ncmuseums

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

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State… June 30, 2009

1). Mint Museum of Art presents Passionate Journey: The Grice Collection of Native American Art – an exhibition on view at the Mint Museum of Art July 18 – October 17, 2009. The depth and breadth of modern Native American art is featured in “Passionate Journey: The Grice Collection of Native American Art”. From Alaska to Guatemala, the exhibition highlights personal expressions in ceramics, basketry, textiles and performance masks. These distinctive works are the outward expressions of personal and religious ideologies, commentaries on social and political conditions, and the material manifestation of cultural survival.

2). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum is proud to present Cherokee Carvers: Tradition Renewed from Friday, July 10 to Sunday, December 6, 2009. The public is invited to an opening reception for the exhibition with artists on Friday, July 10, 2009 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. “Cherokee Carvers: Tradition Renewed” will examine different aspects of late 20th and early 21st century Cherokee carving. The exhibition will include both stone and wood carvings and focuses on artists working in Western North Carolina today.

3). Roanoke Island Festival Park in partnership with the Town of Manteo and Musical Theatre students from Western Carolina University’s College of Fine and Performing Arts will perform as part of the America Celebrates program on July 4th at 8:00 p.m. at Roanoke Island Festival Park. The performance and fireworks, provided by the Town of Manteo, will be held at the park’s Outdoor Pavilion. The program is free and open to the public, and handicapped parking will be available at the park.

4). Museum of the Albemarle Join the Museum of the Albemarle on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm for a high-seas adventure in a one day camp. Participants will discover the pirates that sailed the coast of North Carolina, the ships that were sailed and weapons used. Enjoy creative activities centered on pirate lore, legend and history. Snacks and box lunch will be provided. Limited space and registration required. Fee for program if registered by Friday, July 10, 2009: $20.00 per person or $18.00 for FOMOA Members. After Friday, July 10, 2009: $25.00 per person or $22.00 for FOMOA Members.

5). The Bascom Festival goers will have the chance to enjoy on-site creation by 16 different artists in the garden during The Bascom's annual Mountains in Bloom. Set for July 7-11, the festival features a Highlands garden tour, a flower show and photography competition, a home and garden shop, a Giverny in Highlands Patrons Party and lectures by Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, Chip Callaway and Margie Shambaugh. The garden tour is a major highlight of Mountains in Bloom, featuring expansive mountain vistas with woodland trails, elaborate cottage gardens full of wonder and delight, and access to the majestic Highlands Falls waterfall.

6). Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens presents African American Lecture, guest speakers include Dr. Reginald Watson “New Bern Literary Read In” on Saturday, July 11 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Come learn about the historical legacy of African American writers in North Carolina. Meet historians and present day authors, hear their stories and purchase their works in this recitation, reception and book fair. This event is co-sponsored by Shelia Peele-Miller, author.

7). Onslow County Museum Onslow County Museum is pleased to announce that it has opened its summer children's discovery gallery Fun and Games IV: Fossils. This interactive prehistoric adventure and discovery gallery includes an indoor fossil hunt. The discovery gallery will be open through October. A special family fun pass is available for $15.00 per household and is good for unlimited visits to the museum throughout the duration of the exhibit.

8). Historic Halifax State Historic Site To celebrate the 233rd anniversary of our nation’s independence, Historic Halifax is presenting a day of patriotic and family-friendly activities at both the state historic site and throughout the colonial-era town on July 4th. From 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m., visitors may enjoy historic building tours, colonial toys and games, a parachutist jump, rock music, a traditional fireworks display and even a lawn dance. Entrance to this public July 4th celebration is free.

9). Battleship NORTH CAROLINA proudly presents the 2009 4th of July Celebration featuring the 440th North Carolina Army National Guard Band and the “Battleship Blast” brought to you by the City of Wilmington, US Cellular, Food Lion, WECT TV-6, and 102.7 WGNI. So head Downtown to Water Street for the Street Fair which includes fun, food, music and fireworks. The entertainment schedule at Riverfront Park in front of the Federal Building includes will begin at 5:00, so come early to enjoy all the festivities. At 9:05pm the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA hosts the 13th Annual “Battleship Blast” fireworks spectacular.

10). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher Spend summer on the water with the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. The Aquarium offers a canoeing program that takes participants on a three-hour exploration of the Zeke’s Island Estuarine Research Reserve, considered to be one of the most unusual areas of the North Carolina coasts. Common animals seen while touring the salt marsh include pelicans, seagulls, egrets, herons, ibis, sea turtles, and dolphins. Upcoming canoeing classes are Sunday, July 5, 2009 at 2:00 pm, Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 9:00am and Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 2:00 pm.

