Residents, students and arts leaders urge Wake County to adopt cultural master plan and fund arts

Multiple residents, students and arts leaders used the general-comment period to press the Board of Commissioners to adopt the Wake County Cultural Arts Plan and align county budget resources to support arts access across the county.

Thomas Walls, speaking for United Arts Wake County, said the county’s arts are “disproportionately centered on Raleigh” and urged the commission to approve the plan to expand access. Lyman Collins and United Arts requested a $250,000 increase to the arts budget—“that amount will represent a 62¢ per capita in the county,” Collins said—characterizing the ask as a modest per-person investment to support a countywide cultural ecosystem.

School-based advocates also spoke. Jeremy Tucker, director of arts education for Wake County Public Schools, described arts programming benefits for students—citing attendance and confidence improvements—and asked commissioners to align budget items with the cultural master plan. Student speakers and youth ambassadors from Wake County schools, including Harini Vijay and Adet Orheker, described how school and community arts programs shaped their education and mental wellness.

Artist and long-time volunteer Linda Gorham urged support for the cultural plan and also raised concerns about a state bill mentioned in her remarks that would require teachers to list personal classroom book titles, saying removal of books risks silencing important stories.

What’s next: Commissioners thanked speakers and said they will consider the cultural plan during budget work sessions; staff noted budget constraints in light of the tax-base briefing and that any new recurring funding may require trade-offs or a referendum.