Press Releases

The state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award, will be presented to six distinguished North Carolinians Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Governor Roy Cooper will present the awards.  The award was created by the General Assembly in 1961 to recognize significant contributions to the state and nation in the fields of fine arts, literature, public service and science. 

The great jobs of today and tomorrow are in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). Yet people with disabilities remain underrepresented in these fields. To help turn that tide, the 10th annual STEAM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities will be held in-person and virtually on Tuesday, October 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., hosted by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. 

From the Highlands Biological Station to the Museum of Coastal Carolina, Grandfather Mountain to Port Discover, 55 science centers across the state have been awarded $6.3 million in special grants as part of the North Carolina Science Museums Grant Program. Funding for these special grants is made possible by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) as directed by the 2021 State Budget.

The North Carolina State Capitol will host the traveling exhibit “Darshana: A Glimpse into Hindu Civilization” from Saturday, Oct. 15 to Saturday, Oct. 29. The exhibition features a variety of topics, ranging from yoga and divinity to mathematics and administration, demonstrating how Hindu knowledge has manifested in all aspects of human endeavor.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is pleased to announce that two districts and two individual properties across the state have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, one previously listed historic district received additional historical documentation.

The North Carolina State Capitol is seeking community input through a series of listening sessions as the historic site prepares to launch a new digital humanities initiative, currently titled “From Naming to Knowing: Uncovering Slavery at the North Carolina State Capitol.” The project names over 130 enslaved African American workers and craftsmen who built and maintained the State Capitol in the 1800s. Most of the men worked on the building’s construction in the 1830s, either as laborers at the site or in the nearby State Quarry.

On Oct. 15 the major immersive exhibition “James Cameron – CHALLENGING THE DEEP” opens at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. The exhibition explores filmmaker James Cameron’s extensive career as a deep-sea explorer and his many history-making expeditions. Developed by the Australian National Maritime Museum, “James Cameron – CHALLENGING THE DEEP” takes visitors to the depths of our oceans through the lens of Cameron’s underwater cameras and his other incredible technological innovations that have enabled us to see the least-known places on Earth.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) recognized the North Carolina Zoo with the AZA’s William G. Conway International Conservation Award at the AZA Conference in August in Baltimore, Maryland. This award recognizes exceptional efforts toward habitat preservation, species restoration, and support of biodiversity in the wild on a global level.

An exhibit examining the myths and misconceptions behind the mountain “hillbilly” stereotype will open Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center (MGM) in Old Fort.

Patriot militiamen encamped in Polk County changed the course of the Revolutionary War and their actions will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.