Michael von Graffenried

'Our Town' photographic series of New Bern

October 19th at 6 pm

Join us as Michael von Graffenried, a descendent of Christoph von Graffenried who founded New Bern, goes over his series Our Town. Our Town is Michael Von Graffenreid photographic portrait of New Bern, a small city in North Carolina with a population of 30,000, conspicuously composed of 55% white and 33% black citizens. It was here in 1710 that Christoph von Graffenried of Bern, Switzerland, first began building houses at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers; the fledgling town took on the name of his home city. Taken over a period of 15 years, Michael von Graffenried’s photos are neither overly formal compositions nor fleeting snapshots, but patient images of everyday life showing understanding and no judgment of his subjects.

Tony Salem on Lebanese settlement in New Bern

In the early 1900’s many Lebanese families immigrated to the United States including North Carolina seeking economic opportunities. Kahlil Gibran and his family were a part of this diaspora settling in Boston in 1895. At the start of the 20th century, New Bern hosted a large Lebanese population which has continued to impact the economy and culture of New Bern ever since. Tony Salem is a New Bern native who is a CPA and managing partner at Salem, Smith, Register and Knott, PLLC as well as a descendent of one of these immigrants.  Tony will be discussing the Lebanese immigration as well as his own personal history growing up in New Bern. ​

Simon Spalding on the music score for Flight

Composer and musician Simon Spalding presents an informal discussion of the music score for “Flight”, a drama based on the lives and work of Wilbur and Orville Wright, as well as their talented sister Katharine. “Flight” is Spalding’s second collaboration with playwright Bill Hand.  Their musical “Honour”, set in New Bern in 1802, was performed in 2020 and 2022.  Simon will discuss how their collaboration was different for the new show, and how the two of them combined music and poetry from 1880-1910 with their own original tunes and lyrics. Simon will illustrate his program with examples of music from the show, singing and playing a mandolin similar to the mandolin owned and played by Orville Wright.  “Flight” incorporates music from Scott Joplin, John Phillips Sousa, Harry Dacres, and other composers of the era, as well as poetry from Paul Laurence Dunbar, Ohio’s great African-American poet. Along the way, Simon will share anecdotes about the Wrights, and about the process of writing the score for a musical.

Dan Elliott on engaging communities through letterpress

Dan Elliott is a designer that believes graphic design has the power to affect change. He strives to create culturally relevant and authentically designed artifacts that communicate and solve problems. Dan often collaborates with non-profit organizations allowing their often-unnoticed voice to be heard. He has worked professionally as a graphic designer in Chapel Hill and Chicago, with clients ranging from large financial institutions to an independent skateboard maker. He currently works as an Associate Professor in Graphic Design and First Year Courses at East Carolina University.

 Jan Francoeur and Carol Tokarski nonprofit/profit in the arts

Carol Tokarski and Jan Francoeur are two past arts administrators in New Bern who now primarily focus on their artistic pursuits. During their lecture they will be discussing nonprofit and for profit arts organizations as well as their artistic methods and mediums. 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. Jan Francoeur opened, owned and operated Carolina Creations from 1989 to 2018. Carol Tokarski worked in nonprofit arts administration for decades, including serving as Executive Director at Craven Arts Council and Gallery for 13 years. 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. Tokarski’s work focuses on utilizing rich colors and smooth blending to create energy and motion. 

Karen Schaaf on Watercolor Art

This October Little Talks will feature local watercolor artist Karen Noll Schaaf. Join her as she leads you through a discussion on the current WSNC 2022 National Exhibition currently on display in the Main Gallery. Learn more about the medium of watercolor and what goes into creating a competitive work from both an artist’s and juror’s perspective. An internationally award-winning artist and instructor, Karen has been awarded signature status in the National Watercolor Society, the Southern Watercolor Society, the Georgia Watercolor Society, and the Watercolor Society of North Carolina. She is currently featured in Splash 23: The Best of Watercolor magazine. Her painting Joculare is one of the works accepted into the current exhibition.

Jill Eberle: Beyond Features Making Portraits

​Jill Eberle is a local painter known for her captivating portraits. She has a Master’s in Fine Arts from East Carolina University where she later taught many courses including painting, artistic anatomy, and drawing. Eberle’s work examines the results of human interactions – the consequences we, as humans, encounter by trying to balance our autonomy with the roles society assigns us, or our independent lives with our intimate ones. Jill Eberle believes that portraits tug at the treads of personal narratives, allowing stories to be recalled, rewoven, and contextualized. Jill will have several portraits on display in the Main Gallery for the Craven Arts Council’s exhibition Face to Face: Seeing Community in March.

Stephen Zawistowski on his process

Craven Arts Council & Gallery is proud to present the fourth Little Talks lecture in the Main Gallery at the Bank of the Arts. The upcoming Little Talks lecture will be given by Stephen Zawistowski, a local sculptor who will be discussing his creative process and the influence animals have on his work. ​Stephen Zawistowski of Stephen Z Metal Designs is a local artist who uses steel to create one of a kind pieces. The first time Stephen saw an ironworker forge two pieces of steel together he was immediately captivated and inspired to create work utilizing those same techniques.  He is heavily influenced by nature often finding inspiration from animals and creating metal sculptures of critters of all kinds. Instead of directly replicating nature, he instead reflects the essence of nature through his pieces. His piece Blue Crab is currently on display in the Critters Exhibition in the Main Gallery at the Bank of the Arts.

Toni and Sami Taglieri on the life and work of Willie Taglieri

The upcoming Little Talks lecture will be given by Toni Taglieri speaking about her father, Willie Taglieri, a well-known muralist in the area and whose work will be featured in the Main Gallery of the Bank of the Arts. 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. 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. Toni and Sami Taglieri will be discussing her father’s work as well as his life.

Lee Hood on Art Reproduction

​Our second lecturer will be Lee Hood, local artist known around town for both his work and the process with which he creates his work, painting outside. Lee Hood’s work has been featured in many local exhibitions, including exhibitions at the Bank of the Arts. Lee is an avid painter who often creates prints of his work. He will be discussing the process of reproducing work and creating prints of paintings at the Little Talks lecture. Visit Bank of the Arts or cravenarts.org to purchase your tickets. 

Ed Macomber on Art Restoration

The first lecturer will be Ed Macomber, President of the Twin River’s Artist Association, discussing techniques in art restoration. Known to many in New Bern as the original owner of the local artist supply store “Arts and Materials,” Ed Macomber’s work has been featured in local, regional, and national exhibitions. Working primarily in watercolor, Macomber’s paintings reflect both brilliance of color and discipline of line and brush stroke, which gives Ed’s art a unique style and verve. Macomber has been restoring artwork for many years and was recently commissioned by Craven County to restore a painting of the Earl of Craven.