December Exhibitions
Main Gallery
Mini MasterpiecesFor the month of December, Mini Masterpieces featured artworks of all styles and mediums, so long as the work was 5"x7"x5"or smaller. The artists were tasked to enter up to 25 pieces, unique or identical to each other. This exhibition featured small paintings, photographs, earrings, keychains, small sculptures, prints, and more! Mini Masterpieces offered artists with a unique sales opportunity, and provide visitors and the community with a unique artist market for the holiday season.
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Director's Gallery
Gary NemcoskyCraven Arts Council & Gallery presented the works of local watercolor artist Gary Nemcosky for the month of December. This exhibition will feature Nemcosky’s vibrant watercolor portraits, based off of photographs he captures. An opening reception for this exhibition will be held at Artwalk on Friday, December 12th, 5 - 8 pm.
Gary Nemcosky is an artist and retired art educator from southeast Virginia. After a stint in the United States Air Force, he attended West Virginia University, learning from Tom Nakashima and Dave Faber. Nemcosky then studied under Paul Hartley, Clarence Morgan and Ed Reep at East Carolina University and then took time for post graduate Art History at the University of Cincinnati for 2 years. He taught in the Art Department at Appalachian State University from 1989 through 2020. For the past 15 years, Nemcoksy has focused exclusively on watercolor, often portraying portraits of local residents of New Bern and more. He currently resides in Trent Woods, North Carolina, with his wife and daughter, Ann and Hannah, and dog, Quincy. |
November Exhibitions
Main Gallery
We were proud to host the works of over 60 artists featured on the 2025 New Bern Artist Studio Tour. In its eighth year running, and first year with Craven Arts, we are proud to host this exhibition for the first two weeks of November. This exhibition will feature a variety of 2D and 3D artworks, including but not limited to, oil paintings, pastels, watercolor, woodworking, fabric & texture artwork, and more. The New Bern Artists Studio Tour is dedicated to exposing our thriving visual arts community to locals and visitors alike. Families, visitors, students, and neighbors will have the opportunity to visit artists studios and directly engage with artists, gain insights about their creative practices, deepen their appreciation for the arts, and make lasting connections that will strengthen the community as a whole. The
New Bern Artist Tour is free to attend! Visit 10 stops on the tour and receive a special yearly pin! This tour is self-guided and takes place at a variety of places around New Bern. Please stay tuned for the November 2026 Studio Tour! |
Director's Gallery
Janet Fischer is a textile, drawing, and surface design artist based out of Eastern North Carolina. Speaking on her work, she states “The work in this exhibit has been inspired by the natural world surrounding me….All have found a place in my work as it has evolved over the years.”. Her work mixes traditional textile patterns and repetition with representations of the natural world and floral and fauna within it. “It might have been watching the red tail hawk out my studio window as he was hunting that inspired me to work with feathers as a subject in my tapestries and drawings--finding a well hidden rabbit's nest in my garden, watching my chickens, the fish in my pond and living all the time with multiple dogs and cats” says Fisher. Fischer received her Bachelors of Fine Arts & Masters of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University and taught for many years at East Carolina University (ECU) School of Art and Design in the textile program as well as working as an administrator. Additionally, she is also one of thirty lifetime juried members of Piedmont Craftsmen, Winston Salem, N.C.
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October Exhibitions
Main Gallery
I'm Not Playing: American Racism and Marginalizing BlacknessI'm Not Playing: American Racism and Marginalizing Blackness was a solo exhibition by David Byre-Tyre, featuring conceptual 3D sculptures with themes related to African - American history and identity.
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Director's Gallery
Mum's the WordWith New Bern’s annual Mumfest brings thousands of visitors to the downtown area for fun, shopping, and entertainment, Craven Arts Council annually hosts Mum’s the Word, an art exhibition and contest to select artwork for the next year’s Mumfest. There will be a youth category. The winner will receive a prize of $200 and their piece will be featured on t-shirts, bags, banners, and other promotional items for the 2026 celebration.
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September Exhibitions
With nearly one hundred members, this exhibition featured images taken by the Coastal Photo Club of New Bern, North Carolina. With photography from here in eastern North Carolina to a variety of countries across the globe, each artist was invited to submit up to two images to display. 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. The Coastal Photo Club was established in 1991 as New Bern Camera Club by Elizabeth Dunn. The group participates and organizes exhibitions for its members at local galleries and spaces, including the New Bern Public Library and the Bank of the Arts.
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Craven Arts Council & Gallery was proud to host Paintings & Miniatures by Elizabeth Conley in the Director's Gallery this fall. Elizabeth Conley is a retired teacher, art therapist and licensed clinical counselor from Maine. Growing up near the ocean inspired her paintings of the sea, and she enjoyed utilizing a variety provided materials for her craft projects. She enjoys exploring a variety of mediums to express her appreciation of the natural world.
