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.
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
Header image: Hobey Ford performing a puppet show for students at Washington Montessori Public Charter School. Photo by Izzy Harris, courtesy of Washington Montessori Public Charter School
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, which is a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Shaped by Sound— a PBS NC original series showcasing North Carolina’s thriving music scene—is back. The second season features a bright new lineup of homegrown indie rock, rap, rhythm and blues, country, jazz, bluegrass, folk, and gospel artists.
Header image: 2025 Louisiana A+ Schools Fall Fellows’ Retreat, photo courtesy of Louisiana A+ Schools