A Message from the North Carolina Museum of Art

North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green and family pose at the NC Museum of Art for the cover of Substantial

Dear Substantial Magazine Reader:

We believe in the transformative power of art. From the North Carolina

Museum of Art’s (NCMA) permanent People’s Collection to our 164-acre Park,

Performing Arts programming to educational outreach, our goal as a museum is

to create a welcoming experience. A place where all can connect to, engage with,

and see themselves in the arts.

Central to this mission is our support of North Carolina creative communities.

The NCMA’s partnership with Substantial Magazine is a small moment to

celebrate the incredible contributions and dynamic conversations of Black art

and artists currently occurring across our state. Our hope is you will discover

someone or something new on the following pages. An artwork or artist, gallery

or organization that brings you joy and invites you to become an advocate for

the arts.

These 50 pages, admittedly, are only able to reflect a selection of the Black artists,

galleries, and arts organizations in North Carolina. Which is why we hope you

will share your arts story on page 47, so we can continue this conversation.

Thank you to Substantial Media President and Founder, Greg Hedgepeth;

Director of Strategic Partnerships, Evelyne Del; and the Substantial team for

inviting the NCMA to be a part of this project. We are proud to support the first

Substantial arts issue.

Sincerely,

Lizzie Newton

Director, Marketing & Communications at the North Carolina Museum of Art