ncmuseums

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

Monday, October 27, 2008

1). High Point Museum: The High Point Museum is hosting its ninth in a series of monthly public forums examining various aspects of the North Carolina furniture business, on Tuesday, October 28 at High Point University from 6:30 p.m to 8 p.m. The topic is “High Point Market Then and Now.”

2). Cameron Art Museum: The museum is pleased to reanimate the St. John’s masquerade ball as HAUNT 2008 on October 31 from 9:00 p.m. to midnight at the museum. This Halloween bash for the big kids will feature devilish drinks from our cash bar, monstrous munchies, and killer karaoke. We will also be holding a creepy costume contest featuring prizes for Most Creative, Scariest, Funniest and Best Group.

3). Wake County Historical Society is hosting Randell Jones, noted author/storyteller. He will present "Famous and Infamous Women of NC" on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. at Olivia Raney Library. Mr. Jones is an author and storyteller. He is past president of the Overmountain Victory Trail Association, founded in the mid-1970's to promote national recognition for the Overmountain Men of 1780.

4). Asheville Art Museum, celebrating its 60th anniversary, invites you to explore how Faith Ringgold’s quilts rewrite conventional histories with Nancy Sokolove in the Asheville Art Museum’s WNC Resource Center on October 30th at 6:00 p.m. Sokolove will also discuss how Ringgold’s works specifically address gender and racial disparities.

5). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher: Celebrate Halloween one day early with the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher’s Trick or Treat Under the Sea. The aquarium welcomes trick-or-treaters of all ages on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. The aquarium will feature a variety of activities for children of all ages, including games with prizes, face painting, story-telling, a haunted cave featuring Scotty the Pirate Magician for younger kids and a spooky trail older children.

6). N.C. Civil War Tourism Council has established a grant program to assist North Carolina communities and organizations in the promotion of Civil War initiatives in the state for the 2009 calendar year. Grant application and guidelines can be found on the Council’s website. Application deadline is November 25, 2008 with awards going out by early January 2009.

7). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences is hosting an eight-part lecture series to complement The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition, which is now in its final three months. Join University of North Carolina Professor Jodi Magness to find out more about "The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls." This lecture, the sixth in the series, will be held Thursday, October 30 at 7 p.m. in the Museum's WRAL Digital Theater. [Tickets may be purchased online at naturalsciences.org -- the Museum strongly recommends purchasing tickets in advance.]

8). Cape Fear Museum presents “Cape Fear Volunteers” - a new exhibit that opens Nov. 6. This exhibit highlights the century of service the Cape Fear Chapter of the American Red Cross has offered our region. Meet the organization’s founding women and other volunteers who have given hours of their time to the local community. Explore how the Red Cross supports the military, helps out in times of disaster and emergency, teaches about safety and first aid, and cares for the sick. Reflect upon the importance of voluntary service in our community’s history.

9). Orange County Historical Museum: Get into the “spirit” of this Halloween and visit the Orange County Historical Museum on October 31 from 6-9 p.m. Take a trip to through the "haunted" basement and receive a spooky treat. Great fun for kids of all ages!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

1). High Point Museum presents “Blacksmithing Demonstration in the Historical Park” on Saturday, October 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, October 26, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Come watch our costumed blacksmith in action as he crafts various iron pieces. All ages welcome.

2). SciWorks will hold its annual HarvestFest on Saturday, October 25th from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Hay Rides, Pony Rides and more! All activities are included in museum admission.

3). Museum of the Albemarle: The Museum of the Albemarle presents Haunted Albemarle on Saturday, October 25 from 10:00-2:00. Come sit around the bonfire, snack on some popcorn and listen to spooky stories and legends of the Albemarle region, as told by costumed Junior Docents. Keep an eye out for pirates! Free and open to the public. The Junior Docents are sponsored by Perry Auto Group.

4). Charlotte Nature Museum: “Spooky Spiders and Creepy Crawlers” at Charlotte Nature Museum is a hauntingly good time that’s a little spooky but not-too-scary. See live animals, play cool games and make fun, creepy crafts at the Halloween-themed “Creature Feature” event Saturday, Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

5). GREGG Museum of Art & Design: N.C. State University is pleased to present “Let Me Call You Sweetheart, One Collector’s Vision: Sweetheart Jewelry from the Rhoda L. Berkowitz Collection” from October 23 – December 17, 2008. Rhoda L. Berkowitz will speak about her collection at 6 p.m. during the reception on October 23, 2008.

6). N.C. Maritime Museum: Although a pirate is typically thought to be male, women were pirates too. On Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m., join Connie Mason during a free program of fun-filled facts, humor and song about the feminine side of piracy at the North Carolina Maritime Museum, titled “Bad to the Hair Bun: an Overview of Woman Pirates through History.” The program is part of the Department of Cultural Resources “Telling Our Stories” celebration during 2008.

7). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences presents “Croctober!” The Museum adds crocodilian guests for Natural History Halloween. Sink your teeth into a new special event as the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh teams up with the Crocodilian Advisory Group to host Croctober, a themed version of the Museum's annual Natural History Halloween celebration. The free event is held Saturday, October 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

8). Weatherspoon Art Museum has been selected to receive a gift of fifty works of art from New York collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, with the help of the National Gallery of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The gifts are part of a national program entitled “The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States.”

9). Hickory Museum of Art: Looking for a safe place to bring the kids and have a little fun yourself this Halloween? The Hickory Museum of Art Guild and the Hickory Youth Development Alliance are co-hosting The GREAT Pumpkin Party; an event filled with a variety of entertainment for the whole family. The event takes place October 25th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hickory Museum of Art.

Friday, October 10, 2008

1). Port Discover: Preschoolers will use everyday food items for awesome experiments at Port Discover’s Toddler Time, “Fun With Food”, October 16. How can raisins dance and Jell-O bounce? Does an egg sink or float? Children will decorate their own lab coats to take home. The program begins at 10 a.m. A fee of $5 per family and reservations are required. Program is for 3 – 5 year-olds and parents or guardians must accompany the child.

2). Asheville Art Museum: The Asheville Art Museum, celebrating its 60th anniversary, invites you to take a behind the scenes tour exploring exhibition preparation during the Art Break on Friday, October 17 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Come and see what it’s like to prepare works of art for an exhibition on this exclusive tour of the Asheville Art Museum with Dean Butckovitz, Preparator and Registrar.

3). Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art is teaming up with Wake Forest University to present a public art lecture on Oct. 14. The lecture, “The Layers Behind Still Living,” will be presented at noon Oct. 14 in Lecture Room 102 at the Scales Fine Arts Center on the Wake Forest University campus. Steven Matijcio, the curator of SECCA, will give the presentation.

4). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences is hosting an eight-part lecture series to complement The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition. Join University of Nebraska Professor Sidnie White Crawford to find out more about "Women in the Dead Sea Scrolls and at Qumran." This lecture, the fifth in the series, will be held Thursday, October 16 at 4 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. in the Museum's WRAL Digital Theater. [The Museum strongly recommends purchasing tickets in advance.]

5). Cameron Art Museum: “Toy Crazy,” an exhibition of toys of all kinds, opens to the public at the Cameron Art Museum Wednesday, October 15, 2008 and will remain on view through February 1, 2009. A special kids’ opening will be held Saturday, October 18 in conjunction with Cameron Art Museum’s monthly Kids@CAM program. The event, taking place from noon to 3 pm, will feature art projects, refreshments and a child-led docent tour. A public reception will be held Thursday, November 6 from 7-9 pm (museum members 6-7 pm).

6). Greensboro Children’s Museum will celebrate the world of imagination at its annual Make Believe Ball-Around the World on Saturday, October 18, 5-8 p.m. This year's event will take children and parents on a fun-filled expedition around the world to experience different activities, foods, crafts and music of China, Latin America, Africa, the USA and Future World! It will also have the special guests, Dora the Explorer and her best friend Boots, who will be putting on several sing-a-long shows and will available to meet and take pictures with the children!

7). Hickory Museum of Art: If Oktoberfest doesn’t fill your yearning for music and you’re looking for a little less mayhem, the Hickory Museum of Art is the place to be. The Museum and new entertainment company, Five Head Entertainment, are hosting a concert Sunday, October 12th at 7:00 p.m. Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers headline with additional performances by Linus Van Pelt and The Greater Compliment.

8). Reynolda House Museum of American Art invites the public to enjoy Sunday in the Park at the Community Day Festival on Sunday, October 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Reynolda House. The celebration is free and open to the public and is being held in conjunction with Reynolda House’s fall exhibition, “Seeing the City: Sloan’s New York.”

9). King’s Mountain Historical Museum: Would you like to converse with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin? They will be at the Kings Mountain Historical Museum during the Gateway Festival, Saturday, October 11, 2008, from 10 to 5. The Back Country Militia will be there demonstrating 18th century cooking skills and militia activities including cannon and musket firing. Camp will be set-up in the Museum Commons behind the Exhibit Hall. The Log Cabin Band will play at 11:00 a.m. There will be 18th century games for children to play. There will be a shuttle running from the different activities around the city.

