The latest museums news

If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out the program offerings, schedule and registration information for the upcoming NCMC Annual Meeting & Conference, to be held March 4-7 in Fayetteville. Deadlines for award nominations, early bird discount conference fees and scholarship applications all fall before the end of this week (January 30, February 1 and February 2). Check it out today!

Events from around the state:

1). Reynolda House Museum of American Art presents Ancestry and Innovation: African American Art from the American Folk Art Museum Friday, February 1 from 7 pm-9 pm. The exhibition will open with a party for the general public featuring music, cash bar, and admission to the main floor of the historic house. For information please call 336-758-5150. Admission is $5, members and students are free.

2). The North Carolina Museum of History presents Curator's Tour: Bearing Witness: Civil Rights Photographs of Alexander Rivera on Saturday, February 2 at 1:30pm. Discover the work of N.C. native and renowned photojournalist Alexander Rivera, who captured pivotal moments in the Civil Rights movement as well as everyday life in the segregated South.

3). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences - come join us for the 11th annual Groundhog Day celebration. The free event is Saturday, February 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 pm with the shadow ceremony beginning promptly at noon out on Bicentennial Plaza (the ceremony will be held in the Museum Auditorium in case of inclement weather). Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker will join Museum educator John Connors, who will be outfitted in top hat and tails, to assist Wally with the forecast.

4). The Asheville Art Museum is taking part in the National African American Read-In on Sunday, February 3 with a book discussion of Stigmata: A Novel, the debut effort by Pulitzer Prize winning editor Phyllis Alesia Perry. Contact Nancy Sokolove at 828.253.3227 or nsokolove@ashevilleart.org for more about the book discussion.

5). The Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation has generously awarded a $5000 grant to support the Cameron Art Museum's newly-established Minnie Evans Study Center. The Center will act as the primary repository of information relating to the art and life of this North Carolina self-taught artist.

6). Visitors to the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher will have a chance to combine a day at the aquarium with a viewing of one of four classic children's films every Saturday in February. Screening will take place in the aquarium's recently upgraded 165-seat auditorium. Films will begin at 3 p.m. on Feb. 3, 10, 17 and 24. Admission to the February Family Fun Film Festival is free with an aquarium ticket.

7). The High Point Museum presents Blacksmithing Demonstrations in the Historical Park on February 2-3 and February 16-17. Come watch our costumed blacksmith in action as he crafts various iron pieces. Free. For more information, call (336) 885-1859.

8). Cape Fear Museum of History and Science will venture into uncharted waters Feb. 3, when its newest exhibit, OCEAN: Explore. Discover., opens to the public. OCEAN is an interactive, hands-on exhibition that explores cutting-edge research projects from UNCW faculty. The yearlong, temporary exhibit will offer visitors a unique perspective on the ocean. It is designed, in large part, to expose the Lower Cape Fear region to a sampling of the breadth of ocean research that takes place in its own back yard.

9). Bennett Place State Historic Site presents Civil War Cinema: Buffalo Soldiers, starring Danny Glover, on February 16 at 5:30 pm.

10). The Museum of the Albemarle will hold "Pre-Schooler Time" on Thursday, February 14, 2008 from 10:00 am until 10:45 am. Participants must be between the ages of 3 to 5 years old and must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-schoolers will learn about the symbols that represented love in the 18th Century.

11). Cape Fear Museum presents at its Learning Center: Under the Sea: What is an aquanaut? Discover the answer to this question and more as you explore ocean science. Learn why the ocean is salty and rivers are not. Play a fun shell match game and make your own sand dollar. Find out why starfish are not fish at all! February 9, 16, 23. The Learning Center is open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities are free with Museum admission. Appropriate for children ages 5 to 10. Parental participation is required.

12). Greensboro Children's Museum - Registration is now open for the Kids on the Ball & Wee Little Kids on the Ball 6 week class - ($10 registration fee) Kids on the Ball - Tuesdays - Feb. 5 - Mar. 11. Time: 5:15 - 6pm. Wee Little Kids on the Ball - Thursdays - Feb. 7 - March 13. (10:30 - 11am) and Fridays - Feb. 8 - Mar. 14. (10:30-11am). Class size is limited so sign up today!

13). During the weekend of February 22-24, the Cameron Art Museum will present the Civil War Living History Weekend and Battle of Forks Road Living History Weekend, an outstanding event that recreates the final fight to take Wilmington on February 20, 1865. This educational program affords visitors a great opportunity to learn more about the role of African American troops during the Civil War history. Step back in time with African American, Union and Confederate re-enactors, special guest speakers, and Civil War historians. The year 2008 marks the 143rd anniversary of the Battle of Forks Road, an important skirmish that preceded the fall of Wilmington during the Civil War.

14). Historic Oak View County Park - Join us on February 23 from 10-4 for the opening of the park's newest original exhibition, "Seeing the Light: How Electricity Changed Rural North Carolina." We'll have guest speakers and guided tours of the exhibit throughout the day. Visit the website for details about speaker and tour times.

15). Apply to the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) today! There's an affordable way for you to: strengthen your museum's operations, build your capacity, establish priorities. For 26 years, museums of all sizes and types have partnered with the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) to attain excellence in operations and planning. MAP is a low-cost confidential process of guided self-study that includes consultation with a museum professional. Postmark Deadline: February 15, 2008. The application and guidelines are available for download at http://www.blogger.com/www.aam-us.org/map. Questions? Contact MAP Staff at map@aam-us.org or 202-289-9118.