Johnston County Arts Council

05/26/2026

The 42nd year of Music for the Lunch Bunch begins June 17th and is back this year with six scheduled performance dates. The Music for the Lunch Bunch is a series of summer concerts held every Wednesday, at 12:15 pm, featuring local artists performing a variety of music, with particular emphasis on classical music. The concert series is grassroots funded by the Johnston County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council. There is no admission charge but donations are accepted. ALL performances will be at the First Presbyterian Church in Smithfield.

05/22/2026

Summer Art classes return to Benson Parks and Recreation in June and July! Check out the flyer in this post for more info!

📝 To register, head over to instructor Allie Cocolin-Tracy's page or Instagram and message her.

▶️ Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/allie.cocolintracy

▶️ Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/whimsicalimpressionsbyallie/

☎️ Need help signing up? Call Parks at 919-894-5117

05/12/2026

Enter Art and Photography Exhibition for America250- Johnston County

05/12/2026

Art and Photography Exhibition
June 26-28, 2026
Tart Building, Johnston Community College
Theme: “Everyday Life in Johnston County”
Johnston County’s America250 Fairon June 27 and the production of the musical 1776, June 26, 27, and 28,will feature an exhibition of artists’ works in painting and photography categories. The theme is “Everyday Life in Johnston County, Past and Present”

CALENDAR:
• All entry formsmust be received by June 15, 2026.
• Notification of inclusion in the exhibition will be sent to the artist no later than June 22, 2026.
• Delivery of artwork will be Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 1:00 until 3:00 pm at Great Hall of Paul A. Johnston Auditorium, Tart Building, Johnston Community College, located at 269 College Road, Smithfield, NC.
• Pickup all artwork at the end of the event on Sunday, June 28, 2026,between 3:30and 6:00 pm.
CATEGORIES:
In order to be eligible for competition in this show, original artwork must not have been previously awarded a prize. Artists must be 18 years of age or older.

PAINTING CATEGORY:oils, acrylics, watercolors, colored pencils, pastels, pencil, charcoal, and pen and ink.

PHOTOGRAPHY:artistic photography, digital or traditional.
Note: The Johnston County Committee for America250NC and the Johnston County Arts Council reserve the right to photograph all entries and use any images for publicity or reject any entry that is deemed not suitable for display. See less

05/12/2026

Opportunity for all Johnston County Artists:
2027 Artist Support Grants
Application opens: June 1, 2026
Our website will be updated with all relevant links here: https://unitedarts.org/grants/artist-support-grants/
Application deadline: September 1, 2026
Notifications: December 2026
Grant Period: January 1, 2027 - December 31, 2027

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

Join us as Benson Foundation for the Arts present another afternoon of Author's Voice. Coming up in January we'll have Leo Daughtry. Mr. Daughtry is an attorney from Smithfield who has served both the NC Senate and as House Majority and Minority leader. He will be speaking about his novel Talmadge Farms. (It's 1957, and to***co is king. Wealthy landowner Gordon Talmadge enjoys the lavish lifestyle he inherited but doesn't like getting his hands dirty; he leaves that to the two sharecroppers - one white, one Black - who farm his to***co but have bigger dreams for their own children. While Gordon takes no interest in the lives of his tenant farmers, a brutal attack between his son and the sharecropper children sets off a chain of events that leaves no one unscathed. Over the span of a decade, Gordon struggles to hold on to his family's legacy as the old order makes way for a New South). See you there!

12/11/2025

A new exhibition opens December 1 at The Clayton Center, featuring local artists John Alese and David Lennon. Meet the artists at a free reception on Thursday 11. 6:00-7:30pm.