Smart Kinston Foundation

08/27/2026

✍️One week from today! Join smART artist/Neuse News Managing Editor/Author/Local ARTbeat app creator Kristy Kelly for a new writer’s group at the library on Thursday, September 3rd.

We are delighted to have Neuse News' Kristy Kelly join us in September as we launch a brand-new Writer's Group program! We invite passionate writers to join us once a month to learn from their peers and receive guidance. Both beginners and experts are welcome.

Call the Information Services Department at 252.527.7066 ext. 134 for more information!

08/24/2026

🎷ICYMI: CALL FOR NC-BASED ARTISTS🎷

Our final gallery exhibit of the year pays homage to Kinston’s role in music history.

A riff on a Maceo Parker quote, 2% Jazz. 98% Funky Stuff: A Visual Compendium of Kinston’s Music History asks artists to explore a piece of our vast music history via portraiture, biographical imagery, or other similar interpretations of our music culture.

Submission Deadline: 10/1/2026

For more info and submission details visit our website: https://www.smartkinston.com/call-for-artists

(Want some inspiration? Visit our music park. And no exhibits were permanently flyer-ed for the making of this social media post)

08/21/2026

First of a monthly series of adult art programming with our friends at the library!

Up next ➡️ The Art of Sound: Visually Exploring Kinston’s Music History with Jamil Burton on 9/17

08/19/2026

☀️It’s hot. It’s Wednesday. You know what to do. Go eat ice cream Tundratown to support The Line Action Sports Park Kinston. A portion of the proceeds today (and every Wednesday until October 1st) help support the completion of the park. It’s that easy.

🍦You can design your own ice cream sandwich, try the weekly sundae flavor, or just stick with plain vanilla. And when you do go, drop your own happy ice cream face pics in the comments! We wanna see them! ⬇️

08/18/2026

📸 Are you a photographer? Are you someone who takes a really good photo with your phone? Do you love to highlight the spots that make Lenoir County special? Submit your work to Community Council for the Arts-Kinston, NC to be part of a new calendar project!

Beauty of Lenoir County Photography Contest

Official Rules

Presented by Community Council for the Arts (CCA) and Pawsitive Change

Community Council for the Arts and Pawsitive Change are proud to present the Beauty of Lenoir County Photography Contest!

We invite photographers of all experience levels to help us celebrate the people, places, landscapes, and moments that make Lenoir County special.

Selected photographs will be featured in the 2027 Beauty of Lenoir County Calendar.

ELIGIBILITY

● The contest is open to everyone. No professional photography experience is required.
● Each person may submit one photograph.
● The photograph must have been taken in Lenoir County, North Carolina.
● Entries must be the original work of the person submitting the photograph.
● Photographs may be taken with a traditional camera or smartphone.
● AI-generated or AI-created photographs are not eligible.
● Basic photo editing, including cropping and adjustments to brightness, contrast, and color, is permitted. Images should still accurately represent the original photograph.
● By entering, the photographer confirms that they have permission to submit and publish the photograph, including permission from recognizable individuals when applicable.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Show us Lenoir County through your eyes!

Your photograph can showcase anything that you feel captures the beauty, character, or spirit of Lenoir County. This could include our people, downtowns, countryside, farms, nature, the Neuse River, architecture, history, arts and culture, food, festivals, pets and animals, local landmarks, hidden gems, or everyday moments that make our community special.

There are no separate categories. We simply want to see what Beauty of Lenoir County means to you.

HOW TO ENTER

Email your photograph to [email protected] by 12:00 noon on September 12, 2026.

Please include:

● Your full name
● Address
● Phone number
● A short description or story about your photograph
● Where in Lenoir County the photograph was taken

There is no entry fee.

JUDGING & SELECTION

The first 200 eligible photographs received will be considered for inclusion in the 2027 Beauty of Lenoir County Calendar.

A judging committee selected by CCA and Pawsitive Change will review the entries.

Photographs will be judged on:

● Overall visual impact
● Creativity and originality
● Quality and composition
● Connection to Lenoir County
● How well the photograph celebrates the beauty, character, and spirit of our community

Selected photographs will be featured throughout the 2027 Beauty of Lenoir County Calendar, with one photograph selected for the calendar cover.

The decisions of the judges are final.

PHOTO REQUIREMENTS

Photographs should be submitted in the highest resolution available to ensure the best possible print quality.

CCA and Pawsitive Change may request the original, full-resolution image from selected photographers before publication.

Photographs containing inappropriate, offensive, copyrighted, or otherwise unsuitable material will not be considered.

USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS

Photographers retain ownership of their photographs.

By entering the contest, participants grant Community Council for the Arts and Pawsitive Change permission to reproduce, publish, display, and promote their submitted photograph in connection with the Beauty of Lenoir County Photography Contest and Calendar, including use in the calendar, websites, social media, promotional materials, exhibitions, and related publicity.

Photographers whose work is selected will be credited by name whenever practical.

CALENDAR PROCEEDS

The Beauty of Lenoir County Photography Contest and 2027 Calendar are presented by Community Council for the Arts and Pawsitive Change.

Proceeds from calendar sales will benefit both organizations and their work in our community.

ENTRY DEADLINE

September 12, 2026 at 12:00 Noon

Send your entry to:

[email protected]

Community Council for the Arts
400 N. Queen Street
Kinston, NC 28501

artkinston.com

Celebrate Lenoir County. Share your view. Show us what makes this place beautiful!

08/13/2026

Congrats to Joanne McCobb & Annelise Brady on another successful summer camp season spent teaching some of Kinston’s youngest emerging artists at Community Council for the Arts-Kinston, NC!

08/12/2026

New art (and candles) by Jamil Burton at the Mother Earth Brewing taproom tonight!

Barrels, Blades & Beats event details ➡️ https://facebook.com/events/s/barrels-blades-beats/2270890833675144/

08/06/2026

Are you a local artist interested in participating in Printapalooza, our celebration of all things print coming this October with our pals Community Council for the Arts-Kinston, NC & Art 105 Kinston, NC but you want a little more info or have some questions about transforming your original work into prints?

We have an info session for that! And it’s tonight 8/6 6PM at Community Council for the Arts.

Want more details on Printapalooza? Event link in the comments ⬇️

08/05/2026

On Wednesdays, we eat ice cream! Remember that thanks to our friends Tundratown EVERY Wednesday from now until October 1st all you have to do is go eat delicious ice cream and a portion of the sales will be donated to The Line Action Sports Park Kinston!

It all adds up! Funds like these really help with the screws and nails and miscellaneous pieces that are necessary to keep the project moving forward!