Monday, June 22, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State… June 22, 2009

1). Joel Lane Museum House The Joel Lane Museum House, “The Birthplace of Raleigh,” will sponsor its annual Independence Day Open House on Saturday, July 4, 2009 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Colonel Lane was a founding father of North Carolina’s capital city and an officer in the Wake County militia during the American Revolutionary War. On the grounds, re-enactors will demonstrate various aspects of Colonial life such as churning butter and writing with a quill pen. There will be old-fashioned crafts and games, and lemonade for the children. The garden in its full summer glory will be on view, and herbs from the garden will be for sale.

2). Tobacco Farm Life Museum presents our 26th Anniversary Celebration on June 27 from 10-4 and June 28 from 2-4. The Museum will be celebrating our 26th year with live entertainment, children’s activities, heritage demonstrations and antique vehicles. Saturday features include live entertainment, children’s games, art displays and heritage demonstrations. Sunday features include gospel music, an art show and antique cars, trucks and tractors. Food will be available on-site.

3). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum is delighted to present the celebratory exhibition Looking Back: Celebrating 60 Years of Collecting at the Asheville Art Museum opening Friday, July 3, 2009 at 5:00 p.m.-free with Museum Membership or admission. As part of the Museum’s 60th Anniversary Celebration, Museum staff has created an exciting new installation of the permanent collection. This exhibition will examine a variety of ways to consider art and the relationship between art and viewer.

4). Ava Gardner Museum is excited to announce that on Monday, June 15, 2009, a newly redesigned website for www.avagardner.org was unveiled. The new site, developed by Eric Dean with Inspire Media Associates offers a more modern design while adding considerably to the content and images that were previously found by visitors to the site. Visitors will now find detailed information about the museum, its history, and the collection, as well as a thorough history of Ava Gardner’s life, including her Filmography and a Photo Gallery.

5). N.C. Maritime Museum Civil War Navy re-enactors from the Carolina Living History Guild will demonstrate nautical skills and talk about weapons of the period on Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort. The Carolina Living History Guild participates in various living history activities and showcases the history of the United States during the American Revolution, War of 1812 and the American Civil War. They will display small arms used by both Union and Confederate navies, examples of rope work and the many uses of rope on board ships of the period, and the tools used by engineers on the steamships of the 1860s.

6). The Doll and Miniature Museum The Doll & Miniature Museum of High Point, 101 West Green Drive, High Point, NC proudly presents Barbie, 50 and Fabulous, celebrating 50-years of Mattel's Famous Fashion Doll. The exhibit opens on Saturday, June 20th.and will run through December 31st.

7). Museum of the Albemarle On Wednesday, June 24, from 10:00am to 2:00pm, The Museum of the Albemarle will help visitors learn All About Ducks. Visit the Art Ducko exhibit and see over 100 hunting decoys carved by noted area craftsmen. Visitors can also experience interactive programs and view a demonstration of decoy carving. Also on hand will be an educator from the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission who will help to answer all of your waterfowl questions. Kids can enjoy creative activities centered around ducks.

8). Orange County Historical Museum Come travel back in time to the Civil War on Hillsborough's Last Fridays on June 26 at the Orange County Historical Museum, 201 N. Churton St. Hillsborough, NC 27278. This Friday, from 6-9pm hear stories about the Civil War and interact with costumed interpreters.

9). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher June is National Zoo and Aquarium month. Come celebrate at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher! This month long recognition focuses on helping people learn how to preserve America’s wildlife. Summer is an excellent time to visit your local zoo or aquarium, as well as their websites and blogs!

Monday, June 15, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State… June 15, 2009

1). Port Discover Preschoolers will learn about constellations and the stories of the stars during Port Discover’s Toddler Time, Pictures in the Sky, on Thursday, June 18, at 10 a.m. The young astronomers will create their own constellation to take home and make an edible Big Dipper! Toddler Time is a science program just for preschoolers, ages 3 – 5. Cost for the program is $5 per family and reservations are required. Parents or guardians must accompany the child.

2). N.C. Maritime Museum presents Build a Boat in a Day Saturday, June 20, at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort to celebrate the official arrival of summer, to make a unique Father’s Day gift, or just to have a fabulous vacation memento. Boat building is suitable for adults and kids at least 8 years old. Each team of two to four people will assemble a flat-bottomed plywood boat 7 feet 10 inches long by 32 inches wide, suitable for rowing or paddling North Carolina's waterways. The craft will hold up to 120 pounds.

