United Arts Wake County

10/09/2026

What a fantastic writer’s residency this week with Michael Beadle at Penny Road Elementary. Look at the fantastic imagery these 4th graders used in their class poems 😍 Wake County Public School System

10/08/2026

Teamwork makes the dream work!!

We're so proud that we could be a part of United Arts Wake County's initiative to bring inclusive arts programming to children and schools. Congrats to United Arts for keeping this directory going! https://unitedarts.org/artist-directory/?disabilities=true&post_type=artist_in_school

From United Arts:
Created for Students with Disabilities: Growing Access Through the Arts

In 2018, conversations with parents and teachers highlighted a need for more accessible arts experiences for students with disabilities. Those conversations sparked an initiative that has since become a meaningful part of Artists in Schools.

To help meet this need, United Arts partnered with Arts Access, a local organization dedicated to expanding arts opportunities for people with disabilities. Together, we worked to identify experiences that would engage students through hands-on learning and sensory-appropriate activities.

In its first year, the program served two elementary schools with two artists. The following year, United Arts officially launched the Specifically Created for Students with Disabilities program with five fully vetted artists representing music, visual art, and theatre. Since then, it has continued to grow, adding artists and reaching more schools.

Already this year, 20 schools have programs planned - the most ever, with more sure to follow. From two schools to 20, this growth reflects an ongoing commitment to ensuring meaningful arts experiences are accessible to every student in Wake County.

10/08/2026

Teen Open Mic Night!! 10/20 @ 6:30pm @ Oberlin Library. Come practice your entry for the spoken word competition, hosted by Dasan Ahanu.

Info & advance registration: https://www.wake.gov/events/open-mic-night-0

Dasan Ahanu Raleigh Fine Arts Society Wake County Public Libraries

10/03/2026

What a great start to raleighwideopen! Be sure to check out the rest of the festival tomorrow. Music starts at noon (and be sure to stop by the Instrument Petting Zoo!)

10/03/2026

Tonight and tomorrow in downtown Raleigh. See you there!

Are you following Raleigh Wide Open? That's where all our festival updates -- including any changes because of weather -- will be posted for the next few days. Make sure you stay in the know!

10/02/2026

Great day for the United Arts’ Board! Fantastic retreat with a morning training session by community organizer (& former board chair) Seth Palmer, hearing from local arts org Artspace and the Art Mobile, and an afternoon of brainstorming about how to make the organization and creative sector of Wake County stronger.

Such an incredibly talented and passionate group of leaders working to make Wake more creative ❤️

09/29/2026

See you there!

09/29/2026

And just like that... we're off! 🚀

Last Wednesday, United Arts awarded over $150,000 in funding to 144 schools across Wake County!

As we prepare to officially kick off the new season, we're looking back at the incredible artists, experiences, and connections made through Artists in Schools last year.

🎥 Watch our End-of-Year video and celebrate all that we accomplished together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZVrcuZ16Z8

Then, get ready for another incredible year of Making Art Happen.

2026-27, here we come! 🎉

A recap of the 25-26 school year Artists in Schools program.

09/28/2026

Congrats Ragen!

Meet a 2026 WCPSS Hall of Fame inductee: Ragen Carlile

For more than 27 years, Ragen Carlile has worked to make the arts accessible to people throughout Wake County.

A Raleigh native and 2024 Raleigh Medal of Arts recipient, Ragen has built a career around connecting students, educators and communities with meaningful arts experiences. As Vice President of Programming for United Arts Wake County, she has helped build partnerships with schools, municipalities and arts organizations that bring those opportunities to audiences of all ages.

On November 9, Ragen will be inducted into the Wake County Public School System Hall of Fame in the Arts category.

Come join us to celebrate Ragen and an extraordinary class of education stars and public school champions. Sponsor Stars, reserve a table or purchase individual tickets here: WakeEd.org/Stars

09/28/2026

Encouragement for this next generation of high school poets from two time spoken word competition finalist, Alex Cox.

Applications are now open! Time to get creative.

Raleigh Fine Arts Society Wake County Public Libraries Dasan Ahanu