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Peace Prize

    Peace Prize

    Arts Access North Carolina Awarded North Carolina Peace Prize

    Nonprofit that makes the arts accessible to people with disabilities will be honored by the North Carolina Peace Corps Association at a ceremony on May 4

    Arts Access North Carolina, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the arts accessible to people with disabilities, has been awarded the 2024 North Carolina Peace Prize.

    The inaugural exhibit at the new Arts Access gallery in downtown Raleigh features the work of Durham-based artist Jean Gray Mohs.

     

    The North Carolina Peace Corps Association (NCPCA) will present its annual prize on Saturday, May 4, at a gallery Arts Access recently opened in downtown Raleigh to showcase and sell the work of artists with disabilities. (See below for event details.)
    Following the award presentation, Robert Parrish, who is legally blind, will speak about the importance of arts accessibility. Attendees may also view the gallery’s inaugural exhibition by Durham-based artist Jean Gray Mohs.


    NCPCA represents North Carolinians, especially those in the Triangle region, who have served in the Peace Corps. Its annual Peace Prize includes a $2,000 check and a hand-thrown vase from Seagrove, N.C. The judges, all former Peace Corps Volunteers living in the area, select a winner that exemplifies the Peace Corps values of public awareness, education, cross-cultural understanding, and community service.


    “For more than four decades, Arts Access has been making the arts accessible across North Carolina,” said Jennifer Chow, NCPCA’s president and a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia. “It’s been a pioneer at the intersection of arts, education, and disability, connecting adults and children with disabilities to the arts. It enables them to enjoy our state’s rich cultural scene and share their own artistic visions. Just like the
    Peace Corps, it’s making the world better for everyone.”


    The North Carolina Peace Prize has previously honored nonprofits that assist refugees, support adolescent parents and pursue diverse other missions. Information about last year’s honoree, Community in Motion , which uses dance to assist vulnerable populations, is available online with a list of previous recipients.


    “This is quite an honor and we look forward to adding the vase to the Arts Access Gallery’s permanent collection,” said Eileen Bagnall, the executive director of Arts Access. “It’s wonderful to be recognized for our work by an organization that is known
    for creating an impact in the world.”

    The ceremony at the Arts Access gallery at 444 S. Blount St., Suite 115B, in downtown Raleigh, begins at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 4. The event is free and open to the public.

    The event RSVP is https://forms.gle/wLdH9UvFdw99VFf27


    Reporters seeking interviews or information about Arts Access or the North Carolina Peace Prize should contact NCPCA’s Kate Gavaghan, katielougav@yahoo.com  (919) 302-6779. ###

     

     

     

     

    Arts Access has worked with local institutions to provide resources such as this audio tour for visually impaired visitors to the North Carolina Museum of Art.

     

    Article by David Jarmul, RPCV Nepal & Moldova.

     

    Past Winners:

    In 1996, the Director of Latin American Affairs at the Carter Center, Bob Pastor, presented the first annual Peace Prize to Student Action with Farmworkers.