Judith CutlerDirector's Gallery - December
Judith Cutler has a background in fine art and graphic design. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Pennsylvania State University. Judith believes “experimentation, while in the creative process, initiates the playful, ‘what if’, fun factor to art making. Doesn’t always work out but is engaging to try.” The Pastel Society of America designated Judith a Signature Member in 2003 and a Master in 2007. She is a Master Circle Member (2009) of the International Association of Pastel Societies, Southeastern Pastel Society- Member of Excellence, as well as a member of Piedmont Pastel Society and North Carolina Pastel Society. Judith Cutler’s artist statement is simply, “Be Happy!”.
CrittersMain Gallery - November and December
The Critters Exhibition gives the community a chance to view and purchase art about the creatures we love and cherish. “Critters” celebrates all creatures that walk, wiggle, fly, swim or slither. The exhibition highlights local artists’ depictions of animals of all sorts, in mediums ranging from photography to painting, and sculpture to ceramics.
Ni ZhangDirector's Gallery - November
Ni Zhang graduated from one of the top European art & design institutions, Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design (a member of University of the Arts London) and currently works and lives in New Bern. Ni creates portrait pieces that are accentuated by a delicate flow of lines, capturing the undeniable uniqueness of her subjects by bringing forth their character and personality. Her work is a test of skill, creativity and patience as the detailed visual components require a tremendous amount of time to complete. Ni enjoys figure drawing and capturing fleeting moments in her work.
Mum's the WordMain Gallery - October 2021
New Bern’s annual Mumfest brings thousands of people to the downtown area for fun, shopping, and entertainment. As part of the festival, Craven Arts Council will host Mum’s the Word, an art exhibition and contest to select artwork for the next year’s Mumfest. The winner will receive $200 and their piece will be featured on tee shirts, bags, banners, and other promotional items for the 2022 celebration. This year there will also be a youth category for anyone under the age of 18. Artwork does not have to be only chrysanthemums, but must feature them in some way. Craven Arts Council will also host a Mum Chalk Art Competition.
Ben LindemannDirector's Gallery - October 2021
Ben is a native of Pensacola, FL and grew up in a Marine Corps family. As an avid cyclist, Lindemann began to take pictures while cycling. Ben was trained in digital photography courses and has recently developed his drone skills in New Bern, making aerial films and still photographs of historic sites, landscapes, and waterfront panorama. His favorite time to shoot are sunrises and sunsets because of all the array of colors. He has captured many events in New Bern including the Tryon Palace North Carolina Symphony, 4th of July New Bern fireworks, and has filmed the train coming over the Neuse River. Currently his work is on display in many local venues, art exhibitions, and retail shops.
The Ho House: A Willie Taglieri RetrospectiveMain Gallery - September 2021
Referred to as “New Bern’s painter laureate,” Willie Taglieri started as a police officer in New York City. He was known as the “world’s worst cop” during his two years of service due to the fact that he only gave out one ticket and never arrested anyone. Shortly after leaving the police force, he became an assistant to New York artist, Bernard Lamotte, after remarking that Lamotte’s previous assistant was not up to par and that he could do better. After assisting Lamotte with the White House murals commissioned by President Kennedy, Taglieri moved to New Bern and began his local career as a plein air and mural painter. He painted numerous downtown historic homes, and was known to knock on the door of the house he just painted and offer the work for sale to the home owner as soon as it was completed. New Bern residents will be familiar with his local murals including inside the Chelsea, on the side of Captain Ratty’s, and in the back of Poor Charlie’s Antique Market.
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Shirley VandifordDirector's Gallery - Shirley Vandiford
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Coastal Photo ClubMain Gallery - August 2021
The Coastal Photo Club Exhibition will feature works by local photographers on wide array of subjects in a variety of styles. This exhibit will feature work by the Coastal Photo Club’s nearly one hundred members, with images taken from eastern North Carolina and around the world. Each artist has been invited to submit up to two images for exhibition. The exhibit showcases the variety of styles and materials available to the modern photographer, including framed photos, canvas prints, and metal laminate pieces from different artists. Differences in production are also highlighted, from classic darkroom techniques to advanced digital photo manipulation.
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Tracey PenrodDirector's Gallery - August 2021
Tracey’s artistic pursuits in her post-secondary education began in commercial art and advertising design. Although her career took a detour into public education, Tracey returned to making art in 2012 through artistic practice, play, and workshops. Recently retired at the end of the 2021 school year, Tracey left the classroom to once again engage her creative calling by exploring the matters of the heart through abstract expressionism and representational art.
STACKEDMain Gallery - July 2021
Stacked was an exhibition that highlighted eastern North Carolina artists with a twist. Artists were invited to submit their works to be featured on the face of a custom printed deck of playing cards. Each participating artist drew a card from a deck to select which card their artwork was on. Craven Arts Council & Gallery will handle printing the deck and will feature all of the artwork in an exhibition in the Main Gallery at the Bank of the Arts in July of 2021.
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Samrae DukeDirector's Gallery - July 2021
Samrae Duke is an illustrator that loves nature, fairytales and all sorts of fantastic creatures and characters of folklore. These themes are abundant in Samrae’s artwork, where line and color come together to create whimsical narratives. Their style is heavily influenced by classical illustrators such as Arthur Rackham and Elizabeth Shippen Green. In their work they use a mix of traditional and digital media, mostly consisting of graphite, watercolor, acrylic, photoshop and procreate.
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Juneteenth Main Gallery - June 2021
This June the Craven Arts Council & Gallery will be hosting their annual Juneteenth exhibition in the Main Gallery. Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th every year and commemorates the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in the state of Texas after the Civil War. In honor of this historic celebration of freedom in the South, local African American artists will present works about the holiday, African American History, their experiences as African Americans, and what freedom means to them.