Painting & Miniatures capture a moment in time, a memory, an experience, and a wish for calm. Her work has received a variety of awards and is included in private collections throughout the east coast and Canada. |
August Exhibitions
Grit & Grace: Stories from the Southern Soul created by mixed media artist Eric McRay, based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. This exhibition was displayed in the Main Gallery of Bank of the Arts for the months of July & August, and uses collage on board, paper, and canvas to explore visual storytelling inspired by African American, Biblical, art history, and pop culture. Grit & Grace: Stories from the Southern Soul features a collection of collages depicting African American life with pop culture and contemporary influences. Eric McRay exhibits powerful portraits of survival, memory and home. These works honor the strength of overlooked communities while challenging simplified images of Southern Black identity. With grit and grace, this exhibition tells a story of endurance, beauty, and cultural pride—one fragment at a time.
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In August, we were proud to display the works of local photographer Jennings Mitchell in our Director’s Gallery. Kinston native and East Carolina University alumni, Jennings Mitchell, most enjoys photographing country scenes and people representing Eastern North Carolina’s beauty and heritage. Beginning his art career as the family photographer as a child, Mitchell has since expanded his portfolio with wedding photography, studio imaging, and architectural photography for company portfolios. “A perfect day for me,” Jennings explains, “is pulling off down country roads and seeing that ‘meant to be’ photograph-and bringing back in my camera as much of that as I can.”
Check out his website at jenningsmitchellphotography.com and meet the artist at the opening reception! |
July Exhibition
For the monthly of July, we were proud to host Japan in Black in White by Tom McCabe in our Director's Gallery exhibition. Inspired by a 5 year stay near Iwakuni, Japan, photographer Tom McCabe showcases Japanese culture in a series of 20 prints, carefully chosen from over a thousand black and white film negatives. McCabe’s early art practices included drawing and painting, however he soon moved to photography with a Kodak Brownie in his later youth. Tom McCabe is a retired Marine born in Chicago, Illinois. Now residing here in New Bern, North Carolina, he is a member of the Coastal Photo Club, and exhibits yearly in the group exhibition at the Bank of the Arts.
Featuring photography on film of his 5-year stay in Honshu, Japan from 1997 – 2001, Tom McCabe showcased Japanese culture through 20 gelatin prints processed in the darkroom for his solo exhibition Japan in Black and White. Throughout the duration of his time in Japan, he taught basic photography and darkroom classes as he explored Japanese culture, noting the culture clash of western influence in dress and urban architecture. McCabe exclusively selected 20 prints from over a thousand undeveloped negativities to showcase the vibrant country of Japan in black and white.
Featuring photography on film of his 5-year stay in Honshu, Japan from 1997 – 2001, Tom McCabe showcased Japanese culture through 20 gelatin prints processed in the darkroom for his solo exhibition Japan in Black and White. Throughout the duration of his time in Japan, he taught basic photography and darkroom classes as he explored Japanese culture, noting the culture clash of western influence in dress and urban architecture. McCabe exclusively selected 20 prints from over a thousand undeveloped negativities to showcase the vibrant country of Japan in black and white.
June Exhibitions
Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th every year and commemorates the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in the state of Texas, two and a half years after the Civil War. In honor of this historic celebration of freedom in the South, local African American artists presented artworks with themes showcasing their African American heritage and cultural expression. This year's exhibition was curated by artist Diamond Campbell and featured artists included Crystal Felton, Kandyce Quintero, Tyrone Brown, Chrystal Fonville, Lee Hood, Edward Hood Jr., Tony Graves, Edith Graves, Ceven Bryant, and Diamond Campbell.
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Starting off her creative journey painting with watercolor and charcoal sketches as a child, Christina Carroll has always enjoyed being amongst artists, taking classes, and trying different techniques and mediums.
She has most recently been absorbing pastel painting with yummy soft pastels and varieties of sanded and plain paper. This practice has turned into a passion for her, painting with pastels and the feel of pastel color gliding across the paper to build up colors in skin and hair, greens and purples in a forest scene, and lots of blues in the sky and water in an evening scene. Each new surface makes it event more exciting and challenging. Carroll is also a member of TRAA in New Bern, the Piedmont Pastel Society, and the Appalachian Pastel Society. |
May Exhibitions
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Main Gallery
ROY G BIV is an exhibition created by Craven Arts Council & Gallery showcasing the use of color. Each artist will receive a 12” x 12” cradled board and draw a random color. Each work will utilize hues, shades, tints and tones of that color as the primary palate for the work. Each panel in the Main Gallery at Bank of the Arts will be filled with works featuring that color, creating a rainbow that moves across the gallery. Colors selected for the exhibition will be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet (purple), white, and black. Works will be judged for a chance to win one of over twenty prizes, and artist
may sell their work on a 60/40 split in the artist’s favor. |
Director's Gallery
Craven Arts Council & Gallery was proud to present the work of New Bern High School students in the Director’s Gallery for the month of May. This exhibition features exceptional student art work from the art department and Art Honors Society at New Bern High School. Work is selected from students who have shown a great ability and dedication to growing as artists. Artworks represent their thought process for tackling certain thematic goals. Students brainstorm and visually plan for each piece, with the goal of effectively communicating their themes to their viewers.
