pamela Brewington Cashwell, NCDMVA Secretary Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette, Michelle Pearson, and Jeff Bell. Photo by Andie Freeman, courtesy of NC Arts Council.

Header image: A student playing a wooden percussion instrument, a fish guiro. Photo by Tibor Nemeth, courtesy of NC Arts Council.

Header image: NCAC staff at ARTS Day. Photo courtesy of Arts NC and NC Arts Council.

Happy spring! As the season unfolds, I hope you’re finding moments to enjoy the beautiful weather and the vibrant arts opportunities in your community. Spring is always a busy time at the Arts Council, highlighted each year by ARTS Day, the annual conference presented by Arts North Carolina.

Header image: NC Arts Council board and staff at Toe River Arts Council for the Spring 2026 board meeting. Photo by Ai-Ling Chang.

In April, the North Carolina Arts Council leadership, board, and staff met in Spruce Pine for our annual spring board meeting. There, Stephen Hill, who was appointed the board’s chair by Governor Roy Cooper in 2017, stepped down and welcomed the new chair, Sejal Mehta. 

Header image: The flooded exterior of the Orange County Arts Commission building post Tropical Storm Chantal. Photo by Steve Murray.

The Come Hear NC Music Office’s support of North Carolina music and musicians furthers the five goals set out by DNCR’s strategic plan for 2025–2029: to educate with creativity and joy, strengthen local economies via culture, preserve and enhance access to cultural resources, bolster cross-DNCR collaboration and responsiveness to public need, and continue Hurricane Helene recovery and climate resilience work.

Shaped by Sound is made possible through the support of the Come Hear NC Music Office (CHNCMO), a program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The PBS NC original series spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, featuring artists working in a broad range of genres, including indie rock, rap, R&B, country, jazz, bluegrass, folk, and gospel.