The aim of NCCB was to promote folk crafts through research, documentation, design development and exhibitions. Through this we hoped to recognize the work of artisans who had sustained their craft- traditions over decades.

The NCCB has been playing a critical role in the development and promotion of crafts through its support services such as regular exhibitions of folk crafts and demonstrations by artisans at work, documentation of craft production methods and designs, and surveys or mapping of crafts persons.  These events have created a greater appreciation of crafts among the people and enabled rural artisans to reach their products to an urban market- and by extension to a global market, although in a small scale.

In 1986 NCCB organized its first craft exhibition and fair, with an ‘artisans at work’ component, in the Public Library in Dhaka.  It drew the interest of students of Dhaka University as well as the wider public. Subsequently NCCB, in cooperation with other sponsors, took part in several national and international events.  In 1987 it partnered with the Commonwealth Institute London to organize a major exhibition of a wide collection of crafts from Bangladesh. Several artisans were selected to demonstrate their work during the month-long event. In 1988 the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London, in collaboration with NCCB, arranged one of the best exhibitions of Bangladesh’s textiles titled “Woven Air”, showcasing Muslin and Jamdani weaves as well as Kantha embroidery.  Arts Worldwide organized the “Festival of Bangladesh” in cooperation with NCCB on selected crafts of Bangladesh. In October 2003 the exhibition “Abaran” was held at the Bengal Gallery in Dhaka, with support from NORAD. It exhibited a wide variety of traditional handloom products of the country. Apart from an exhibition catalogue NCCB produced its first major publication, Textile Traditions of Bangladesh. NCCB, with support from UNDP, also organized an international exhibition on waist loom textiles with craftswomen from twelve Asian countries demonstrating their weaving techniques to a very large number of visitors. In 2009 NCCB undertook a Survey of Crafts in nineteen districts of Dhaka division with support from UNESCO.