Cultural Resources at a Glance
Glasswork by John Littleton and Kate Vogel.
The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources was formed in 1971 to serve North Carolina’s citizens across the state in an outreach to broaden minds and spirits, preserve history and culture, and to recognize and promote our cultural resources as an essential element of North Carolina’s economic and social well-being. It was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.
Cultural Resources serves more than 19 million people annually through three major areas: The Arts, The State Library of North Carolina and Archives and History.
The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
includes the State Library, the State Archives, 27 Historic Sites, 7 History Museums, Historical Publications, Archaeology, Genealogy, Historic Preservation, the North Carolina Symphony, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Cultural Resources employs just over 1,000 people, and has one of the smallest budgets in state government. Because of the technical skills required by the department, the education level is high. For example, 100% of the professional staffs of the State Library and the Office of State Archaeology hold advanced degrees.
The department is comprised of the Office of Archives and History and the Office of Arts and Libraries. Through these offices, the department addresses a wide range of interests and provides assistance to North Carolina’s residents and visitors to the state.
The N.C. Museum of History
N.C. Office of Archives and History
Founded in 1903, the Office of Archives and History preserves and maintains a record of North Carolina’s rich cultural heritage through the preservation and interpretation of documents, artifacts and buildings, and by promoting history education. It sponsors programs for students and teachers including National History Day in North Carolina, the Tar Heel Junior Historian and the History Bowl. The office includes three divisions – the Division of State History Museums, the Division of State Historic Sites and the Division of Historical Resources.Division of State History Museums
The past comes alive at the seven state history museums. Through innovative distance-learning programs, students and teachers, tourists, parents, and grandparents can “visit” museum exhibits online. Admission to the museums is free. Recent achievements include:
- The opening of the Museum of the Albemarle in 2006.
- Acquisition of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in 2007.
- A new comprehensive exhibit tracing North Carolina’s history from the Lost Colony to today is underway.
Re-enactors at President James K. Polk Historic Site
Division of State Historic Sites
A plantation, a palace, a president’s house… a battleship, battlefields, and the nation’s first gold rush. North Carolina’s 27 state historic sites tell the story of colonial times, the Civil War, African American life, our fight for independence… “Hands On History.” Popular with families, most North Carolina state historic sites are free; many have picnic areas. Attendance is up – six percent in FY 07-08 compared to the previous year.
State Archives and Records Center
As the steward of millions of photos, diaries, letters, county records and maps, the Archives Search Room opens the door to personal histories. Around 14,000 inquiries are made by mail each year, and nearly 16,000 visitors come to Raleigh to do research annually. The State Records Center promotes records management and provides storage for inactive and semi-active public records. Treasures of the Archives include:
- North Carolina’s original copy of the Bill of Rights, taken from the State Capitol in 1865 and returned home in 2005.
- George Washington’s hand-written letter welcoming North Carolina to the U.S.
- The 1663 Carolina Charter with its beautiful drawing of King Charles II.
State Historic Preservation Office
Since 1976, more than $1.07 billion of private investment in more than 2,000 historic North Carolina buildings has been reviewed and certified by the State Historic Preservation Office as a result of state and federal historic preservation tax credit incentives. These tax credits spur job creation, downtown and neighborhood revitalization, improve community appearance, and instill community pride. Additionally, the office surveys:
- Historic buildings
- Districts
- Landscapes
The Historic Preservation Office also nominates eligible properties to the National Register of Historic Places. North Carolina has more than 2,600 listings on the National Register.
Office of State Archaeology
From work with the State Bureau of Investigation on forensic archaeology to the study of American
Indian sites, the Office of State Archaeology has reviewed more than 15,000 prehistoric, historic, and underwater sites over the last 10 years. The presumed wreck of Blackbeard’s flagship the Queen Anne’s Revenge in Beaufort Inlet has been called one of the most important archaeological finds in the U.S. An estimated 700,000 artifacts will be recovered from their watery grave. The office has branches in Raleigh, Asheville, and near Wilmington at Fort Fisher.
Historical Publications
What is a Tar Heel? From popular paperback books about the Wright brothers, legends, lighthouses, and the popular highway historical marker program, to resources for historical and genealogical researchers, the Historical Publications Section offers more than 160 titles that reflect North Carolina’s rich history.
Sculpture by Antonio Canova at the N.C. Museum of Art.
N.C. Office of Arts and Libraries
The N.C. Museum of Art, the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony, and the State Library of North Carolina comprise the Office of Arts and Libraries. These divisions help to provide arts, education and cultural experiences to citizens all across the state.N.C. Museum of Art
A new $70 million, 127,000 square-foot aluminum-clad building in Raleigh, open to the public in 2010, will feature touring and special exhibits, including a gallery dedicated to the Museum’s 24 Rodin sculptures, which were donated by the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation.
