ncmuseums

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

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

1). The Museum of the Albemarle presents “Life on an Albemarle Colonial Homestead” on Saturday, May 3 from 10:00 am-3:00 pm. See what life was like for the Albemarle’s first settlers as re-enactors and interpreters demonstrate a pre-home encampment complete with cooking, clothing, and more. Try your hand at candle dipping and butter making and even try on clothing of the colonial period. Learn about the different crops and animals that early settlers would have raised and discover what it took to become a successful colonial farmer in the Albemarle region.

2). The Cape Fear Museum presents “OCEAN Perspectives: Running the Blockade” on Tuesday, May 6, 6:30 p.m. What was the importance of the Union blockade and blockade running during the Civil War? Chris Fonvielle, historian and UNC Wilmington assistant professor, will discuss President Abraham Lincoln’s strategy and implementation of the naval blockade, the Confederacy’s response, the ensuing maritime trade between the South and Europe (especially Great Britain), and effects of the blockade. Special attention will be paid to blockade running at Wilmington, the lifeline of the Confederacy between 1863 and 1865.

3). The Newbold-White House: Perquimans County native and local historian Charlie Skinner will give a brief discussion on the Town of Hertford, and surrounding Albemarle areas during the Civil War, specifically with reference to conditions here on the home front from 1860-1865. Mr. Skinner will give this discussion on Tuesday, May 6 at 7 pm inside the Visitors Center of The Newbold-White House in Hertford. This education series is sponsored by the Perquimans County Restoration Association and is one of the many free community programs they offer.

4). Greensboro Historical Museum: Eight students from UNC-Greensboro’s public history program are making sure that the stories of Greensboro’s seniors get heard. This spring the students conducted 25 interviews with seniors at the Greensboro Senior Center. The stories they gathered are the centerpieces of a new exhibition at the Greensboro Historical Museum: “Hear’s My Story: Senior Voices in Greensboro” and an accompanying publication. The exhibit, showcasing photographs, quotations, and audio excerpts, will be on display at the museum from May 6 through August 31. A free public program featuring the seniors and the students will celebrate the exhibit opening on Tuesday, May 6 from 10:00-11:00 a.m.

5). The High Point Museum presents “Caring for Your Treasures” on Thursday, May 8, 6:30-8:30 pm. Come learn how to care for your family treasures, preserving them for generations to come. Jennifer Burns, Curator of Collections, will lead you through the basics of storage. Recording the stories associated with the objects also will be discussed. Participants will gain hands-on practice in storing and cleaning their objects. Each participant will receive take-home pamphlets and catalogs of products to assist them in their preservation projects. $7 Members; $12 Non-members

6). Reynolda House Museum of American Art founding president Barbara Babcock Millhouse will discuss her new book, “American Wilderness: The Story of the Hudson River School of Painting,” on Friday, May 9 at 7 p.m. at Reynolda House. Millhouse will be joined by Wake Forest University Charlotte C. Weber Professor of Art David Lubin. A book-signing and reception will follow their conversation. Admission is $8, $5 for members and students.

7). Asheville Art Museum: ”Let It Pour: Contemporary Craft Pitchers from the James Goode Collection” opens to the public Friday, May 2 and an opening reception for the exhibition will be held Sunday, May 4 at 2:00 p.m. at the Asheville Art Museum. This reception will also serve as the Museum’s annual public meeting. This event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Events from around the state:

1). The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh has partnered with Burt's Bees and the City of Raleigh for “Planet Earth Celebration 2008,” one of the largest and most exciting educational festivals focused on sustainability. The free event on April 19th begins at 11 a.m. and runs through 7 p.m. both inside the Museum and outdoors along our plaza and the State Capitol grounds.

2). Asheville Art Museum: During a guided tour on Friday, April 25 at 12:00 p.m., Asheville Art Museum Adult Programs Manager Nancy Sokolove will lead a discussion designed to help visitors understand the artists’ philosophies and motives on view in the exhibition “Time is of the Essence: Contemporary Landscape Art.”

3). SciWorks: Join Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary film maker Larry Lansburgh for this compelling presentation in SciWorks Auditorium on April 28th at 7:00 pm. This is a FREE presentation but reservations are required – 714-7110 or dgentry@sciworks.org. Using sequences from his documentary film "Dream People of the Amazon," Larry's presentation focuses on the Achuar, indigenous people who live in a part of the Amazon rain forest that has hardly changed in a thousand years.

4). The Hickory Museum of Art is pleased to announce a presentation by Ann Oppenhimer of the Folk Art Society of America, publisher of the “Folk Art Messenger.” Oppenhimer will be at the Hickory Museum of Art on Saturday, May 3rd to give a talk about Howard Finster, a renowned folk artist who passed away in 2001. The speaker, who knew Finster personally, will talk about the art and life of this passionate creator. The presentation is free and open to the public. Advance registration is appreciated but not required. For those who do register in advance an optional box lunch is available for $8.00.

5). Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum: David M. Sokol, art history professor emeritus and director of museum studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, will present a lecture titled “Otto Neumann and the Modern German Tradition of Art and Literature” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, in Room 130 of the Fine and Performing Arts Center on the campus of Western Carolina University. Sokol’s lecture will trace Neumann’s artistic development and concentration on the human figure. The lecture is free and open to the public.

6). The Greensboro Children’s Museum is celebrating Earth Day 2008 in a number of fun ways for children and families. We have made the theme of our new Community Center exhibit “It’s Easy Being Green!” for the whole month of April, which promotes Earth friendly changes families can do in their lives to help go green and be more environmentally responsible. Specifically for Earth Day, we have planned a planet-pleasing day of fun that includes special stories, a puppet show (3:00 pm) and a creative art workshop called Trash Treasures (3:30 pm). In the workshop on April 22nd, children will use what some may consider trash to create unique and art and even their own puppets!

7). The High Point Museum you to ”Furniture, What’s Up: Monthly discussions on the furniture business in North Carolina.” The third in this series will be held Tuesday, April 22 from 2 pm to 4 pm at the String & Splinter, 305 W. High St. High Point. This month’s topic is “Meet the Boss: Contemporary Styles in Managing North Carolina’s Furniture Companies.” This event is free and open to the public. It is one of the programs that is leading up to our furniture exhibit which will open May 2009.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Events from around the state:

1). Asheville Art Museum: Japanese-American avant-garde modern dancers Eiko & Koma will perform their original choreography “Mourning” at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, April 12 at Lipinsky Auditorium on the campus of UNC-Asheville. Eiko & Koma are the recipients of many awards and honors including a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship.

2). Reynolda House Museum of American Art presents a poetry reading by W.S. Merwin, one of the most widely read poets in America, on Tuesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. He is the winner of the 1970 Pulitzer Prize along with many more awards. The reading is part of the Kenan Writers’ Encounters, the North Carolina School of the Arts, and Wake Forest University’s Dillon Johnston Writers Reading Series. For further information and to reserve seats, please call 336-758-5150. Admission is free; a cash bar reception follows.

3). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences will hold its Planet Earth Celebration on Saturday, April 19, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Burt's Bees presents a greatly expanded Earth Day celebration. The event will feature live bands including Donald "The Junkman" Knaack, kids’ activities from the Scrap Exchange and Marbles Museum, the NC Sustainable Building Design Competition and much more! Enjoy a presentation by Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods;" visit Burt’s Bees mobile tour experience and warehouse gift sale; listen to speakers from Al Gore’s Climate Registry; shop for goods and services at the Green Bazaar and Boutique. For more information, contact Steve Popson, 919.733.7450 x379. Part of Earth Day Raleigh 2008.

4). The Kings Mountain Historical Museum would like to invite you to spend a special evening with John Connor, local geologist, on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 7:00 pm. Mr. Connor will speak on “The History of Mining in the Kings Mountain Area.” After his presentation there will be time for “ROCK ID.” If you have an interesting example and you want to know what it is, bring it along.

5). The North Carolina Transportation Museum will host their annual Rail Days Festival on April 26 & 27, 2008. The event runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

6). Western Carolina University will present the opera “The Barber of Seville,” produced by the Asheville Lyric Opera, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, in the main performance hall of the Fine and Performing Arts Center on Western’s campus. For more information, contact the Fine and Performing Arts Center box office at (828) 227-2479 or visit http://wcutheatre.ticketsxchange.com.

7). Duke Homestead State Historic Site: On Sunday, April 20, 2008, from 2 to 4 p.m. costumed staff and volunteers will interpret a 19th century church revival on the steps of the original 1852 farmhouse of tobacco farmer and businessman Washington Duke. After a service featuring a circuit-riding preacher on horseback, a traditional southern Sunday dinner will be available to visitors who provide a small donation of their choice, and local musicians will perform live music.

8). High Point Museum: Each month, the Museum presents “Pastimes in the Park”, an educational series that explores aspects of the daily lives of early European settlers to the greater High Point area. These programs, sponsored in part by the Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation, feature demonstrations and hands-on activities representing tasks carried out in the late 18th and the early 19th centuries. Candle wicking will be held April 12 from 10 am to 4 pm and April 13 from 1 pm to 4 pm in the Historical Park.

9). Port Discover: Find out how it is “Easy to Be Green,” on Saturday, April 19. Join the Port Discover Junior Volunteers for a day of hands-on-activities. What can you make out of dryer lint? Can you make a rocket out of recyclables? What is the best way to compost? Try your hand at making plant pots out of newspaper. With Port Discover’s Junior Volunteers as your guides, play Green games, take Earth Day quizzes, and learn how it’s “Easy to be Green.” “Easy to be Green” programs are ongoing from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. No reservations needed.