Craven Arts Council / Bank of the Arts

05/30/2026

COURTERY POST: Are you a local musician, writer, poet, or other creative? Firefly Cafe is hosting an Open Mic tonight! Check out the post below for more details.

Don’t miss your chance to take the Firefly Stage!

From 5:30 to 8:30 tonight we’re hosting open mic night!✨🎶🎤

05/30/2026

NOW ANNOUNCING our upcoming At the Gallery Concert 2026-2027 season, featuring the music of....
Kander and Ebb performed by Tyler Griffin on September 26, 2026
Henry Mancini performed by Dale Moore on November 28, 2026
Barry Manilow performed by Ken Kennedy on January 23, 2027
Roy Orbison performed by Joe Baes on March 20, 2027
Linda Ronstadt performed by Ciara DiNapoli on May 22, 2027
Individual concert & season tickets are available for purchase at cravenarts.org, over the phone at 252-638-2577, and in-person at Bank of the Arts. Additionally - sponsorships are now available!
Join us for an incredible concert season ahead in our intimate gallery setting, located at 317 Middle Street, Downtown New Bern

05/29/2026

CALL FOR ART: APPLY NOW for our signature biennial exhibition - our Bank of the Arts National Juried Exhibition, open now until June 12th.

This exhibition features 5 categories; 2D (paintings, mixed media), Photography, Contemporary Crafts (pottery, jewelry, textiles, wood, glass and metal art), Indoor Sculpture and Outdoor Sculpture. The 2026 Bank of the Arts National Juried Exhibition offers $5,000 in awards, including the $1,500 CAC&G Permanent Collection Purchase Award. This year's show juror will be Ben Billingsley. For more information on how to apply, visit cravenarts.org - Exhibitions.

Check out the indoor sculpture below from our 2024 exhibit titled Dorian by Lawrence Feir.

05/27/2026

Introducing New Work Wednesdays! Join us on Wednesdays as we highlight new artwork in our Sales Gallery!
Meet Tracey Penrod from Goldsboro, NC. Tracey is a former English teacher, retiring from teaching in 2021. She has a variety of new artwork in our Sales Gallery, such as new jewelry and mixed media landscapes. She has a home studio now and is continuing to create new artworks like the one featured below! Come check out Tracey's work in our Sales Gallery, open Tues - Sat, 10 am - 5 pm inside Bank of the Arts.

05/26/2026

Reminder that Bank of the Arts is closed today Tuesday 5/26 in honor of Memorial Day! We will re-open tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27th at our regularly scheduled hours.

05/22/2026

Are you or someone you know interested in becoming more involved in the arts? Become a member today at cravenarts.org and learn about our membership levels and benefits, including discounts to our exhibitions, concerts, workshops and MORE!

05/21/2026

Bank of the Arts, home of the Craven Arts Council & Gallery, will be closed Tuesday, May 26th in honor of Memorial Day! We will re-open Wednesday, May 27th at our regularly scheduled hours!

05/14/2026

WCTI’s Ciara Blosser interviews our Executive Director Jon Burger about our unique Bank facility, Craven Arts origins, and our BOLD exhibition highlighting COLOR - ROY G BIV, up for the month of May!
Catch the full interview at select times below -
Saturday 5/16 at 7 pm on ABC News
Sunday 5/17 at 10:30 on Fox News

05/09/2026

Now Announcing - the winners of the Adult Category of our 2026 ROY G BIV Exhibition!

Photos in order of text:

Best in Show: CRONE-OLOGY by Christina Anderson
Best in Color RED: K-Tech by Jamal Walton
Best in Color ORANGE: Stalking Beauty by Katie Wiggs
Best in Color YELLOW: Pale of Winter by Chris Wagner
Best in Color GREEN: Fractured Frogs by Robin Melton
Best in Color BLUE: Blue Plate Special by Chris Provard
Best in Color VIOLET: Fish Bird Fish Baskets by Catherine Thornton
Best in Color BLACK: The Children of Power: Passion, Trust, Growth, Creativity, Happiness by Michaele Rose Watson
Best in Color WHITE: Blanche by Ken Hess

Honorable Mention RED: Woven by Sarah Thrasher
Honorable Mention ORANGE: 6th Grade Science Project by David Slyck
Honorable Mention YELLOW: Spring at Tryon by Jocelyn Jabukowski
Honorable Mention GREEN: They All Want by Kearstin Recchia
Honorable Mention BLUE: Weathering the Storm by Renee McGowan
Honorable Mention VIOLET: Anamesis by Allison Patton
Honorable Mention BLACK: Put on a Brave Face by Shannon Tarlton
Honorable Mention BLACK: Insomniac by Chuck Brant

Thank you to all who submitted to ROY G BIV for 2026! This exhibition will be up throughout the month of May. Visit Bank of the Arts Tues - Sat, 10 am - 5 pm to view the full display.