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April Exhibitions
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Main Gallery
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Director's Gallery
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Craven Arts Council & Gallery is proud to host the 2025 Twin Rivers Artists Association & Craven Community College Judged Exhibition this April at Bank of the Arts. This exhibition is open to current members of the Twin Rivers Artists Association, and students enrolled in arts classes at Craven Community College in the spring 2025 semester. Cash awards for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention. One cash award for outstanding student.
The Twin Rivers Artists Association (TRAA) exists to promote and encourage the creation, education, and appreciation of fine art in the region. . 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 (CCC) , in order to encourage the creation and exhibition of local art. Works on display will include painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, and mixed media. |
As someone who prefers the artwork to speak for itself, Chris Bennett is a lifelong artist and a recently retired art educator at New Bern High School. Bennett’s recent work reflects in his new inspirations in pop surrealism, humor, and social commentary. His work can best be described as featuring cartoonism, eccentricsim, iconography, and deep pulls on art history to inspire his work. Often using bold colors, his artwork titles often includes a play of subject matter. Featured above is his recent work, Specialty of the House.
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March Exhibitions
Main Gallery
eARTh celebrated spring beginnings and featured an open call for artworks such as wooden homegoods, canvas landscapes, pastel abstracts, 3D wall sculptures, and more. This exhibition encouraged the use of natural, recycled, or repurposed items ahead of spring, however all artworks must be centered on the Earth theme. eARth featured artwork from all ages and a reception was hosted during the March ArtWalk from 5 – 8 pm on Friday, March 14th at the Bank of the Arts.
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Director's Gallery
The annual Private and Home Schooled Student Exhibition features artwork created by students in art classes from local classrooms such as Epiphany Global School, Art House, St. Paul's Catholic School Annunciation Catholic School, and various home schools across the county. Their work will be featured in the Director's Gallery for the month of March, ranging from hanging sculptures, colored drawings, paintings, and more! Art has been shown to have an integral beneficial effect onyouth 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 platform to exhibit their works in a gallery setting.
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February Exhibitions
Main Gallery
Straddling the Line by BF Reed
BF Reed is an award-winning artist originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reed has always been an artist; she began drawing as a preschooler where “she could often be found with a pencil in hand.” Upon completing her BFA at the Tyler School of Art, Reed launched her professional career as a Medical Illustrator at Temple University’s Medical School. There, she created detailed images of animal and human biological and surgical information. Soon after, she started a career as a Graphic Designer and designed marketing logos, brochures, and magazines for an assortment of major entertainment events. As an educator, Reed shared her diverse artistic experience with her students, encouraging them to unlock their imaginations.
Straddling the Line encompassed a variety of styles and mediums, as Reed showcased her watercolor, pastel, and acrylic artworks in this solo exhibition. Her work can be found at New Elements Gallery in Wilmington, NC, and Centerpiece Gallery in Raleigh, NC. |
Director's Gallery
Put Yourself in My Shoes by Donna Slade
Donna Slade is a contemporary realist artist who works primarily in colored pencils. She has enjoyed a 30-year award-winning career in advertising, art direction, design, and illustration. Donna has earned local and international recognition, recently winning the Grand Prize in People & Figures contest sponsored by the International Artist magazine. She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions and her work has been published in The International Artist Magazine, The Best of Colored Pencil, Colored Pencil Society of America Signature Showcase, and more, as well as several
regional and local magazines. Put Yourself in My Shoes was an exhibition addressing the differences between individuals and perception to one another. “If we are able to see the whole person without judgment of cultural opinions or situations, listen and have empathy, we might see each other in a different way.” says Slade. |
January Exhibitions
Main Gallery |
Director's Gallery |
ReNew |
2025 Valentine's Card Fundraiser |
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As we are dedicated to providing artist opportunities and our growing membership base, ReNew, our members-only exhibition was featured in our Main Gallery for the month of January. This exhibition was open to all current members of Craven Arts Council & Gallery, and to any medium, style, or process. ReNew is an opportunity to showcase the creativity and work of our supporters, and highlight their role and importance in helping Craven Arts Council and Gallery to fulfil our mission.
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Craven Arts Council and the Twin Rivers Artists Association are proud to present the 2025 Craven County Valentine’s Day Card Sale in the Director's Gallery for the month of January 2025. Created by art students in all grades in Craven County Schools, all proceeds are donated to Craven County art teachers for purchasing classrooms supplies. This year’s sale will take place in the Main Gallery at Bank of the Arts 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. 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.
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