Congressional Art Competition
Director's Gallery - May
The Congressional Art Competition features the work of local high school students. Participating students were selected by their teachers to showcase their talents. Students were tasked to create artwork that fit the theme of “Joy.” All selected works will be judged and select artwork will receive awards. The student awarded First Place will have a chance to attend a reception in Washington D.C. where all artwork awarded First Place from across the country will be displayed.
ROY G BIV
Main Gallery - ROY G BIV
Each artist received a 12”x12” cradled board and select a color randomly. Artists then utilized hues, shades, tints and tones of that color as the primary palette for the work. Each panel in the Main Gallery at Bank of the Arts was filled with works featuring that color, creating a rainbow that moves across the gallery.
TRAA and CCC Students
Main Gallery - April
The Twin Rivers Artists Association (TRAA) exists to promote and encourage the creation, education, and appreciation of fine art in the region. The 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.
Private and Homeschool Student Exhibition
Directors Gallery - April
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 various private, parochial and home schools across the county. Students from Epiphany Global School, St. Paul’s Catholic School, Annunciation Catholic School, and various homeschooled students across the county will be exhibiting their work in the Director’s Gallery. 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.
Not Painted to Go With Your Couch
Main Gallery - March
Brenda Behr is a local artist who is primarily known for her paintings en plein air and her portraits of people. She works in both oil and watercolor, depending on her subject matter and focus. Behr received her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Masters in Fine Arts in Advertising Design from Syracuse University. After working in Minnesota for several years as a graphic designer, Behr returned to North Carolina where she more seriously pursued painting. This led to Behr’s work exhibiting at numerous galleries and museums including the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, the Iredell Museums, the Greenville Museum of Art and now a solo exhibition at the Bank of the Arts. Not Painted to Go With Your Couch will feature works from across her career.
Vietnam Legacies
Director's Gallery - March
Vietnam Legacies will feature portraits taken by McCabe of Vietnam veterans, including himself, next to images of the same veterans from when they were in Vietnam. Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1946, McCabe is a retired US Marine who has travelled extensively. He is an award-winning photographer and is currently the owner of Coastal Light Photographic Arts. He is also the former co-owner and operator of First Flight Photography of Havelock, NC. McCabe lives in New Bern, NC and has been a member of Professional Photographers of North Carolina (PPofNC) and Professional Photographers of America (PPA) since 2005. McCabe received his Certification as a professional photographer from PPA in September 2013 and his Master of Photography Degree in February 2015. In 2012 he received the Kodak Gallery Award and was awarded the 1st Place in Women’s portraiture at the 2012 PPofNC Convention in Raleigh. McCabe is the past president of the Professional Imaging Group of Eastern North Carolina and is a current member of the Coastal Photo Club in New Bern, and sits on the Board of Directors for PPofNC.
HerStory
Main Gallery - February
HerStory seeks to highlight the female experience and what it means to be a woman, in the modern era and throughout history. The exhibition’s title is a play on words, conveying its intent to explore both “Her Story,” the personal narratives of women; and “HerStory,” the history of women and their roles through time through another lens.
Artists are asked to create work that ponders the issues that women have faced over time into the 21st Century. Artists may examine themes regarding the strength of women by creating artwork surrounding stereotypes, gender based violence, generational changes in roles, nurturing, resilience, beauty, health, wellness, and the light and the dark that makes up the essence of being female.
Artists are asked to create work that ponders the issues that women have faced over time into the 21st Century. Artists may examine themes regarding the strength of women by creating artwork surrounding stereotypes, gender based violence, generational changes in roles, nurturing, resilience, beauty, health, wellness, and the light and the dark that makes up the essence of being female.
Valentines Card Sale
Director's Gallery - January & February
Craven Arts Council and the Twin Rivers Artists Association are proud to present the 2023 Craven County Valentine’s Day Card Sale in the Director’s Gallery for the month of February 2023. Created by students in all grades in Craven County Schools, all proceeds are donated to Craven County art teachers for purchasing classroom supplies. This year’s sale will take place in the Director’s Gallery at Bank of the Arts for the month of February. 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. This year’s sale was made possible by funding and support from Craven Arts Council and Twin Rivers Artists Association, a local artist guild. The mission of both organizations believes in the importance of arts education, for students of all levels.
30 Years Later
Main Gallery - November 2022 - January 2023
Carol Tokarski and Jan Francoeur served as arts administrators in New Bern for many years in addition to working towards their own artistic pursuits. Jan Francoeur owned and operated Carolina Creations from 1989 to 2017. Carol Tokarski worked in nonprofit arts administration for decades, including serving as Executive Director at Craven Arts Council and Gallery for 13 years. Tokarski and Francoeur went to the same small college in Michigan, but did not know each other well until both moved to New Bern in 1989 and connected. Shortly after moving to New Bern they had a joint exhibition at the Banks of the Arts and now 30 years later, they’re exhibiting at the Bank of the Arts once again. Francoeur’s work in 30 Years Later is all about observations and painting what she loves such as gardens, architecture, travel and New Bern. This past year she experimented with a new medium, oil painting. Tokarski’s work focuses on utilizing rich colors and smooth blending to create energy and motion. She finds inspiration in nature, specifically her backyard where she paints the natural patterns she observes.
