A+ Schools - North Carolina

Calling all NC musicians! The Come Hear NC Music Office and the NC Arts Council are gearing up to celebrate Make Music Day 2026 across the state on June 21st. Make Music Day’s a global celebration of everyday music making, started in France in 1982 – and every year we post North Carolinians playing music together on our social feeds. So on June 21st, film yourself playing (alone or with friends), tag and use the hashtag . We’ll make sure you’re video gets shared as part of the official celebration of Make Music Day!

PS – if you’d like to prerecord a vid and send it to us early, nothing’s stopping you from doing that today...

Photo by Tibor Nemeth, courtesy of NCAC

NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources North Carolina Arts Council

Come hear this! Subscribe now for the new Come Hear NC Music Office newsletter. CHNCMO celebrates our state's rich musical legacy and ensures its survival into a robust future. Sign up to all of our newsletters: https://bit.ly/subscribe-NCAC-news

Across North Carolina in 2026, America is commemorating 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the development of a new country dedicated to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Join us for our great state’s commemoration, Capitol 250: NC Freedom Fest at the State Capitol in Raleigh, Jul. 4, 2026!

Learn more here: america250.nc.gov/FreedomFest
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GxcuNodsd/



NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources America 250 NC North Carolina State Capitol North Carolina Historic Sites

Art Matters is out! In this month’s issue, NC Arts Council Executive Director Jeff Bell highlights recent NCAC activities, we preview the upcoming Make Music Day, and we explore how the A+ Schools model is shaping advances in arts integration across the state. Plus, check out the Capitol 250: North Carolina Freedom Fest events happening on July 4 and catch up on art news you may have missed!

🔗 https://mailchi.mp/dncr/ncac-art-matters-june-2026
Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already!

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This month we recognize Juneteenth, a day celebrated by all races and ethnicities in commemoration of African American culture and achievements. The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, has curated a community calendar of events happening across the state, throughout June.
Check it out! https://aahc.nc.gov/juneteenth
📸 Instagram:
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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. Stephen will continue as a board member and serve on the executive committee. “I am grateful for Stephen Hill’s dedication and extraordinary leadership as chair of the NC Arts Council board. His input has been invaluable to the work that we do every day to ensure that all 100 counties have access to the art and culture that make our state great,” said Jeff Bell, the Arts Council’s executive director. “I am also pleased to welcome Sejal Mehta as the new board chair. I look forward to working with her in this role.”

Read more about this change in board leadership: https://www.ncarts.org/blog/2026/05/19/change-north-carolina-arts-council-board

Photo: Image of NC Arts Council board and staff with Chief Deputy Secretary Maggie Thompson. Photo by Ai-Ling Chang, courtesy of North Carolina Arts Council.

North Carolina Arts Council NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources Come Hear North Carolina

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. The Music Office works both to celebrate our state’s rich musical legacy and ensure that legacy’s healthy development, its work matches the NC Arts Council’s commitment to the “intrinsic value of the arts” for the intellectual, emotional, and economic betterment of North Carolinians.

Read more about the Come Hear NC Music Office: https://www.ncarts.org/blog/2026/05/19/giant-steps-come-hear-nc-music-office-joins-nc-arts-council

NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources Come Hear North Carolina

Art Matters is out! In this month’s issue, meet the Come Hear NC Music Office, discover how the Orange County Arts Commission partnered with the community to continue operations after Tropical Storm Chantal and prepare for its reopening this summer, and learn about updates to the NC Arts Council Board. Plus, catch up on art news you might have missed—and much more!
https://mailchi.mp/dncr/ncac-art-matters-may-2026?e=0c44c20f18

A+ Schools - North Carolina NC Public Schools NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources Come Hear North Carolina Orange County Arts Commission & Eno Arts Mill

Alt text: Orange background with text, Art Matters News from the North Carolina Arts Council

Celebrate Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with us! The NC Arts Council honors the vibrant cultural traditions and meaningful contributions of AANHPI artists and arts organizations that enrich North Carolina’s cultural landscape. Our state’s dynamic creative community is essential to our mission of “arts for all people.” This month, we are highlighting some of these artists and arts organizations with AANHPI heritage whose work continues to inspire and shape our state.

At Raleigh’s Triangle Korean School, students learn and celebrate culture by learning traditional Korean drumming, cultural etiquette and K-Pop through the NC Arts Council TAPS program. TAPS (Traditional Arts Programs for Students) was created in response to community requests for traditional arts education that is taught locally, knee-to-knee, and across generations.

The Leela Foundation offers comprehensive training for all ages in Bharata Natyam, a centuries-old Indian classical dance rooted in the temples of South India. Blending myth, legend, and universal spiritual themes, this tradition continues to thrive through the school’s work. Founder and executive director Asha Bala is a 2018 North Carolina Heritage Awards Honoree.

Montagnard Dega weavers and North Carolina Heritage Awards honorees H Jue Nie and H Ngach Rachlan are culture keepers. Both women are masters of the ancient spinning, dying, and weaving traditions of their people. Both artists are 2106 Heritage Awards Honorees.


Leela Foundation

Photos courtesy of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

We’re excited to announce Tom Nevels as our new A+ Schools network director.

Tom steps into this role after serving as the A+ Schools professional development manager since 2017 and brings nearly two decades of experience in arts education, interdisciplinary learning, and community engagement. He holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in theatre education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master of arts degree in theatre education from Emerson College.
Tom has served as a theater arts educator and curriculum director in schools across North Carolina. He worked as an A+ coordinator in Wilmington and spent seven years as an A+ fellow delivering arts-integrated training statewide. His experience as a teacher, A+ fellow, and A+ staff member strongly prepares him for this leadership role.

A longtime Durham resident, Tom remains active in local theater and community organizations and enjoys frequent travel. He looks forward to connecting with educators and creative thinkers across the state, and encourages readers to “stay tuned for exciting developments and new opportunities for educators and students on the horizon.”

We are proud to have Tom bring his expertise to this role as we pursue our mission of arts for all.

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