Arts North Carolina

06/05/2026

Arts North Carolina joined friends and colleagues at AFTACON in Albuquerque, New Mexico this week. There, we learned about all of the amazing new initiatives and moments of activation for the arts throughout the nation!

Stay tuned for more on what we discovered along the way.

Pictured 📸 in order:
1. Nate McGaha with future, current, and past Arts NC board chairs - Jazzmone Sutton , Katie Cornell , and Rhonda Bellamy
2. The Creative States Coalition
3. North Carolina Arts leaders who lunch!
4. Erin Harkey - CEO at Americans for the Arts
5. Jamie Bennett on a panel discussion
6. Jazzmone Sutton joins a panel discussion

06/02/2026

When the arts advocacy reaches across industries and makes an impact! More on the Real Tickets, Real Fans Act. ⤵

A bipartisan bill would prohibit people from creating bots that buy up tons of tickets very quickly to then resell them.

05/29/2026

Arts North Carolina had the privilege to be back at for a press conference with to discuss The Protect Working Musicians Act (PWMA).

This Act “empowers artists by allowing them a market-based path to protect and be compensated for their work when large digital platforms and AI companies use it. The bill provides a narrowly tailored antitrust safe harbor so that sole-proprietor musicians can band together to negotiate fair licensing terms.” - protectworkingmusicians.org

Thank you to Representative Ross for your support of this act and of musicians throughout North Carolina!

05/26/2026

Arts Advocates, this is your call to action! 📣

The K-5 Performing and Visual Arts Requirement is currently included in the version of the NC state budget passed by the House of Representatives last year, as part of a bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Kyle Hall, Rep. Becky Carney, and Rep. Erin Paré. That bill has bipartisan support with 26 total sponsors.

Arts North Carolina helped craft this legislation in partnership with Rep. Carney and Arts Education Leadership Coalition member organizations.

Specifically, this would direct school boards to provide all kindergarten through grade five students in NC public schools to receive:

✅ Standards based instruction in both Performing and Visual Arts,
🧑‍🏫 By subject-licensed educators in standard sized classes,
✏️ or 30 minutes once every 5 instructional days for each subject.

Please help by urging your NC General Assembly representative to support a K-5 Performing and Visual Arts Requirement to empower every NC student’s constitutional right to a sound basic education.

Get started here: https://artsnc.org/advocacy/action-center/

Thank you for everything you do to support the arts in North Carolina!

05/25/2026

"Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future." - Elie Wiesel

To those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and to those who continue to serve, thank you! 🇺🇸

05/20/2026

Thank you to Spectrum Local News for taking the time to sit with Executive Director, Nate McGaha to discuss S849: Real Ticket, Real Fans Act!

Real Tickets, Real Fans Act (S849) would:
🎟️ Require ticket resellers to be transparent, clearly identifying themselves as resellers.
🎟️ Ban deceptive language, images, and URLs that resellers use when pretending to be primary sellers or to be endorsed by the primary seller.
🎟️ Require resellers to provide weblinks to the primary seller so consumers have a choice.
🎟️ Ban all speculative ticket sales, stopping the sale of tickets a seller does not possess.
🎟️ Ban the use of “bots” to circumvent sales restrictions.

If you would like to support this bill, please head to artsnc.org and select the Action Center!

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2026/05/15/real-tickets-real-fans-act-stops-the-re-sale-of-fake--duplicate-tickets?cid=app_share

A bill in the state Senate called the Real Tickets, Real Fans Act is aimed at preventing dishonest ticket sales.

05/17/2026

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Legislative Day and our attitude of gratitude just continues to grow! ☀️

THANK YOU to each of the Representatives that took time to meet with our Arts Advocates this past week, THANK YOU to every Arts Advocate and Arts Leader that dedicated their morning to these crucial arts policies, THANK YOU to all of the performers that shared their mission and craft with us, and THANK YOU to our amazing sponsors that makes both days of ARTS Day possible!

05/15/2026

What happens when artists, advocates, educators, performers, and creative leaders from across North Carolina gather in one space? ✨

Connection. Inspiration. Momentum. Action.

ARTS Day 2026 reminded us that the arts are not just something we experience… they are something that strengthens communities, fuels local economies, supports education, and brings people together across our state.

To every attendee, speaker, performer, sponsor, volunteer, and advocate who joined us this year: thank you for making this year’s Conference Day so impactful and energizing.

Your voices, ideas, and passion continue to move the arts forward in North Carolina.

05/15/2026

05/15/2026

When fans buy tickets, they deserve transparency, fairness, and confidence that their tickets are real. 🎟️

That’s why Arts North Carolina is proud to support S849: the “Real Tickets, Real Fans Act,” bipartisan legislation designed to protect North Carolinians from deceptive ticket resale practices that hurt audiences, artists, venues, nonprofits, and our state’s creative economy.

This week, we joined legislators, venue leaders, artists, and advocates for a press conference in support of this important bill and the people it protects: the fans.

The Real Tickets, Real Fans Act would:
🎟️ Increase transparency for ticket resellers
🎟️ Ban deceptive resale practices and fake affiliation claims
🎟️ Stop speculative ticket sales for tickets sellers do not actually possess
🎟️ Help prevent bots from bypassing ticket restrictions

Thank you to Senators Jay Chaudhuri and Vickie Sawyer for joining us at the press conference and for championing this legislation. We also want to recognize and thank Tim Moffitt for his support of the Real Tickets, Real Fans Act.

We are also deeply grateful to Heather LaGarde, Laurelyn Dossett, and Justin Dionne for sharing their experiences and perspectives during the press conference and helping highlight why this legislation matters to venues, artists, and audiences across North Carolina.

Learn more about the Real Tickets, Real Fans Act by visiting the artsnc.org Advocacy Center.