ncmuseums

An occasional list of exhibits, programs, and events at North Carolina museums. Sponsored by the North Carolina Museums Council.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Events from around the state:

1). The Ackland Art Museum presents an exhibition of new works by the graduating class of Master of Fine Arts students at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "New Currents in Contemporary Art" (April 12 - May 11, 2008) includes paintings, sculpture, installation, video, and color photography by emerging artists noted for their fresh perceptions of contemporary life, innovative use of media and techniques, and attention to craftsmanship.

2). Greensboro Children's Museum : Stop by our Community Center on Friday, April 11th (3-8pm) & Saturday, April 19th (10-3pm) to meet local artist Virginia Kassay. Virginia has an 8-year old daughter, Emily, who is autistic. Through her paintings, Virginia has found a special way to communicate with Emily. She will be exhibiting some of her paintings, as well as working on an original piece.

3). N.C. Museum of History presents "Cherokee Pottery: People of One Fire" from April 11-July 27, 2008. Presenting artifacts from 4,500 years ago to the present, "Cherokee Pottery" documents continuity and change in the Cherokee pottery tradition. The exhibit is a collaboration among the Cherokee Heritage Center in Oklahoma and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Cherokee Potters Guild, and Research Laboratories of Archaeology at UNC-Chapel Hill and Western Carolina University in North Carolina. "Cherokee Pottery" showcases past and present North Carolina potters and their efforts to connect with and assist the Western Band of Cherokee Indians in the revitalization of traditional pottery methods.

4). President James K. Polk State Historic Site: Historian Walter Borneman author of "Polk: The Man who Transformed the Presidency and America," will discuss his book on Thursday, April 10 at the site in Pineville. From 7-8 p.m., Borneman will trace the 11th president's life and career, emphasizing how he became a decisive statesman whose near doubling of America's boundaries and broadening of executive powers redefined the country, as well as its highest office. Afterward, the author will sign copies of "Polk." This public program is free though pre-registration is required by April 1. It is a N.C. Department of Cultural Resources "Telling Our Stories" event.

5). Hickory Museum of Art presents Gallery Talk, Thursday, April 17, 6 - 7:30 PM, at the Hickory Museum of Art's Shuford Gallery. Doug Marlette's KUDZU comic strip wrestled joyfully with what it means to be Southern today. Join curator Dr. Tom Hanchett in an exploration of Marlette's work as featured in "Comic Stripped: A Revealing Look at Southern Stereotypes in Cartoons" - an exhibition on display at Charlotte's Levine Museum of the New South through May 25. Presented in conjunction with HMA's exhibition "Doug Marlette: His Art and His Words - From 'Kudzu' to 'The Bridge.'"

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Events from around the state:

1). Museum of the Albemarle: On Thursday, April 3, 2008, at 7:00 pm, Bill Cody from the United States Coast Guard will be on hand to discuss the history of the US Cutter Service, Lifesaving Service, and the state of today's Coast Guard. This program is part of the museum's Historic Roundtable Series.

2). Asheville Art Museum: North Carolina Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer will read selections from her work at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, March 30, at the Asheville Art Museum. This event is free to the public and is held in conjunction with the exhibition "Nace Brock: Painter, Poet and Photographer," which will be on view in the Museum's Holden Community Gallery through Sunday, April 27.

3). Reynolda House Museum of American Art invites elementary school-aged children accompanied by an adult to a "Dots on Pots" Family First Workshop on Sunday, April 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. Use paint to brighten even the most ordinary household objects, including plates, baskets, and light plate switches. For information and to make the required reservation, please call 336-758-5389. Cost is $7 per person.

4). McColl Center for Visual Art invites the public to a closing reception for the 2008 Winter Artist-in-Residence and 11-month Affiliate Artists. McColl Center continues to advance artists and community through dynamic residencies and educational programs based in contemporary art as exhibited by this diverse group of regional and international artists. The event is Friday, March 21, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and is free.

5). Cameron Art Museum: "Robert Delford Brown: Meat, Maps and Militant Metaphysics" opens at the Cameron Art Museum on March 28 and remains on view through August 3, 2008. This is the artist's first solo museum exhibition.

6). The High Point Museum presents a Blacksmithing Demonstration in the Historical Park on April 5th, 10-4 and April 6th, 1-4. Come watch our costumed blacksmith in action as he crafts various iron pieces. All ages welcome!

