ncmuseums

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

Monday, November 30, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State… November 30, 2009

1). Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens presents Christmas Candlelight & Grand Illumination, Saturdays, December 12 and 19, 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. - $15-adults, $6-students. Costumed guides will escort visitors through the first floor and cellar of the Palace and Kitchen Office, which will be outfitted for the holidays and lit with candle globes and fire baskets to create an ambiance of times past. Music and entertainment will take place throughout the Palace and gardens with costumed dancers, musicians, and dynamic performers giving shows of acrobatics, juggling, sword swallowing and more.

2). Joel Lane Museum House The Joel Lane Museum House, “The Birthplace of North Carolina’s Capital,” will sponsor its annual Colonial Christmas celebration on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 2009 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Colonel Lane was a founding father of North Carolina’s capital city and an officer in the Militia during the American Revolutionary War. The house will be decorated with traditional greenery and will reflect the very different way in which colonists and early Americans celebrated the Christmas holiday.

3). State Capitol The tree-lighting tradition at the State Capitol will continue when Gov. Bev Perdue and First Gentleman Bob Eaves light the Christmas tree on Thursday, Dec. 10. The Junior Women’s Club and State Capitol staff sponsor this free, public celebration. It starts at 5 p.m. with luminaries being lit and holiday music by the Kernersville Glenn High School Chorus. The governor and first gentleman will move to the South grounds at 6:15 p.m. to officially begin the ceremony. The lit tree will be visible the length of Fayetteville Street.

4). Historic Stagville Grab your mittens, scarf and holiday wish list and head to Historic Stagville for Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters for free family fun. Bluegrass and Appalachian music, African American drumming and storytelling, artisans, and Durham barbecue, will offer a generous dose of unique history on Dec. 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

5). Robeson County History Museum will host the fourth Christmas Home Tour on Saturday, December 12, 2009 from 1pm until 5pm and features five homes and the museum.

6). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum proudly presents Lorna Blaine Halper: The Space Between from Saturday, December 12, 2009 to Sunday, May 9, 2010. The public is invited to an Opening Reception Sunday, December 13, 2009 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. This exhibition celebrates the work of Lorna Blaine Halper (1924- ) in a solo show at the Asheville Art Museum as part of the Museum’s overall commitment to collecting and preserving the work of Black Mountain College artists.

7). Kings Mountain Historical Museum is proud to announce the opening of the Seventh Annual Trains, Trains, Trains Exhibit on Tuesday, December 1st through Saturday, January 9, 2010. The Piedmont 'S' Gaugers will have their interactive trains running for everyone to enjoy. Several train collectors from the area will exhibit their prized possessions along with great railroad memorabilia. The Trains will be running at the Museum before and after the Kings Mountain Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 5th and during Mountaineer Christmas on Friday night, December 11th, from 5:30 – 8:30pm.

8). Textile Heritage Museum presents 8th Annual Glencoe Village Christmas Tour on Saturday, Dec 5, 11-5 pm & Sunday, Dec. 6, 1-5 pm. Come see this destination mill village, wonderfully restored for today's upscale living. Tour several beautifully restored village homes, all decorated for Christmas. Visit the elegant mill owner's house on 62 N, adjacent to the village, and the adorable Butler-Chauffeur House behind it. Take the narrated trolley ride around the village. Visit the Textile Heritage Museum (also a restoration) and try your hand at weaving.

9). Museum of the Cape Fear Ring in the holiday season at the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m. This year’s theme is A Children’s Christmas, and the young and young at heart will have plenty to see, hear and do at the museum, 1897 Poe House and Arsenal Park. Admission is free.

10). Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site A typical Christmas for John and Amy Harper and their nine kids would have involved handmade crafts and home cooked goodies. The intrusion of the Civil War turned their home into a military hospital, but the fighting was still far away during Christmas. The Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site will host a Christmas Open House on Saturday, Dec, 5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., to show Christmas on the home front during war time.

Monday, November 23, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State… November 23, 2009

1). Ackland Art Museum invites families to spend the day after Thanksgiving at the Museum! Community Day, on Friday, November 27, is a day-long exploration of art and ideas from around the world. Muralist Michael Brown will lead an art-making workshop, UNC-Chapel Hill art students will help screen-print your own t-shirts, gallery teachers and docents will lead guided tours, and several other programs and events offer something for the whole family.

2). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum, celebrating its 60th anniversary, examines the role of popular film in exposing regional cultures, values, and traditions. At 2:00 p.m. each day, on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, 2009, the Museum will screen the cult classic “The Last of the Mohicans”. The film is held in conjunction with the Asheville Art Museum’s exhibition "Cherokee Carvers: Tradition Renewed”, which examines different aspects of late 20th and early 21st century Cherokee carving.

3). High Point Museum presents 26th Annual Holiday Open House on Sunday, December 6, 1 pm to 4 pm. This annual event has become a tradition with local families. Come for a day of special reenactments, music, demonstrations, refreshments and hands-on activities like candle dipping! Fun for all ages!

4). N.C. Aquariums at Fort Fisher The North Carolina Aquariums are actively pursuing the development of three educational ocean fishing piers, one in the geographic vicinity of each state Aquarium. This effort is being undertaken to address the loss of ocean fishing piers and the fishing and beach access historically provided to North Carolina citizens and visitors. Through these venues, the Aquariums also expect to educate visitors about conservation and appreciation of North Carolina’s aquatic environments.

5). Museum of the Albemarle will host a holiday open house I’ll be Home for Christmas on Saturday, December 5, 2009 from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm. This year’s celebration will highlight the impact of the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II on family holiday celebrations. As part of the event there will be a matinee viewing of the holiday movie “Mr. Christmas” at 3:00 pm during the holiday open house. “Mr. Christmas” is a period film set in 1941 just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

6). Aycock Birthplace A festive feast of chicken, collards, biscuits and plum pudding will blanket the dining room table at Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site during the Christmas season. The typical late 19th century spread will be shown during free tours on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and Thursday, Dec. 3, 6:30-9 p.m. Gospel music, a shadow play, open hearth cooking, and costumed guides will reflect the post Civil War era when Gov. Charles Aycock grew up.

7). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts the final offering of its Charles Darwin Lecture Series on Tuesday, November 24 — the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s landmark publication of “The Origin of Species.” Join Museum paleontologist and science historian Paul Brinkman for a free presentation titled Charles Darwin’s Beagle Voyage and the Origin of ‘The Origin.’

8). The Bascom Regionally acclaimed artisans Myra Hunt and Alice Mason will come to Highlands next week for two free community demonstrations at The Bascom. Fiber artist Hunt will demonstrate her technique of spinning wool and other fibers into yarn, a centuries-old tradition done now on a modern loom on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 2-4 p.m. Then, on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1-4 p.m., Mason will weave wood strips to create her finely crafted baskets.

9). NC Connecting to Collections The Exploring Cultural Heritage Online project surveyed our state’s cultural heritage institutions and found that collections preservation and disaster preparedness are universal concerns. In response, the NC Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from an IMLS Connecting to Collections Grant, has partnered with other agencies to help our archives, museums, library special collections, and historic sites care for the state’s valued collections. NC Connecting to Collections is hosting three regional forums to bring together staff and volunteers at these cultural heritage repositories to hear your concerns and explore ways that the project can assist you in collections care. The first forum will be held at the Pack Place Education, Arts, and Science Center in Asheville on December 7th. The registration fee is only $10.00.

Monday, November 16, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State… November 16, 2009

1). Hunter Library at Western Carolina University announces two book signings on Saturday, November 21st. The new book “Cherokee Basketry: From the Hands of our Elders” highlights the collections of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual. Author Anna Fariello will be at Osondu Booksellers in Waynesville at 11 a.m.

2). Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens presents Centuries of Celebrations - Festive Holiday Kick-Off, Friday – Sunday, November 27 – 29, 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Friday-Saturday, and 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Sunday. Come enjoy a special Christmas tour of the Palace, three historic houses and festooned gardens. Performances this weekend include: Simon Spalding will present a different themed one-man act each day that will be a mixture of character portrayal and music, Storyteller Terry Rollins will offer holiday stories in the Visitor Center and Musical group Thursday Morn’ will present two 45-minute colonial concerts.

3). N.C. Museum of History presents Fourteenth Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Celebrate American Indian Heritage Month with musicians, dancers, artists and storytellers from North Carolina’s eight state-recognized tribes. This lively festival is the museum’s largest annual event. The celebration offers activities for all ages and is a firsthand opportunity to learn about the state’s Indian culture, past and present.

4). Mint Museum of Art Love a good mystery? A new exhibition at the Mint Museum of Art contains the elements of an art history whodunit—a carefully crafted forgery, a persistent art scholar and a painting thought to be lost for more than 100 years—while taking the viewer behind the scenes of museum life. The exhibition, Identity Theft: How a Cropsey Became a Gifford, is on view November 21, 2009 through March 27, 2010.

