Arts Matter: When it comes to the arts, it’s about more than UNC
Prior to serving as director of the Orange County Arts Commission, I was the director of an arts center near the Outer Banks. Northeast NC is the “forgotten child” of our state; poverty is rampant, many schools are operating with 100% of their student body on the Free and Reduced Lunch program, and like someone… Read More →
Arts Matter: Can the Arts Save Rural NC?
Last week I participated in ArtsDay in Raleigh, an annual convening of arts leaders across the state coordinated by our state arts advocacy group, Arts North Carolina. The point of ArtsDay, which is technically two days, is to bring arts advocates up to speed on governmental issues currently facing the arts across the state. The… Read More →
Arts Matter: A Day without Arts
Several weeks ago, immigrants across our country observed the Day without Immigrants to illustrate what our communities would look without them. It was a way to showcase their impact, and immediately made me think about the thing I’m most passionate about – the arts. I started thinking about what a Day without Arts would look… Read More →
Arts Matter: Meg McGurk Gets the Arts
A recent blog post explained how Orange County is an under-cover arts mecca. How, in almost every category in which you can gauge the significance of the arts in a community, Orange County ranked higher than our neighbors in Wake and Durham counties. We even rank higher than the mighty Asheville in terms of art… Read More →
Arts Matter: My only enjoyable visit to a hospital
Wondering where to view an impressive art collection in Hillsborough? Be sure to check out our eight galleries, our local arts council, and the hospital. Wait, what? Yep, only in Orange County would a hospital have an art component seemingly as well thought out as the medical technology and care facilities. Or at least this… Read More →
Arts Matter: Orange County – Arts Mecca Hidden in Plain Sight
Everybody knows that Asheville is an arts mecca for North Carolina. But after you read this post, you’ll realize you can save yourself a three hour drive; if you’re a resident of Orange County and a fan of the arts, you’re already sitting on a goldmine. First a disclaimer: I love Asheville. Having grown up in… Read More →
Arts Matter: Vitamin O Nourishes the Quirky
Having just moved to the Triangle from rural northeast North Carolina, I didn’t know if a community could get much quirkier than the small-town weirdness of Elizabeth City, NC. Just to be clear, I mean “weirdness” in the best way possible, those “only in my town” things that make a community unique and serve as… Read More →