(From April 20-26, 2007)

We are pleased to announce that the latest, greatest NC Museums Council quarterly newsletter -- once again in full color and bigger than ever before -- is now finished and available for your review on the NCMC website. Just go to www.ncmuseums.org and click on the second item in the right-hand column. Stories, events, exhibits and people news are all available as a pdf, in this 18-page issue. Check it out!

And in other news items from across the state:

On Friday, April 27, the Museum of Coastal Carolina, Ocean Isle Beach, will preview the new Megabites! exhibit for members from 10 to noon (free), and Will and Bethany Ouimet, the museum's volunteer research and design team for the exhibit, will answer questions for all visitors from 10 to 10:30 a.m.

The Rocky Mount Arts Center has lined up several workshops and special events starting in May, including an Open Pottery Studio on multiple dates, Art Critiques, classes and lectures.

The High Point Museum's Pastimes in the Park event for Saturday, May 12 (10-4) and Sunday, May 13 (1-4 p.m.) is Silhouettes (free for members, $1 for non-members).

As the result of two recent break-ins at Old Salem Museums & Gardens, Winston-Salem, a number of items, chiefly stoneware, are likely to be appearing on the market. Some specifics: on April 9th or 10th, a break-in at the Winkler Bakery resulted in the loss of four pottery items; a subsequent break-in on April 15th resulted in the loss of 15 items from another building. One of those items, a Moody jar, was subsequently bought by a collector from a person selling from the trunk of his car -- that item has since been returned to Old Salem. Should anyone approach a museum seeking to sell such an item, it might be useful to you to know what belongs to Old Salem [note: the thieves were subsequently caught attempting to sell items to an antique store in Winston-Salem].

Illustrator and writer Consie Powell will teach nature journaling in a class at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 28th. The fee is $40; students must be at least 14 years old. Contact Barbara Beaman (Barbara.Beaman@ncmail.net or 919-733-7450, ext. 610) for more information and to find out how to access the downloadable registration form.

The Rocky Mount Arts Center is calling for entries for the 11th annual Sculpture Salmagundi (outdoor and indoor). Initial judging will be from slides or CD submissions, which must be received by May 18 (no entry fee!). Details and entry procedures are available by going to www.ci.rockymount.nc.us/artscenter, then click on Artist Opportunities.

The Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, will open "Between Taste and Travesty: Costume Designs by William Ivey Long" on April 19, continuing through October 14. Admission to the exhibition will be by accompanied, scheduled tours only. The public opening receiption will be from 4-6 p.m. on the 29th, free and open to all.

In celebration of National Preservation Month, Old Salem Museums & Gardens will host a lecture series at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays during May, in the Horton Museum Center. All events are free to the public. Subjects are as follows: May 2, Hidden Treasures: Views of the Wachovia Landscape; May 9, Preservation Issues in Wachovia; May 16, Single Sisters' House; and May 23, Restoring a Museum Community. Other events include May 12 (Gardens Day), a lecture, Salem Before & After (noon, May 19, St. Philips Brick Church), and May 19, Dedication of the 1798 David Tannenberg Organ (Single Brothers' House at 2 and 4 p.m.)

Asheville Art Museum's exhibition, "A Tale of Two Cities: Eugene Atget's Paris and Berenice Abbott's New York," opens May 25th and remains through September 16. The next two Up for Discussion topics are Ray Cass on John Cage's New River Watercolors (April 27) and Robin Dreyer performing three John Cage works (May 11) -- both events from 6-7:30 p.m.

A Fashionable Past, for ages 5-8 with adult, is on tap at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 2 at the N.C. Museum of History (919-807-7969 to register).

The "Bartram's Journey" exhibit opens at the Mountain Heritage Center, WCU, Cullowhee on May 14th, through August 20.

The "Rites of Spring" will be celebrated at the Alexander Homesite, Charlotte Museum of History, from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 5.

The Greensboro Children's Museum will celebrate Cinco de Mayo on May 5 from 9-5 (regular admission). The Mommy's Day Masterpieces event is set for May 11 from 4-5 p.m. (extra fee charged; pre-registration and information: 574-2898). Also: open 1-5 p.m. for Mother's Day -- all mothers, free admission.

The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher has children's discovery time, "Crabs," at 10 a.m. on May 3, and a Behind the Scenes Tour the same day at 11:30 a.m. Breakfast with the Fishes (8 a.m.), Surf Fishing Workshop (9 a.m.) and Salt Marsh & Crabbing (2 p.m.) are on May 5th.

Tryon Palace, New Bern, will screen "Cold Mountain" at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1; Saturday, May 5 will include a Box & Cox performance (11 a.m.) and the subject for Home School Day that day is "From Slavery to Freedom."

Thursday, May 8th, the Weatherspoon Gallery, Greensboro, will show "Annie Liebovitz: Life Through a Lens" at 7 p.m.

The 54th Annual Home & Garden Tour, "Celebrating the Arts," is set for Thursday, April 26th through Sunday, April 29th -- proceeds benefit the Mint Museums, Charlotte. For details and ticket prices, see www.themintmuseums.org/homeandgarden.

James B. Gardner, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, co-author of The AAM Guide to Collections Planning, an AAM bestseller, will conduct a workshop on collections planning for North Carolina State Historic Sites. Because some spaces remain available, NC State Historic Sites is opening this workshop to other museums. The free workshop will be held in the Orientation Room of the Roundhouse at the NC Transportation Museum, Spencer, on Monday, May 7. Registration will begin at 8:30; the workshop, at 9:00. Morning refreshments will be provided, and we will break for about 45 minutes for a box lunch. Refreshments and the box lunch are $7.00. The session should conclude about 3:30. The workshop will also include a free copy of The AAM Guide to Collections Planning. There is room for 25, and it will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please respond by Monday, April 30th. If you have any questions about the workshop or advice about hotels, please feel free to contact Martha Battle Jackson, N.C. Division of Historic Sites and Properties, 4620 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4620; martha.jackson@ncmail.net; Fax: 919-733-9515.

Larry Clark with the History Museum of Burke County, Morganton, supplied an image of a cast-iron ball, measuring about 5" in diameter, with a plug, under which is the marking "12 LB." It was dug up in a garden in Burke County, though no one is cognizant of any Civil War or other battles being held in the county (not that there has to be a battle in order for a ball to be buried there .....). If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts about the mystery ball, please correspond directly with Larry at clarklarry@bellsouth.net.