Instagram Live Series to Connect Art and Social Issues

Pulitzer Center grantee Justin Cook will headline the first Instagram Live series sponsored by the North Carolina Arts Council.

On Thursday, August 5, 2021, the North Carolina Arts Council will debut its social media series Sparks, focused on engaging people with art and artists across North Carolina. Sandra Davidson, marketing and communications director at the Arts Council, will host the series.

Art can be a powerful tool in unifying communities and encouraging deeper conversations about challenging social issues. Cook, a photographer based out of Durham, North Carolina, will be the featured artist in the first episode. Cook received a North Carolina Artist Support grant, which supported the Tide and Time project. This project is part of Cook’s ongoing effort to document the effects of climate change and erosion on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

The Pulitzer Center is supporting Cook as part of Connected Coastlines, a nationwide climate reporting initiative in U.S. coastal states. His reporting project was published by Coastal Review Online.

It explores and investigates the emotional and psychological impact climate change has had on Hatteras Island as the community works to save a small cemetery that is slowly moving into the Pamlico Sound.

Please join the conversation live on August 5, 2021, at 12pm EDT on @NCArtsCouncil’s Instagram page.