Volunteers, primarily NCMA Docents, collaborated with Olivia Raney Library to exhibit the work of Herb Jackson in August, 1964.

In 1978, the annual exhibition for Wake County artists was the sole venue for multi-media visual art in the community. The exhibition expanded in 1993 to include artists in the entire Triangle area and, in 1997, to include artists from around the state.

After incorporation as the Raleigh Fine Arts Society in July, 1965, the North Carolina Artists Exhibition was adopted as the first project and was cosponsored by the Wake County Public Library. Four one-artist exhibitions were held annually at Olivia Raney Library.

Art in the Schools, instigated in 1969, took slides of the NCMA American collection into the schools to fifth graders. The program was turned over to the NCMA Education Department after the Junior League of Raleigh expanded the program to third and fourth graders. The program has evolved and expanded. Currently, North Carolina teachers access the museum website for pre-visit presentations.

Color in Light, begun in 1971, introduced sixth graders to theory of color. Joe Cox, Professor of Design at NCSU, designed machines to demonstrate physics of light and to explain theory of color. The program was donated to WCPSS in 1996.

Raleigh: A Guide to the North Carolina’s Capital, focusing on Raleigh’s architectural and cultural attractions, was published in 1975; the revised and enlarged edition was published in 1992. 

RFAS assisted with the restoration of Pullen Park’s historic Denzel Carousel by securing grants for funding and providing many hours of ancillary volunteer services.

The Literary Contest, a short-story writing contest for Wake County high school students, became an annual signature project in 1978. For more than 40 years, thousands of short stories were judged by professionals, and hundreds of students were awarded and celebrated for their creative writing.

In 2024, the project was re-launched as a “Spoken Word” contest in collaboration with the United Arts Council of Wake County for high school students in the Triangle area. Professional judges select the winning entries, and the winning students receive cash prizes and the opportunity to show their work in a professionally made video at an awards ceremony.

Awards: RFAS twice received the Raleigh Medal of Arts Award: in 1989 for establishing the Literary Contest and in 1995 for the organization’s 30 years of extraordinary achievement in the arts. In 2001, RFAS was the recipient of the Paladin Award from the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County as part of their Business Support of the Arts Awards program. In 1998, Martha Zaytoun received the Raleigh Medal of Arts Award for creating the concepts for the Artists Exhibition, the Choral Celebration and the Literary Contest.

In October 2014, the Raleigh Fine Arts Society was inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame. This prestigious award began in 2005 to recognize significant and extraordinary contributions by individuals or organizations to the City of Raleigh. RFAS was noted for being a “vibrant part of the cultural fabric of the city through its programs and its members who volunteer throughout the city at local museums and schools. For fifty years the Society has enriched the lives of Raleigh’s citizens through art, music and the written word.”

The Choral Celebration, originated in 1999, promotes high standards of excellence in elementary school choral music. Groups perform in Meymandi Hall in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on two consecutive evenings every spring.

The public sculpture, Sophia Fortuna, by North Carolina artist Anne Lemanski, was installed at Dorothea Dix Park and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 20, 2025. Sophia Fortuna was commissioned by RFAS in celebration of its 60th Anniversary. The funding for the sculpture came from a gift bequeathed to the organization by former member, Betsy J. Sykes. In collaboration with Dix Park Conservancy, RFAS formed a special committee and worked with the City of Raleigh to make this special gift to the community a success.

Sophia Fortuna, which means “wise luck,” is 26 feet tall with eight arms covered with 44 gloss finish spheres. The sphere canopy is 21–23 feet wide and has a ground clearance of 12 feet. Sitting on top of the canopy is a 9’ x 3.5’ great horned owl. The sculpture is fabricated entirely out of stainless steel and painted with marine-grade urethane. Lemanski worked with fabricator and artist Jim Gallucci to create the piece.

See highlights from the Sophia Fortuna ribbon cutting

Raleigh Fines Arts members continue to volunteer with Carolina Ballet, Gregg Museum of Art & Design at NCSU, Haywood Hall, Joel Lane House Museum, North Carolina Executive Mansion, North Carolina Museum of Art, North Carolina Museum of History, North Carolina Symphony Orchestra.