5). SciWorks The Amazing Feats of Aging exhibit will be at SciWorks through January 2, 2010. This exhibit, sponsored by the J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, explains mysteries of aging and why animals, including humans, age in this colorful, carnival-themed exhibition. Visitors will marvel as their face instantly ages 25 years, and more!

6). Museum of the Albemarle An exhibit entitled America’s Secret Warriors: the OSS and the George Watts Hill Collection is now on display at the Museum of the Albemarle. Most Americans know little about the ultra secret Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. Organized in 1942, the OSS marked the early entry of the United States into the fields of international intelligence gathering and military special operations.

7). Orange County Historical Museum November 27th and 28th: Support the Museum and laugh with An evening with Mark Twain. This one-man play will transport you back to when author Mark Twain was living. Pre-registered tickets are $12 for adults, or $15 at the door. The event is on Friday, November 27th and Saturday, November 28th. The show starts at 8pm at the Leland Little Auction and Estate Sales, 620 Cornerstone Court, Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278.

8). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will take visitors on a journey to the center of our Galaxy when it unveils unprecedented mural-sized images of the Milky Way’s core as seen by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. The images will be unveiled to the public on Thursday, November 19.

9). The Bascom The community is invited to view an exhibition of children's art this Saturday, Nov. 21, when a special Enchanted Forest exhibition opens at The Bascom. The exhibition showcases work done all semester by the kindergarten through eighth graders who take weekly classes at The Bascom, such as these students, above. All are welcome to attend the exhibition opening in the ground-floor Children's Gallery at noon on Saturday. Free refreshments will be served. The exhibition continues through Dec. 18.

Monday, November 09, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State… November 9, 2009

1). Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens presents African American Lecture: Race, Labor and Civil Rights on Thursday, November 19, 7:00 pm. The guest speaker, Dr. Robert S. Smith, will begin his talk by discussing the role law has played in shaping race relationships and racism in the United States, as early as the era of slavery and moving into the twentieth century.

2). Greensboro Children’s Museum presents a special Traveling Exhibit at GCM - How People Make Things through Dec 30th! Inspired by the factory tour segments from the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood television series, the Museum’s new traveling exhibit, “How People Make Things”, offers hands-on educational activities using real factory tools and machines. Children ages 3-11 years will have fun learning how to create everyday objects using the four basic manufacturing processes - cutting, molding, deforming and assembly.

3). Museum of the Cape Fear Dr. Sharon Raynor will share Vietnam War veterans’ memories of sacrifice, pride, disappointment, honor and recovery in her presentation Breaking the Silence and Healing the Soul: The Oral Histories of Vietnam War Veterans of North Carolina. The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex will host Raynor, a N.C. Humanities Council Road Scholar, on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m.

4). Museum of the Albemarle The Museum of the Albemarle will hold History Tales: Make It, Take It on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 from 3:30 pm until 4:30 pm. Elementary age students accompanied by an adult will learn the process to become a registered voter, view campaign buttons from the Museum’s collection, compare a past ballot box to what is currently used today and participate in a hands-on activity.

5). NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher As most head for the open ocean when they emerge from their sandy nests, some sea turtle hatchlings are detoured to the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher for health concerns. On Wednesday, October 21, the Aquarium released three loggerhead sea turtles that were rescued last summer right before tropical storm Hanna swept through the coast. The hatchlings were obtained from a Carolina Beach nest. The loggerheads have been part of an interactive exhibit, Let’s Talk Turtle, which features a loggerhead hatchling and a replica of a nest with newly hatched turtles starting their run to the ocean.

6). Ackland Art Museum In conjunction with PlayMakers Repertory Company’s production "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby” (November 11 – December 20, 2009), the Ackland Art Museum will present The Illustrated World of Charles Dickens (November 4 – December 6, 2009), a selection of original drawings, illustrations, and prints that illuminate the early Victorian world and literary culture of Dickens’ England.

7). Port Discover Children will learn all about pigments and color at Port Discover’s Toddler Time, Pigmented Turkeys, set for Thursday, November 19. Each child will make their own colorful turkey creations to take home for Thanksgiving. Toddler Time is set for 10 a.m. Toddler Time is a science program just for preschoolers, ages 3 – 5.

