We hope you all had a wonderful, restful, and artful Thanksgiving holiday.
We were lucky to be able to come together as a staff and share in a wonderful North Carolina Arts Council tradition: the annual Artsgiving potluck lunch. We gathered in our building’s lobby to break bread (and barbecue, chili, chicken salad, sweets, and more) together and enjoyed one another’s company. After so many months apart, these moments of togetherness feel even more special.
Executive Director Jeff Bell thanked the staff for this year’s work and emphasized the message he hears most from the field: an appreciation of the people who make up our organization. We’d like to extend that gratitude to all those we serve: the people of our state and the artists who create here, the arts organizations and educators, and those who present the work and make it accessible by everyone. We are thankful today and every day for you.
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We say a warm hello to two new members of the Arts Council staff.
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Welcome Diana Pineda, our new marketing director!
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Diana Pineda joins the N.C. Arts Council with 25 years of experience in marketing and communications. She was the marketing director for PlayMakers Repertory Company, in Chapel Hill, for six years. Before moving to North Carolina in 2016, Diana worked in the K–12 education and nonprofit advocacy sectors in the Washington, D.C., area. She is a staunch advocate of diversity and accessibility in the arts. Diana’s personal goal is to find the best local food, music, and writers in every North Carolina county.
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Welcome Takeema Hoffman, our new program administrator!
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Takeema is a North Carolina native and an artist at heart. She was born and raised in Fayetteville and loves this state as much as she loves the arts. She brings more than 15 years of multifaceted professional experience to her work with the Arts Council and is thrilled to join us in our mission of supporting thriving arts organizations, artists, and art-filled communities across our beautiful state.
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Applications are open for North Carolina Central University’s Teaching Artist Certificate Program
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NCCU's Teaching Artist Certificate Program and North Carolina Arts Council
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Established in 2017, North Carolina Central University's Teaching Artist Certificate Program offers comprehensive, online job-readiness training customized for artists whose work is learner-centered and focused on community engagement. Students learn skills such as how to design and implement arts experiences for general audiences, manage auditorium performances, engage in school residencies, and develop cultural arts programs for educational and community-based organizations. Graduates of the program have found placements in schools, arts organizations, hospitals, and social service agencies.
The deadline for applications is January 4, 2023. Find more information about the program and apply at the Teaching Artist Certificate Program page.
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A+ Schools of North Carolina is recruiting A+ Fellows
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Are you interested in becoming a learning and contributing member of a diverse network of professionals? Do you have a collaborative spirit and the ability to facilitate large and small groups of adult learners?
A+ Schools is striving to diversify the A+ Fellows cohort. The program is specifically seeking applicants who reflect the people of our state, as well as professionals who can work during the school day. To learn more about the essential characteristics of A+ Fellows and the experience required, head over to the A+ Schools website—bit.ly/become-an-aplus-fellow—and register for an upcoming information session. Registration closes on January 31, 2023.
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North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and the African American Music Trails of North Carolina
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In partnership with the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the N.C. Arts Council helped to produce a video to commemorate the transition of the African American Music Trails of Eastern North Carolina to the Heritage Commission’s stewardship. Enjoy this video celebrating the trail’s history and future.
A visit with the Native American artist Senora Lynch
In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, Kyesha Jennings, our content director, visited the 2007 North Carolina Heritage Award recipient Senora Lynch at her exhibition at the N.C. State Fair’s Village of Yesteryear. A member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe, Lynch is a celebrated potter who also practices beadwork, leatherwork, basket-making, and other traditional art forms passed along to her by her tribal elders. Read more about Senora on our blog.
2022 N.C. Appalachian Folklife Apprenticeships announced
The North Carolina Arts Council announced that two traditional artist teams from western North Carolina have been selected for the fourth annual “In These Mountains” Appalachian Folklife Apprenticeships. Jim McDowell (Weaverville; Buncombe County) will mentor Nicholas Garrison (Asheville; Buncombe County) in traditional methods of wheel-thrown pottery and Nancy Mahala (Creston; Ashe County) will mentor Genal West (Zionville; Watauga County) in traditional coverlet weaving and its accompanying fiber crafts. Learn more about the program and this year’s artists on our website.
Dare Arts hosted its 10th annual Outer Banks Veterans Writing Workshop
The workshop was hosted at the Coastal Studies Institute, of the University of North Carolina, in Wanchese, on November 12–13. For the past 10 years, Dare Arts has been intentional about creating a safe space where veterans and their relatives feel comfortable enough to open up, share their stories, and use writing as a healing tool. Ron Capps—a veteran, writer, playwright, and founder of the Veterans Writing Project—led this year’s workshop, titled “Scene Writing for Stage & Screen.” You can learn more about the history of the Outer Banks Veterans Writing Workshop on the Arts Across NC blog.
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Former Department of Natural Resources secretary Betty McCain passed away on Wednesday, November 23 at the age of 91. Raised in Duplin County, N.C., she dedicated her life to public service and was a staunch advocate for the arts and education. You can read more about her amazing life in the Wilson Times’ obituary. Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time. The Power of Women in Country Music, a new exhibit at the N.C. Museum of History, opened on October 28 and will run through Sunday, February 26. Presented in partnership with the GRAMMY Museum, the exhibit “spotlights the women who shaped country music and those who continue to propel it forward,” including North Carolina’s own Rissi Palmer, who was featured in an INDY Week article about the exhibit. Carrboro native, National Heritage Fellowship recipient, and folk music pioneer Elizabeth Cotten was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 5. Born in 1893, she received the Early Influence Award from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
The Cucalorus Film Festival announced that 13 North Carolina filmmakers have been selected to receive grants from the Filmed in N.C. fund, supported by the N.C. Film Office. The N.C. Stage Company has been chosen by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association as the winner of its 2022 Hardee-Rives Award for the Dramatic Arts. The awards ceremony, on Friday, December 2, 2022, in the auditorium of the Archives and History/State Library Building, 109 East Jones Street, Raleigh NC 27601, will begin at 1:00 p.m.
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