About the Arts Council

Mission

The mission of the Caldwell Arts Council is to cultivate a vibrant creative ecosystem where performing, visual, literary, and culinary arts enrich the lives of our community.

Vision

A community where the arts are widely recognized, deeply valued, actively celebrated, and accessible to all through ongoing promotion and education.

History
Since 1976, the Caldwell Arts Council has presented and promoted high quality arts programming in Caldwell County North Carolina. Formerly located in a historic former home in downtown Lenoir, the Council has been known for featuring local and regional artists with exhibitions ranging from contemporary and traditional paintings to fine craft, sculpture, and photography.

We offer many other programs including, Caldwell JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians), Artist in Schools, Foothills Veterans in Art, the Senior Citizen Dulcimer Program, and more. As part of Caldwell County's heARTbeat, we actively strive to improve the quality of life of our residents and hope that you will join us by donating today. Simply click the icon at the top of this page.

Caldwell Arts Council also owns a permanent sculpture collection of over 80 pieces, one of the largest collections for a county its size in the United States. These indoor and outdoor artworks are displayed all over Caldwell County and are periodically moved to new locations.

In addition, the Arts Council exhibits sculptures along the streets of downtown Lenoir in Tucker's Gallery, which is a partnership with the City of Lenoir. These pieces are on loan from artists for up to one year, and most are available for sale. 

Our annual Sculpture Celebration offers the public a unique opportunity to view hundreds of sculptures created by artisans from across the United States, who compete for recognition and cash awards. This event occurs on the Saturday after Labor Day in the beautiful Broyhill Walking Park.

As a nonprofit organization, the Caldwell Arts Council is funded by a combination of support from the North Carolina Arts Council, corporate and private donations, grant funding, foundation support, fundraising events, and program income.