The Arts Across NC Podcast is back! We’re excited as always to share the stories of artists and arts organizations from around the state, and to highlight some of the work we’re doing here at the North Carolina Arts Council.

In our first six episodes, folklife director Zoe Van Buren will introduce you to this year’s North Carolina Heritage Award honorees: white-oak basket maker Neal Thomas, musician and teacher Rhonda Gouge, Cherokee artisans Butch and Louise Goings, old-time fiddler Richard Bowman, and muralist and painter Cornelio Campos. She also speaks with two former Arts Council folklife directors, Wayne Martin and Sally Peterson, about the history of the Heritage Awards and why it’s so important to celebrate the culture that comes from the people of North Carolina.

We then interviewed Jamie Katz Court, the Arts Council’s music and dance director and accessibility coordinator, and Eileen Bagnall, the executive director of Arts Access Inc, in the latest episode of Arts Across NC. Jamie and Eileen talk about the importance of accessibility in the arts, some of the improvements they’ve seen, and what this year’s LEAD cohort can expect from the conference.

Listen to Arts Across NC below, on our SoundCloud page, or wherever you get your podcasts.