IN THIS ISSUE | April 2026
- The path to joining the A+ network
- Celebrating America 250 NC: Creative projects to explore statewide
- Creativity in motion: the impact of arts integrated teaching
- Staffing update
A teacher at Royal Oaks School of the Arts speaking to students, photo by Tibor Nemeth, courtesy of NC Arts Council
The path to joining the A+ network
For three decades, A+ Schools of North Carolina has reshaped classrooms across the state, bringing energy, excitement, and creativity into new schools each year. Schools considering the A+ model face a path that is intentional, reflective, and deeply rooted in whole-school transformation. And for those that choose to take it, the results for students and staff are life-changing.
Celebrating America 250 NC: Creative projects to explore statewide
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.
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
Creativity in motion: the impact of arts integrated teaching
When teaching artist Hobey Ford brings his puppetry into a school, something magical happens, and creativity suddenly drives learning. Hobey is an award winning puppeteer and educator who uses arts integration to teach subjects like migration, metamorphosis, and folktales. Using multiple puppetry techniques, he creates work that captivates students and adults alike. What Hobey achieves through puppetry reflects a larger educational truth: arts integration transforms learning by reaching students in ways traditional methods often cannot.
We look forward to connecting with you.
Follow the North Carolina Arts Council on social and subscribe to our Artist Opportunities newsletter, a compilation of statewide and national opportunities for artists, including grants, residencies, calls for art, and more.
Artist opportunities are submitted by members of the community. Each opportunity is managed by the submitting organization and is not administered by the North Carolina Arts Council.
Staffing update
We welcome Isaac Klein to the North Carolina Arts Council as our new theater and literature director.
Isaac brings extensive national experience as a theater director, lyricist, writer, and performer, including assistant director roles in the Broadway revivals of Gypsy (2007) and West Side Story (2009). Most recently, Isaac served as a digital producer for PBS North Carolina, where he created shows such as “Jamming on the Job,” “Mini Fab Science Lab,” and “Shaped by Sound,” a PBS NC original series supported by the Come Hear NC Music Office (CHNCMO), a program of the North Carolina Arts Council.
He is the author of The School of Doing: Lessons from Theater Master Gerald Freedman and the creator and host of the podcast VANITY: Stories Behind the Plates. Isaac earned his master’s degree in media and communication from UNC-Chapel Hill and his bachelor of fine arts degree in drama from the UNC School of the Arts, where he often returns as a guest artist and teacher. Outside of work, he competes regularly in New York City’s Punderdome, where he is a twelve-time champion.
We are eager to have Isaac’s expertise as we continue championing arts for all.
In the know
Apply for the Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) Scholarship Grant
Interested in learning more about expanding the breadth and scope of accessible cultural arts programming? We’re proud to announce the return of the Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) Scholarship Grant. This grant provides funding for eligible nonprofit organizations to attend the Kennedy Center’s 2026 LEAD Conference, in Philadelphia, PA, from August 11-14. Grant applications are due by Friday, May 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Heritage Awards nominations are open
Nominate a tradition-bearer for the 2027 North Carolina Heritage Awards. Since 1989, these awards have honored the state’s most outstanding traditional artists and culture-keepers, the highest recognition here in folk and traditional arts. They celebrate North Carolina’s cultural traditions and their enduring role in our past, present, and future. Submit your nomination by May 4, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
In case you missed it
SouthArts has announced the FY26 recipients of its three rolling-deadline grant programs supporting the arts ecosystem across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The grant programs are Arts in Rural Places, the Professional Development Grant for Arts Organizations, and the Artist Creative Practice Grant (Rounds 1 and 2).
The North Carolina Presenters Consortium received a Professional Development Grant for Arts Organizations. North Carolina individual artists Thomas Schmidt, Huiyin Zhou, and Scott Hazard received Artist Creative Practice Grants.
Congratulations to all of the grantees!
Dates to know
- May 1: Deadline to apply for NC Arts Council LEAD Scholarship Grant
- May 4: Nominations close for 2027 Heritage Awards
- May 12-13: ARTS Day
- June 15-17: North Carolina Presenters Consortium 2026 Annual Meeting
- July 31: Deadline for final reports (using the GO Smart platform) on the Arts Council’s FY25-26 grants
- August 11-14: Kennedy Center’s Leadership Exchange in Arts & Disability (LEAD) Conference, in Philadelphia, PA (registration is open)