- The Museum’s collection spans more than 5,000 years, from Egyptian art to 20th century masterworks.
- Its array of European paintings and sculpture from the Renaissance to the Impressionist period is internationally celebrated.
- The recent blockbuster exhibit, “Monet in Normandy,” attracted 214,177 visitors and infused more than $20 million into the local economy.
- The 33,000 square-foot Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), which sits on 32 acres in Winston-Salem, became an operating entity of the museum in 2007.
N.C. Arts Council
During 2006-07, more than 9 million people participated in programs funded through the N.C. Arts Council. In that same year, each dollar invested in communities by the Arts Council was matched by $18 from other sources, many generated directly because of the grant. Through technical assistance, information resources, and more than 1,000 grants each year to nonprofit arts organizations and artists, the Arts Council works to build audiences, and broaden, deepen and diversify experiences for those audiences. Program highlights include:
- The cARTwheels program, which brings opera, theater, and dance to schoolchildren and communities across the state. Funding for FY 08-09 is $1 million; cARTwheels will reach all 100 counties by 2009 with a full program of opera, ballet, music, and drama.
- Junior Appalachian Musicians, or JAM, which pairs traditional music mentors with after school students in the western part of the state.
- HomegrownHandmade, which brings together artists, farmers, businesses, and hotels and Bed
and Breakfast owners to promote tourism in rural areas, also known as “Agri-Cultural” Tourism.
N.C. Symphony
The N.C. Symphony is without peer as it dedicates more of its resources to statewide service than any other major orchestra in the country. Under the baton of Grant Llewellyn, the Symphony has added nine musicians for a total of 69, an all-time high. The orchestra, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007, has one of the most extensive music education programs of any U.S. orchestra. Private funds account for 80% of its operating budget. It:
- Performs more than 175 concerts annually.
- Reaches 250,000 people a year, including 50,000 schoolchildren.
- Travels each year to between 30 and 40 counties in the state.
- Recently signed recording contracts with noted jazz artist Branford Marsalis.
- A 2010 European tour is planned.
State Library an On-Line Leader
Innovative projects spearheaded by the State Library include:
- NC ECHO, which enables visitors to “explore cultural heritage online.”
- StartSquad.Org, an Internet pathway to child-appropriate Web sites selected by librarians.
- The State Library serves as a partner in NC LIVE, the statewide electronic resource service that is a collaborative partnership between the State Library, the North Carolina Community College System, the University of North Carolina, and the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities group.
Strengthening Local Libraries
Teachers say “the literacy program has ignited reading in our school...Even the lowest performing kids are selecting books and reading.” State Library staff coordinates an award-winning summer reading program, workshops, and technical assistance to local libraries. State and federal grants support local libraries operations and development. The Center for the Book offers programs that focus on the joy of reading for people of all ages. Information and publications prepared by the State Library provide statistics to support the management of local libraries.
Library Resources
- The Genealogical Research Service offers an extensive collection of published materials including family histories, published abstracts, and county, state and federal records.
- The North Carolina Government & Heritage Library provides resources for North Carolinians to promote knowledge and, education targeting state agency personnel, local government officials, genealogical researchers and residents with visual and physical impairments.
- The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is a special library that circulates books and magazines especially made for persons who cannot use regular print due to a visual or physical disability, by circulating materials in Braille, large print, audio and digital formats, and described videotape. In FY 07-08, the Library handled 500,000 individual mailings of this material.
Culture Builds a Creative Economy
North Carolina’s creative industry is a critical part of the state’s economy. In a recent report*, creative sector employment was estimated at more than four percent of the total employment of the state. Creative enterprises include a wide range of industries, including the arts, entertainment and new media, and design. Other findings from the report include:
- The single most important factor associated with the amount that travelers or tourists will spend is the presence of creative professionals in a given county.
- The presence of creative workers is strongly associated with rising household incomes.
- Counties with higher proportions of workers in arts-related occupations are more likely to retain current residents and attract new ones.
- Many rural areas are developing their rich cultural traditions in craft and music as sustainable place-based economic development strategies to replace the loss of jobs in agriculture and manufacturing.
- Nearly 159,000 people are employed in the full arts and design industry cluster with total wages of more than $3.9 billion.
- The State’s renowned arts and culture are fueling the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry – heritage/cultural tourism. The travel trend to seek authentic cultural experiences has great potential for sustainable economic impact particularly in rural areas. North Carolina is out in front of the national trend, in part because of the Blue Ridge Heritage Initiative, which received the first Presidential Preserve America Award in 2004.
Click here to view the 2009 Department of Cultural Resources Transition Document