10). High Point Museum presents “Preserving the Harvest” on Saturday, October 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, October 19, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The early Quaker settlers to this area relied on techniques like drying and pickling to preserve their summer and fall harvest for the winter. Come help our costumed interpreters with this seasonal chore. All ages welcome.

Monday, October 06, 2008

1). Museum of the Albemarle: Bud Wright, Elizabeth City native and local, will present “My Momma Raised Ugly Children…Not Stupid Ones: The Ruminations and Reminiscences of a Gentle Southern Man” at the Museum of the Albemarle on Sunday, October 12, at 2:00 pm in the Gaither Auditorium. Mr. Wright a part of the regional Baby-Boomers writes of his childhood, youth and current events that have taken place in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

2). Asheville Art Museum: The Asheville Art Museum invites you to join the Art Adventurers as we explore Penland School of Crafts on Tuesday, October 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Spend the day in the mountains exploring the beautiful campus and many talented artists of Penland. Our guided tour of the workshops and studios where artists and residents are working in clay, glass, textiles, printmaking, iron and more will include learning about Penland’s interesting history.

3). Weatherspoon Art Museum: The Weatherspoon Art Museum at UNC-Greensboro is pleased to announce the selection of artists for the “2008 Art on Paper” biennial exhibition, which opens to the public on October 19, and remains on view through January 25, 2009. Xandra Eden, the Weatherspoon’s Curator of Exhibitions, has invited seventy-five artists of regional and international significance to present unique works made on, or of, paper for “Art on Paper 2008.”

4). Hickory Museum of Art is co-hosting a concert with Five Head Entertainment on Sunday, October 12th. Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers headlines, with performances by Linus Van Pelt, and The Greater Compliment. Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Museum. Costs are: $8 in advance, $10 at the door, and $6 with your student ID or HMA Membership Card. This is the place to be after Oktoberfest in downtown Hickory winds down. Look for the Museum’s tent at Oktoberfest October 10th and 11th!

5). Port Discover: Explore “Food Science” with Chef Andy Montero of Montero’s, at Port Discover’s Second Saturday Science, October 11. Children will make pizza dough and learn how yeast helps to make it expand. They will also make salad dressing and discover how to keep oil and vinegar together using emulsifiers. Each child will enjoy the pizza and salad that they make during the program.

6). Reynolda House Museum of American Art has received a $10,000 Arts and Audiences grant from the North Carolina Arts Council in support of the fall exhibition, “Seeing the City: Sloan’s New York,” and educational programs associated with the exhibition. “Seeing Our City: The Art of Defining a Place” is a series of free public forums which the museum will host on October 9, 16, and 23. Sunday in the Park Community Day Festival will be held on October 19 from 2 to 4 p.m.

7). N.C. Maritime History Council will hold their 18th annual conference in Fayetteville, October 23-25. The conference, drawing on some of the state’s best historians, will focus on Fayetteville and the Cape Fear River’s importance in North Carolina history. The N. C. Maritime History Council promotes the state’s nautical heritage including rivers, lakes and tributaries. Open to the public, natives and newcomers will find the conference informative and fun. Registration is limited and on a first come basis; deadline is October 20 and cost is $95.00.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Survey assistance request from NCPH

This message is shared with the N.C. Museums Council blog readers on behalf of the NCPH:

Dear Colleague-

The NCPH is currently participating in a Survey of Public History Professionals (SPHP), with seven other historical organizations, and asks for your help. The survey (which was prepared by staff at NCPH and AHA) seeks to learn more about the demographics, training, employment conditions, and expectations of public history practitioners.

Each participating association is helping to distribute the survey across the public history community and will share the aggregated, anonymous data that is collected. But as a result, you might receive this questionnaire from more than one participating association. It does not matter to which organization's e-mailing you respond.

You may leave and return to the questionnaire multiple times until you hit "done" at the end. Individuals who wish to be entered in a drawing for one of two $100 book gift cards may include contact information at the end of the questionnaire, but this information will not be used to connect survey data with specific persons. Participating associations will present findings from SPHP in a variety of formats in 2009.

Please visit the following URL:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=btvegF2maU67f2yB8yxBYQ_3d_3d
Please feel free to share this URL with colleagues, students, members, and others whom you think might identify themselves as public history professionals.

We hope you will fill out the questionnaire today, but if you cannot, please do so by December 1 (when the drawing for the two gift cards will be held). Thank you.

1). Museum of the Albemarle: Harry Warren, director of the North Carolina Museum of the Forestry, will present “Why We Are Called Tar Heels: North Carolina Navel Stores” at the Museum of the Albemarle on Thursday, October 2 at 7:00 pm in the Gaither Auditorium, as part of the Albemarle Roundtable held monthly. Mr. Warren will discuss the development and economic importance of tar, turpentine, rosin and pitch and how North Carolinians obtained their colorful nickname. This event is free and open to the public.

