Like a New Orleans big band on the move, members of John Brown’s Little Big Band sauntered down the aisles of Jordan-Matthews High School—horns up, energy high—playing a jazzy rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” You could feel it immediately: surprise, curiosity, a few wide eyes—and then smiles. For some students from Chatham… Read More →
Beats, Bass, Big Vibes: Beatmaking Magic
It started with silence. The kind of silence that hums with curiosity and anticipation. Then—boom—the bass dropped. Heads started nodding. Feet tapped. A few eyebrows lifted.Just like that, creativity had a new rhythm at Moncure School and Chatham Early College, where artists Suzi Analogue and REM from Blackspace turned ordinary classrooms into music studios for a week of beatmaking magic.
Check Out the 2025-26 Artists-in-Schools Season Lineup!
Do you remember the first time something a teacher said to you “clicked?” That moment when you finally understood the difference between a metaphor and a simile? That’s what the CAC’s Artists-in-Schools Initiative is all about. By bringing professional artists into Chatham County schools, artists leverage the arts through interactive workshops that support teachers’ learning… Read More →
Stories from the 2023/24 Artists-in-Schools Season
We were thrilled to bring professional teaching artists into 12 schools across Chatham County in our 2023-24 Artists-in-Schools season. You can read all about the joy these residencies bring to kids all across Chatham County! To celebrate our tenth season, we’re expanding to 14 schools in 2024-25! Click any image below to learn more about… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools 2024/25 Season
Artists-in-Schools (AIS) is ten years old! And we’re celebrating by expanding into all places Chatham! We know the arts save lives, so we’re thrilled to continue bringing professional teaching artists into Chatham County classrooms. Last season, we added our first middle school to the AIS roster. This season, we’re adding two more! We can’t wait… Read More →
Go See This: 2024 Siler City Downtown Music Series
Connie Fenner is a local business owner, community connector, and proud breast cancer survivor. She’s committed to supporting orgs that bring people together to create healthier communities, including powering our Go See This series this season. Summer will be fading soon, but there are still plenty of opportunities to catch the best of live, local… Read More →
Meet This Artist: Onyx Club Boys
This month’s feature is written by guest Meet This Artist writer Barbara Hengstenberg. Barbara is on the board of the Chatham Arts Council. She lives on a small farm in Bear Creek, where she and her husband provide a forever home for rescue alpacas, cats, and chickens. Barbara is the founder of WildesArt and can… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools 2023-24 Season
We are so excited to announce our 2023-24 Artists-in-Schools season–our ninth! We know the arts save lives, so we’re thrilled to continue bringing professional teaching artists into Chatham County classrooms! For the past eight years, our Artists-in-Schools Initiative has been growing, and we’re proud to bring our first traditional middle school residency to Chatham Middle… Read More →
AIS Stories from Last Season (2022/23)
We were thrilled to bring professional teaching artists into 15 schools across Chatham County in our 2022-23 Artists-in-Schools season. We’ll be announcing our 2023-24 season in the coming weeks, but for now, read all about the joy these residencies bring to Chatham County kids! Click any image below to learn more about each of these… Read More →
The John Brown Quartet Jazzes Things Up at Moncure School
The performance time was up for the John Brown Quartet, but at the end of their original set, a Bennett teacher asked if the band had time to play just one more. Happy to oblige, the band played a final tune by the great Duke Ellington. “Art is a safe and comforting space that is… Read More →