7). The Bellamy Mansion Museum of History and Design Arts presents a Walking Tour of the Neighborhood and Downtown on Saturday, March 29, 10 a.m. to noon as part of the Spring 2008 Interpretive Guide Training. The tours will meet at the Bellamy Mansion Carriage House. For more information call 910-251-3700 x104.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

News and photos from the recently-completed NCMC Annual Meeting in Fayetteville, including the winners of the annual Professional and Multi-Media Awards, can be found on the NCMC web site at http://www.ncmuseums.org/.

Events from around the state, compiled by Jeff Bockert, NCMC Public Relations Chair:

1). The Museum of the Albemarle: Rose Leahr Bowen, a New York-based opera singer and recitalist, will appear in a benefit concert, entitled "Opera on the Pasquotank," at the Museum of the Albemarle. The concert, sponsored by The Guild of Museum Friends, will be held on Saturday, April 19, at 7:00 pm in the Museum of the Albemarle’s Gaither Auditorium. A Champagne reception with the artist will immediately follow the performance.

2). The Ackland Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill presents "The Pursuit of Learning: Images of Study, Scholarship, and Education," on display in the Museum's upstairs gallery from March 5 – May 18, 2008. Featuring artists who have turned their eyes to the human effort to acquire wisdom, "The Pursuit of Learning" covers a wide stylistic range and features works by Albrecht Dürer, Pieter Bruegel, Francisco Goya, Winslow Homer, and Diego Rivera, among others.

3). The Kings Mountain Historical Museum’s current exhibit is "Minerals and Gems of North Carolina." The exhibit will run through April 26, 2008. Exhibited are private collections of minerals and gems from local "rockhounds" as well as from the National Park Service. Also featured is a wonderful display on mica mining from Kings Mountain Mining, Inc. Don't forget to visit our Gift Shop and check out our new web site.

4). The Greensboro Historical Museum presents "Evolution of a City: Greensboro, North Carolina" on March 16th from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. See the face of Greensboro’s through the lens of neighborhood development – who came to live where and why, including information about the economic, racial, ethnic, and other reasons Greensboro grew as she did.

5). Cape Fear Museum of History and Science on Saturday, March 29 presents at the 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. Use magnification tools to examine sea life up close. Appropriate for children ages 5 to 10. Parental participation is required.

6). The GREGG Museum of Art & Design at NC State University is pleased to present "Pamela and Vernon Owens: Potters of Jugtown" from March 27 – July 6, 2008. A reception will take place on Thursday, March 27, from 6 – 8 pm. This exhibition will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pam and Vernon Owens’ ownership of the Jugtown Pottery.

7). Reynolda House Museum of American Art presents a gallery talk by Heather Williams, quilt artist and professor at UNC - Chapel Hill, on the symbols and meanings of African American quilts. The gallery talk will be held on Tuesday, April 1 from 5: 30 to 6:30 pm. A cash bar reception follows the talk. For information please call 336-758-5150; cost is $5.

8). The Arts Council of Henderson County announces the opening of "The Art of Our Children," an exhibition that features the work of local elementary-aged students. The opening night reception takes place Friday, March 14th, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm, and is free and open to the public.

9). The Bellamy Mansion Museum presents "African American History Days" on March 15 from 10 am to 1:30 pm. Come and experience the Bellamy Mansion with a focus on 19th century African American History of the area. The Bellamy household included not only the eleven Bellamy family members, but also nine enslaved African Americans who lived on the site and worked throughout the house. Learn about their lives as well as those of the free blacks and hired-out slave artisans who built this grand house, the carriage house, and slave quarters.

10). Cameron Art Museum: "Robert Delford Brown: Meat, Maps and Militant Metaphysics" opens at the Cameron Art Museum on March 28 and remains on view through August 3, 2008. This is the artist’s first solo museum exhibition.

11). Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University: In conjunction with the MOA’s current exhibit "Ties that Bind: Wedding Customs from around the World," Dr. Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz will present "Intercultural Weddings: Communicating Cultural Identities through Ritual" at 7:30 pm on April 3rd at the Museum. She will discuss what occurs when the signs and codes of different cultures come into contact and influence each other, using intercultural weddings as her focus.

12). Hickory Museum of Art: The works of nationally-acclaimed editorial cartoonist, author and North Carolina native Doug Marlette will be featured at Hickory Museum of Art, March 20 through September 14 in an exhibition sponsored by Corning Cable Systems. The exhibit emphasizes Marlette’s connections to the South and to his novel The Bridge, this year’s book selection for The Big Read, the community-wide reading and study of one book.

13). Asheville Art Museum: Stephen Fletcher, UNC-Chapel Hill North Carolina Collection photo archivist, will showcase several previously unseen images by historic Asheville photographer Nace Brock during his discussion about the artist's work at 6:00 pm on Friday, March 14 at the Asheville Art Museum.