2). Asheville Art Museum invites you to join us on a tour of the exhibition “Expectant Gaze — Art from the Eye and Mind” led by one of our knowledgeable docents from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on October 3, 2008. This lively tour of the exhibition features new selections from the permanent collection, including recent acquisitions. Works on paper need to “rest,” so the Museum has installed a new selection of works on paper from the collection.

3). Cape Fear Museum presents North Carolina's Hurricane History Tuesday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. North Carolina has a storied hurricane history. How have hurricanes affected North Carolinians through the years? Hurricane historian, author and Director of NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores Jay Barnes will answer those questions and more as he explores hurricane dynamics and discusses the context of storms within our state’s past and future.

4). N.C. Maritime Museum: On a June day in 1718, Blackbeard’s flagship, “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” became a permanent part of North Carolina’s history. Researcher, author and filmmaker Kevin Duffus has spent more than 35 years researching Blackbeard’s life. On Thursday, October 2, at 2 p.m., during a free program at the North Carolina Maritime Museum, Duffus will reveal surprising new information that he says will change pirate history. Duffus will also sign his new book “The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate.”

5). Mint Museum of Art: The iconic works of Andy Warhol, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, will be on display at the Mint Museum of Art beginning this October. The landmark exhibition “Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life & Legends“ presents rarely seen selections from Bank of America’s prized Warhol collection. Sponsored by Bank of America, the exhibition will be on view October 4, 2008 – February 15, 2009.

6). SciWorks: October 1, 2008 will mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of NASA. Join us at SciWorks for a presentation hosted by Capt. Mike Lucas. The presentation will cover the early history of NASA and America's human spaceflight programs. The audience will enjoy pictures and video clips of Projects Mercury, Gemini, and the Apollo Moon landing missions. The presentation will last approximately 30 minutes, and will be followed by ample time for questions and answers.

7). King’s Mountain Historical Museum is pleased to announce the opening of the “Annual Honor Our Veterans Exhibit.” The exhibit will run through November 16, 2008. This year we are focusing on the Vietnam War in conjunction with the Vietnam Combat Veterans Memorial Moving Wall exhibited in Kings Mountain October 2 – 6, 2008. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd at 1:00pm and the Closing Ceremony will be Monday, October 6th at 2:00 pm; the public is invited.

8). Reynolda House Museum of American Art presents “Seeing the City: Sloan’s New York,” a traveling exhibition focusing on John Sloan’s images of New York City in paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs to present an in-depth view of the artist’s years in the city and the effects of the city on his art. “Seeing the City” will be on view from October 4, 2008 through January 4, 2009.

9). Bellamy Mansion Museum presents “In the Shadow of Our Forefathers: Mr. William Hill, Master Plasterer” on Saturday, October 4, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Workshop fee of $25.00 will include a box lunch. This plastering presentation and lecture will reflect the skills of 19th century African American plasterers, both bond and free, such as William Benjamin Gould, whose skills contributed to the preeminent plasterwork seen in the Bellamy Mansion.

10). Fort Dobbs State Historic Site presents the fourth annual 18th-Century Trade Faire at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville, to be presented from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4-Sunday, Oct. 5. At the site where soldiers once defended frontier settlers during the French and Indian War, visitors will have a chance to experience a vivid recreation of a lively and colorful colonial American marketplace. More than 100 juried artisans and historic interpreters from across the nation will demonstrate their trades and sell their wares while entertainers and musicians delight audiences with 18th-century amusements.

11). Thomas Wolfe Memorial: On Thursday, Oct. 2-Sunday, Oct. 5, the Occasional Theatre brings “Return of an Angel” to the Asheville Community Theatre (ACT) for an encore run. Written by native playwright Sandra Mason, this play focuses on Wolfe’s return to Asheville in 1937, the first time he’d been home since the release of his debut novel “Look Homeward, Angel,” a book whose thinly veiled characters and events had enraged friends and neighbors when it was published in 1929. Thursday, Friday and Saturday night performances will begin at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and $15 for students.

12). Charles B. Aycock State Historic Site will present its free “Fall on the Farm” fest on Saturday, Oct. 4, bringing the spirit of 19th-century harvest time to the present. From 12-4 p.m., share an old-fashioned farm experience with costumed interpreters to make candles, shell corn, spin cotton, tour the kitchen or take a horse-drawn wagon ride. Eastern North Carolina’s Waterbound Dulcimers will play traditional melodies. Kids’ activities include “old-timey” toys and rolling hoops. Annabelle the sheep and a flock of heritage chickens will be on hand, too.