Visit www.juneteenthofnewbern.com for more local Juneteenth events. |
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Lee HoodDirector's Gallery - June
This June, The Craven Arts Council is proud to present the work of Lee Hood in the Director’s Gallery. Lee Hood grew up in Eastern North Carolina off the Pamlico Sound. From an early age, Hood took art classes and then started his career in the army. Through opportunities in the military, he took art lessons from Dr. Alexander at Central Texas College in 1990’s. Hood returned to downtown New Bern and began en plein air paintings of the streetscapes documenting the architecture. Hood operates a studio at 321 Middle Street on the second floor above Cow Café, where paints his own works and offers painting instruction and group art parties.
Art³Main Gallery - May 2021
This May the Craven Arts Council & Gallery will be hosting an
exhibition of all artwork under 12” x 12” x 12” or one square cubic foot. This exhibition will showcase work by many different local, regional and national artists. Juror Trista Reis Porter, Executive Director of the Greenville Museum of Art, will be judging the exhibition and award recipients will receive cube-themed prizes. |
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Katherine WiggsDirector's Gallery - May 2021
Wiggs attended East Carolina University where she received her Bachelors in Fine Arts in Art Education with a concentration in Drawing. She taught middle school for seven years and later decided to move into the private sector. Wiggs eventually opened her own business as a commission painter and teacher for private lessons. In the past several years she has painted bears for various places around New Bern including the Crema Brew Bear, Bearista. She has received awards in various art shows at the local, regional, and national level. Her main focus lately is to develop her digital painting skills so that there is little to distinguish between her digital and traditional work. This exhibition will feature both of these styles providing viewers with an opportunity to compare the two mediums.
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Overdue
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Main Gallery - April 2021
Initially these monthly exhibitions were scheduled to begin in April of 2020, but were cancelled due to the COVID-19 stay at home order. Craven Arts Council & Gallery agreed to take over administration of Library Exhibitions from the Twin Rivers Artists Association starting in 2021, but current guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus has made hosting receptions in smaller spaces such as the library currently unsafe. In response, Craven Arts Council & Gallery has organized this exhibition in the Main Gallery of those artists whose exhibition opportunities at the Library were cancelled due to COVID-19. Artists include Eileen Nonemaker, Razell Byrne, Anna and Paul Zapfell, and local artist group the Palette Pals.
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Private School Exhibition
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Director's Gallery - April 2021
Craven Arts Council is proud to present work by private and homeschooled students in Craven County in the Director’s Gallery for the month of April. This exhibition will feature work created by students in art classes from Epiphany Global School, St. Paul’s Catholic School, Annunciation Catholic School, and various homeschooled students across the county. Craven Arts Council will host a reception during the April ArtWalk from 5 – 8 pm on Friday, April 9th.
Art has been shown to have an integral beneficial effect on youth education in subjects from math and science to literary analysis. Bank of the Arts is pleased to reinforce these ideas by offering the students a chance to exhibit their works in a gallery setting. |
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Twin River's Artist Association Exhibition and the Craven Community College Exhibition
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Main Gallery - March 2021
The Twin Rivers Artists Association (TRAA) exists to promote and encourage the creation, education, and appreciation of fine art in the region. The over one hundred strong membership meets monthly to learn and discuss techniques, provide feedback, make social connections, and distribute news on the arts in the area. Skill levels range from beginners to professional artists, in an environment that encourages cooperation and mentorship. Once a year the Craven Arts Council hosts an exhibition of the group’s membership, combined with students from the local Craven Community College, in order to encourage the creation and exhibition of local art. Works on display will include painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, and mixed media.
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Chris LaneDirector's Gallery - March 2021
Chris Lane is a local artist originally from New Bern, but moved to many cities including New York and Baltimore before returning. He was interested in art and loved to draw and paint from an early age. This translated into him becoming interested in graffiti and incorporating that style in his paintings. Lane incorporates many graffiti motifs into his work such as lettering and spray techniques and then uses colorful paint over top to hide certain parts and create the illusion of depth. This exhibition is no different as it utilizes the same technique of layering paint and the subject matter is all wildlife, in particular birds.
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One Family Three VisionsMain Gallery - February 2021
The Billingsley family will be exhibiting a wide variety of work in the Main Gallery this February. Although all are artists, each member of the Billingsley family creates very different work and this exhibition will be no different as it will have both two dimensional and three dimensional work. Each artist in the family brings something unique to the exhibition in both concept and style. We look forward to showcasing the work created by this talented family.
To learn more about this exhibit and to see more images, click the link above Valentines Card SaleMain Gallery - January 2021
Director's Gallery - February 2021 Craven Arts Council and the Twin Rivers Artists Association are proud to present the 2021 Craven County Valentine’s Day Card Sale in the Main Gallery for the month of January. Priced at $3.50 each, these affordable Valentines gifts help fund arts education in Craven County by donating all proceeds for the purchase of art supplies. The cards were created by the public school students during their arts class, and include a wide range of grades, skill levels, and techniques. Art teachers from Craven County schools were also invited to display one piece of their own work.
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Brenda HayunDirector's Gallery - January 2021
Brenda Hayun is a local photographer who has only recently started pursuing photography. She uses a cannon camera and a drone to take photographs of the coast in North Carolina. Hayun is inspired by nature and wildlife, in particular that of Eastern North Carolina. This exhibition will feature many of her recent photographs and will be her first exhibition here at the Bank of the Arts .
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