3). The Asheville Art Museum invites you to learn more about artist Beverly Buchanan’s art, technique and life as an artist during a film screening of Beverly Buchanan on July 5, 2009. Screenings are at 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 that afternoon and are free with Museum Membership or admission. The half-hour long profile, Beverly Buchanan, offers great insight into the artists’s working process as we watch her create a drawing from beginning to end. Along the way we learn how her life as an artist began and the stories behind her work.

4). Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site Rob Elias, past president of the Durham-Orange Genealogical Society and a member of the National Genealogical Society will lead a beginners genealogy workshop in the Ida H. Williams Auditorium at Aycock Birthplace on June 20 at 3pm. Pre-registration is required by June 12. There is a workshop fee of $10. Space is limited to the first 30 participants.

5). Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens presents South Lawn Concert Series: North Carolina Symphony on Monday, June 22. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. Concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Pack a picnic and come early to stroll in the gardens and stake out a good spot on the South Lawn for this thrilling performance by the North Carolina Symphony. Please bring your own chairs and blankets, but leave pets and alcoholic beverages at home.

6). Orange County Historical Museum Come join the fun at Hillsborough's Annual Hog Days on Friday, June 19th from 6-9pm at Cameron Park Elementary School (240 Saint Marys Rd., Hillsborough, NC 27278). The Historical Foundation of Hillsborough and Orange County will be selling BBQ sandwiches, so help support the Museum while eating a great sandwich! Admission on Friday night is free, so come out and get some BBQ, listen to some great music and support the Museum!

7). The Bascom A signing event for a just-released photography book by Reuben Cox, Highlands-born photographer, is set for Thursday, June 25, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at The Bascom’s new six-acre campus (323 Franklin Road). The Bascom, through its Emerging Artists Grant, made possible the publication of Cox’s book, The Work of Joe Webb: Appalachian Master of Rustic Architecture. The book showcases log homes built in the 1920s and 30s by the renowned Highlands cabin builder.

Monday, June 08, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State… June 8, 2009

1). N.C. Maritime Museum Civil War Navy re-enactors from the Carolina Living History Guild will demonstrate nautical skills and talk about weapons of the period on Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort. The Carolina Living History Guild participates in various living history activities and showcases the history of the United States during the American Revolution, War of 1812 and the American Civil War.

2. N.C. Transportation Museum presents Rail Days on June 13-14. Re-live the golden years of railroading with a weekend full of family fun! Train rides, model trains, live music, children’s activities, the Rail Days Chili Cook-off and more. Tickets are available in advance.

3). High Point Museum presents Quaker Wedding Reenactment in the Historical Park on Saturday, June 13, 10 am to 4 pm. Discover the beauty and simplicity of a traditional Quaker wedding. Our historical interpreters will reenact a typical ceremony from the early American period and explain how it exemplifies Quaker beliefs. All ages welcome.

4). Fort Dobbs State Historic Site Take advantage of a free time travel adventure this summer at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site! Hands on History, a new three-part interactive history program, will kick off Saturday, June 20, at the Statesville site. At 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., visitors will have a chance to learn about how an 18th-century musket was loaded with ammunition and fired, plus craft a real cartridge similar to the ammunition used by the soldiers stationed at Fort Dobbs in the mid-1700s. Then they can take home their cartridge as a souvenir.

5). Cameron Art Museum is organizing the first museum exhibition featuring the work of American architectural firm Gwathmey Siegel and Associates Architects (New York). The exhibition includes architectural drawings, plans, photographs, models and selected works of art associated with each of the five architectural projects. The exhibition also features artifacts and documents from the personal collection of Charles Gwathmey, many of these never before exhibited. The exhibition opens June 23, 2009 and will remain on view through January 10, 2010.

6). Weatherspoon Art Museum The Weatherspoon Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is pleased to present the exhibition Our Subject is You, which opens to the public on Friday, June 19, 2009, 7 pm with an exhibition opening reception and performances at the 6th Annual Summer Solstice Party. It will be an evening of music and participatory artwork. The event is free and open to the public. The exhibition, Our Subject is You, will run at the Weatherspoon Art Museum from June 20 until September 13, 2009.

