Arts Culture Catawba

ACC’s mission is to promote, nurture, and fund excellence in individuals and organizations who provide creative experiences that enrich the lives of residents and visitors.

Originally organized as the Hickory Arts Council in 1960, the organization reorganized in 1979 to reflect its work across the entire county – serving as a hub for cultural programming, grant-making, and community partnerships. It was renamed as the United Arts Council of Catawba County in 2006 to emphasize the organization’s focus on collective strategy and most recently in 2024, began operating under the DBA name Arts Culture Catawba after a major strategic planning process.

Arts Culture Catawba has a long track record of fundraising and subgranting state, local government, and private funds to support Catawba County’s arts and culture sector. ACC administers grants to local nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, facilitates community arts education, and fosters collaboration among member organizations. It is a sector leader, bringing the county’s nonprofit arts and cultural organizations together to work collectively and raise the bar for everyone. After a strategic planning process in 2024, ACC expanded its range of support services alongside its grantmaking, promoting arts and entertainment offerings, providing more professional development for organizations and artists, and developing strategic partnerships in non-arts sectors. ACC connects residents with a diverse range of cultural experiences while building organizational capacity across the region. ACC also powers Catawba365.com, a community arts and entertainment calendar with cultural asset maps and directories that connect residents with events, programs, and organizations throughout Catawba County.