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 NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) is pleased to announce that the Come Hear NC Music Office (CHNCMO) is now a part of the North Carolina Arts Council. This marks a fitting return for Come Hear NC, which began as an NCAC initiative during the 2019 “North Carolina Year of Music.” As a longstanding steward of the mission of arts for all citizens, the NC Arts Council represents a perfect home for CHNCMO.
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.
Statewide organizations are presenting performances, visual artworks, and literary programs that honor the tapestry of the American experience as we approach the two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. These events are part of America 250 NC, a program created by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to commemorate the anniversary and celebrate North Carolina’s contributions.
Header image: A teacher at Royal Oaks School of the Arts speaking to students, photo by Tibor Nemeth, courtesy of NC Arts Council