8). Town Creek Indian Mound To commemorate November as American Indian Heritage Month, Town Creek Indian Mound will present the Movies at the Mound Series on four Sunday afternoons throughout the month. On November 1, 8, 15 and 22, visitors will have the opportunity to watch films that give insight into the culture of American Indians. The films are produced by Rich-Heape Films, Inc., which was founded in 1994 to “inform, educate and encourage awareness of Native Peoples, and to preserve the history and culture of the American Indian.”

9). Cape Fear Museum Cape Fear Museum of History and Science opened a new temporary exhibit on November 6. Conservation Matters explores the art and science of artifact conservation. The exhibit features some of the beautifully conserved objects in the Museum’s permanent collection. Most of the objects in the new exhibit have been conserved, and are juxtaposed with photos of their pre-conservation state. Some items are displayed un-conserved, portraying what needs to be done to preserve the stories they help tell.
“Conservation Matters” opens Friday, Nov. 6, and runs through Labor Day 2010.

10). The Bascom The community is invited to a free public opening reception for The Shopping Bag: Exemplary Art and Design this Saturday, Nov. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Bascom. Featuring wine, hors d'oeuvres and mingling, it is the last Bascom opening reception of the year. The exhibition continues through Dec. 18, Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State… November 5, 2009

1). Mint Museum of Art The work of Loïs Mailou Jones (1905-1998), a pioneering 20th century African-American artist, will be featured in a retrospective exhibition at the Mint Museum of Art November 14, 2009 – February 27, 2010. Loïs Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color surveys the artist’s 70-year career, stretching from the late Harlem Renaissance to her contemporary synthesis of African, Caribbean and American iconography.

2). High Point Museum presents a book signing on Sunday, November 15, 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Mary A. Browning, writer, historian, and professional genealogist, will be signing copies of her latest book, “Oakdale Cotton Mills.” Copies are available in the Museum Store.

3). Joel Lane Museum House Joel Lane Museum House is proud to present Josh Howard, Research Historian in the Research Branch of the Office of Archives and History, who will speak about Wake County’s Participation in the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 on Thursday evening, November 12 at 7 pm in the Visitors Center at 160 South Saint Mary’s Street, Raleigh NC 27603. Admission will be $15 for the public and $10 for members of the Joel Lane Historical Society. Refreshments will be served.

4). Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens presents Parlor Talk: The 18th Century Holiday Table on Thursday, November 5, 12:00 p.m. Speaker: Shirley Willis, Historic Foodways Expert. Bring your lunch – we will provide beverages. Feasts and parties were an integral part of the colonial and early American Christmas tradition. In this program, learn about the dishes and desserts that made for a joyous 18th century holiday celebration.

5). Museum of the Cape Fear During the Vietnam War, dog handlers served with their dogs in more than 88,000 missions. The dogs saved the lives of more than 10,000 American soldiers. On Sunday, Nov. 8, Jeff Bonemeyer, a living-history presenter, and his German shepherd, Heidi, will give a demonstration of a U.S. Army dog team at the Museum of the Cape Fear.

6). Museum of the Albemarle The Museum of the Albemarle will hold Pre-Schooler Time on Thursday, November 12, 2009 from 10:00 am until 10:45 am. Pre-Schoolers will learn about voting, view campaign buttons from the Museum’s collection, vote for their favorite food and participate in a hands-on activity Participants must be between the ages of 3 to 5 years old and must be accompanied by an adult. This is a free event.

7). N.C. Museum of History presents First Friday Exhibit Reception: In Search of a New Deal on Friday, Nov. 6, 7-9 p.m. Film at 7 and 8:15 p.m. Enjoy food and beverage, and tour this traveling exhibit featuring Farm Security Administration photographs documenting rural life in Depression-era North Carolina. Exhibit sponsorship is provided by UNC-TV.

8). Cape Fear Museum presents Conservation Matters, a new exhibit opening November 6. Explore the art and science of artifact conservation. Discover what it is, who does it, and why it matters to museums. A selection of beautifully conserved furniture and other wooden objects from the Museum’s permanent collection will be on display.

9). Cameron Museum of Art Toying with Art is an exhibition of toys designed and fabricated by artists. More than 50 artists from around the country and 2 international artists have created toys in a wide variety of sizes, themes and styles for this exhibition. The exhibition will open Friday, November 13, 2009 and will remain on view through March 28, 2010. A members’ opening will be held Thursday, November 12 from 6-7pm with a public opening following from 7-8 pm.