Tag Archive for: ncartscouncil

The Local Skinny! N.C. Arts Council Grant Awards

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Local arts programs are getting some financial assistance for 2025 in the form of grant awards from the North Carolina Arts Council.

The Vance County Arts Council will receive $34,728 for a Grassroots Arts Program, and the Embassy Cultural Center Foundation, Inc. – that is to say, McGregor Hall – is the recipient of a $21,000 sustaining support grant, according to information from the N.C. Arts Council.

McGregor Hall is one of 85 new organizations to get flexible funding through an expanded category called Sustaining Support, which more than doubles the agency’s investment in work that promotes stability and sustainability in the arts sector.

Vance County’s $55,728 is part of more than $11.5 million that is being distributed across the state.  A total of 366 grants were awarded to nonprofit arts organizations, schools, after-school programs, municipalities and artists in all 100 counties this year. The grants range from $5,000 to $338,000.

This year’s grant awards significantly increase the N.C. Arts Council’s investment in small and mid-sized arts organizations.

Funding priorities went to projects that emphasize community outreach and audience engagement, connect K-12 students with a variety of artists and disciplines, notably traditional arts of North Carolina, as well as to projects that foster public-private partnerships to weave local support with state and federal funding and those that provide outreach to military veterans and their families.

In Granville County, for example, a project called Military and Veterans Healing Arts will get $10,000 to create a veteran artist-led community based mural project and accompanying educational activities.

The Granville Educational Foundation will get $46,631 for a Grassroots Arts Program, bringing the total in Granville County to $56,631.

“The record number of applications we received this grant cycle signals that artists are inspiring audiences and producing arts experiences that make our state a wonderful place to live, work, and visit,” said Jeff Bell, the Arts Council’s executive director. “I thank Governor Cooper and the General Assembly for championing our arts and culture sector. The arts deliver more than $2 billion in economic impact annually to our state and are a powerful tool to uplift entire communities.”

“The arts are woven into the fabric of our state’s identity, and as I travel across North Carolina, I see firsthand how much the creative sector contributes to the cultural and economic vibrancy of cities, towns, and regions. When the arts flourish, communities flourish,” said Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson.

Franklin County was awarded $55,946 for a Grassroots Arts Program.

In Warren County, the school district will receive $22,965 for its Grassroots Arts Program.

See the complete list of FY2024-25 grant recipients at  https://www.ncarts.org/fy2024-25.

Click Play!

Vance County Hitting All The Right Notes For ‘Make Music Day’ On June 21

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What are you doing this Friday?

The Vance County Arts Council invites you to join in “Make Music Day” – performances are popping up all over Henderson and Vance County in celebration of the global event that involves more than 1,000 cities all over the world.

The performances are free, and Dr. Alice Clark Sallins hopes people come out to hear and appreciate all the different types of music that will be created.

“By establishing one specific day each year, June 21, to celebrate music, Vance County Arts Council encourages both amateur and professional music-making, and empowers individuals to seek out ways to help celebrate music in their community,” stated Sallins.

Over the course of 12 hours – 9:45 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. – music of all types will be heard throughout the county.

“Vance is one of the most musically talented counties in the state of North Carolina and we want to give our citizens a music-making opportunity to display such talents on June 21,” Sallins said.

In case someone needs a reason to enjoy creating or listening to music, the local Arts Council hopes to give community members “of all ages, creed, and musical persuasions the chance to experience the joy of making music together,” Sallins said. “The Vance County Arts Council is committed to hosting quality art experiences and performances, as well as creating opportunities for learning and participation. There are several benefits in having the arts, mostly helping to shape create and critical thinking minds.”

Feel like strumming your guitar in the backyard? Great! Got a harmonica that needs a little exercise? Super! Wherever people feel like playing – and listening – is fine with Sallins. Maybe you’d just like to park downtown near the Baptist Church about 10:30 a.m. and listen to the melodious sounds coming from the church’s pipe organ – gotcha covered.

Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott is scheduled to kick off the festivities when she issues a proclamation at City Hall at 9:45 a.m.

Here’s a rundown of specific performances already scheduled:

  • 9:50 a.m. – Evelyn C. Couch at City Hall, 134 Rose Ave
  • 10:10 a.m. – Opening Ceremony: Heart and Soul at McGregor Hall, 200 Breckenridge Street
  • 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Mario Davis (instructor) Bucket Drumming classes at Henderson Family YMCA
  • 10:30 a.m. – David Cole at First Baptist Church, Downtown Henderson (park and listen to the pipe organ)
  • 11 a.m. – David Westbrook at McGregor Hall
  • 11 a.m. – Keshawn Yancey at Hair in Motion, 1302 N. Garnett St. (percussionists)
  • 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Live Karaoke at the Vance Senior Center, 500 Beckford Dr.
  • 11 a.m. – 12 noon – Boomwhackers with the Whacking Band at Adcock Recreation Center
  • 12 noon – 1 p.m. Tristan Beradi – Perry Memorial Library (lunch hour performance)
  • Lunchtime Ben Parker and Mikayla Williams at Versatrim, 101 Eastern Mineral Rd.
  • 1 p.m. James Williams on Facebook Live for a tribute to Frazier Park
  • 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Jimmy & The Sound Barriers at Satterwhite Point State Park. First set 3 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.: Dancing to the Oldies; Second set 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Bluegrass on the Grass (They will have the grill hot if you want to throw some hot dogs and hamburgers on it)
  • 6 p.m. Hendfact Henderson Fuerza Activa Drumming and Dance at 715 Garnett Street
  • 7:30 p.m. Just Friends Band and other groups at McGregor Hall for closing activities

However or wherever you choose to create or listen, there’s something for everyone on Friday, June 21.

In addition to the Vance County Arts Council, the event is sponsored by Vance County Tourism, the N.C. Arts Council and the N.C. Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources.

To learn more about Vance County Make Music Day, visit: https://www.makemusicday.org/vancecounty