The provisions of this Article shall not be construed to include exhibits of an educational nature arranged by museums or art galleries administered by the State or any of its agencies or institutions, or to prevent the placing of portraits of officials, officers, or employees of the State in the offices or buildings of the departments, agencies, or institutions with which such officials, officers, or employees are or have been connected. But upon request of such museums or agencies, the North Carolina Historical Commission shall act in an advisory capacity as to the artistic qualities and appropriations of memorial exhibits or works of art submitted to it. (1941, c. 341, s. 7; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1306, s. 3.)