7). Bennett Place State Historic Site presents Soldiers & Surgeons on June 13-14. More than 625,000 American soldiers both North and South lost their lives in the American Civil War. Many deaths resulted in incurable diseases and injuries. Visit with medical personnel of the Confederate Army and see how they dealt with the sick and wounded throughout the four year conflict. Soldiers will be encamped around the Bennett Farm throughout the weekend. Event is 10am-4pm, Saturday and 10am-3pm, Sunday.

8). Port Discover An interactive and photographic exploration of Our Solar System is scheduled for Port Discover’s Second Saturday Science, June 13. William Younger, assistant professor of Math and Science at the College of the Albemarle, will present an engaging photographic tour of the Solar System highlighting each planet and their moons. The program will culminate with a walk from the Sun to Mars –right down Elizabeth City’s Main Street! Our Solar System will be offered at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

9). The Bascom Master ceramic artists Cynthia Bringle, Mark Hewitt and David Stuempfle will be featured in The Bascom’s first exhibition in its new Loft Gallery. The Three Potters: Bringle, Hewitt and Stuempfle will open June 13 with a public reception from 5-7 p.m. The exhibition will continue through July 11. “This exhibition showcases three distinguished North Carolina-based potters with international reputations and will testify to the enduring quality and long-standing pottery traditions of our state,” said Kaye Gorecki, The Bascom’s artistic director. “These three remarkable potters are influencing the growth and direction of contemporary American studio crafts.”

10). Fort Fisher State Historic Site will kick off a new activity on June 13, 2009, during the program Semaphores & Signal Flags. Beginning at 2pm, members of the public can use signal flags and cipher discs to send coded messages behind the visitor center. Inside, kids of all ages can take our Morse Code exhibit scavenger hunt to discover fascinating and unusual artifacts in the Civil War Museum from 10am to noon and then again from 2:30pm to 4pm.

Monday, June 01, 2009

NCMC Events From Around the State

NCMC Events From Around the State… June 1, 2009

1). N.C. Maritime Museum North Carolina Maritime Museums Director Joe Schwarzer will give a talk titled Forty Years of Nautical Archaeology on Sunday, June 7, at 2 p.m. at the N.C. Maritime Museum, located at 315 Front Street in Beaufort. The talk is part of the Friends of the Museum Speaker Series. Tickets are $5, with no charge for Friends of the Museum.

2). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum invites you to enjoy an Art Break featuring Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft & Traditional Art on Friday, June 12, 2009 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Art Breaks are free with Museum Membership or admission. Join an informative member of the Asheville Art Museum’s Docents on a guided tour of the exciting exhibition.

3). The Bascom A free book signing featuring master ceramic artist Mark Hewitt will be Thursday, June 11, from 5-7 p.m. at The Bascom in Highlands for Hewitt’s 2005 acclaimed book co-written with Nancy Sweezy, The Potter’s Eye: Art and Tradition in North Carolina. Books available for purchase. For more information or to pre-register, call (828) 526-4949 or visit www.thebascom.org/presentations.

4). Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site Discover how Civil War soldiers lived in camp and what role the enlisted man played in battle during Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site’s annual summer living history program, Saturday, June 6, in Four Oaks. The event is free and open to the public. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., period-costumed living historians will show how Civil War soldiers made meals; kept their weapons and uniforms in tip-top shape; trained for battle; dealt with heat, cold, rain, ice and snow; and much more.

5). Cape Fear Museum presents in the Learning Center: Cape Fear Indians on Saturday, June 6. Who were the first inhabitants of the Lower Cape Fear region? Examine local Native American pot shards and make your own clay pot to take home. Learn about Cape Fear Indians’ early hunting and fishing. Make shell jewelry and play a Native American game. The Learning Center is open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

6). Transylvania Heritage Museum Saturday, June 13, 1:00-2:00 pm: Find out about Life in a Logging Camp from author Exie Wilde Henson and Transylvania native Mamie Bumgarner McCall. Don't miss this! The ladies will share what it was like to grow up in a logging camp. Exie will have her books available for sale, also.

7). Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Eric Nordgren, senior conservator with the USS Monitor project at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Va., will give a free public presentation on Conservation of the USS Monitor at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum on Wednesday, June 17, at 7 p.m. On Dec.31, 1862, the famed Union ironclad USS Monitor fell victim to the stormy seas of the Graveyard of the Atlantic and sank in 240 feet of water off Cape Hatteras, N.C. Due to the efforts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and many collaborators, the wreck site was established as America’s first National Marine Sanctuary.