ncmuseums

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

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

NCMC Events From Around the State… March 29, 2010

1). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History in conjunction with the Smithsonian traveling exhibition: New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, presents Lunch and Learn Session #3 featuring Butch Barker on Wednesday March 31 at 12 noon in the Museum Annex, 144 W. Oak St., Mount Airy, NC. Bring a bag lunch and learn about the role roots music has played in the lives of each featured regional musician or singer and the importance of roots music in our community. This program is Free to the public.

2). N.C. Museum of History presents History Corner: Making Music on Wednesday, April 7, 10-11 a.m. Ages 5-9 with adult - to register, call 919-807-7992. Explore North Carolina’s musical heritage by looking at traditional instruments and listening to their sounds. Then get a chance to join the band! The program is presented with Cameron Village Regional Library.

3). Cape Fear Museum presents Land of the Longleaf Pine, exhibit opening April 2. Step into the forest and be transported to a time centuries ago. Explore the longstanding presence of Native Americans in the area, discover why Europeans came to the region, and learn how people made a living from the longleaf pine. Discover colonial Wilmington, while “window shopping” in a merchant’s store and examining imported goods that arrived on ships to Wilmington’s bustling port. Explore life during the American Revolution, as you experience different perspectives on independence.

4). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher Get ready to run, walk or shuffle…the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher is hosting the second annual 5K Race for the Planet on Sunday, April 25, 2010. Race time is 8:00 am with packet pick-up and on-site registration beginning at 7:00 am. Scenic Fort Fisher will be your route as this race starts and ends at the Aquarium. This flat, mostly asphalt course is scenic with views of the ocean, maritime forest, and historic Fort Fisher Civil War site.

5). Greensboro Children’s Museum presents Spring Break Camp: Picture This! on Thursday, April 1, 8:30-1:30. This half day camp will introduce children to the exciting world of digital photography! We will learn skills such as focus, zoom, flash, and exposure settings. As well, we will take photos around GCM…including our sprouting Edible Schoolyard & garden. Photos will be downloaded and printed to take home. Morning snack will be provided. Please bring a non-refrigerated lunch.

6). N.C. State Capitol Visitors to the State Capitol can step back in time on Saturday, April 10. A Civil War-era troop encampment on the lawn and character interpretations will recall the April 1865 occupation of the State Capitol by troops of Union General William T. Sherman. Guides will lead tours at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and at 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. All tours begin outside the west doors of the Capitol.

7). Weatherspoon Art Museum is pleased to present our upcoming Catch the Rhythm: Spring Community Day on Saturday, April 10, 1-4 pm at the museum. Our biannual Community Day is a chance for all ages to experience the museum and all it has to offer. Enjoy a variety of hands-on art activities and live performances featuring young dancers from the Caldcleugh Multicultural Center’s “We Are One Cultural Arts Project.” And, join us for a musical performance by “The Healing Force”, celebrating African culture, spirit and creativity.

8). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts Bluegrass & Barbeque on Saturday, April 10 from 7 to 10pm. Tap your toes to live bluegrass music from the Kickin Grass Band, indulge in delicious barbecue from Kings Restaurant, and bid on vacation getaways and other interesting items at the Silent Auction. All proceeds benefit the Educators of Excellence Fund, a Museum program that provides unique continuing education opportunities for science teachers across the state.

9). The Rocky Mount Arts Center is showing 60 Japanese woodblock prints, monoprints, and sumi-e ink brush paintings by Master Printmaker Keiji Shinohara of Portland, Connecticut. A teaching exhibit of the physical woodblocks and working prints is included. “Ukijo-e is a particular style of woodblock printing refined in the 18th century. The concept of “Ukijo-e” embraces moments of fleeting beauty in contrast to the mundane responsibilities of life.

10). Hunter Library Digital Collections Western Carolina University Associate Professor and digital collections curator, Anna Fariello has been honored as a recipient of the 2010 North Carolina Folklore Society Brown-Hudson Folklore Award. The award is given annually to individuals who contribute to the transmission and appreciation of cultural traditions in our state. Fariello was cited for her work on the Craft Revival project and “From the Hands of Our Elders”, a collaboration between the Hunter Library and Cherokee cultural organizations.

Monday, March 22, 2010

NCMC Events From Around the State… March 22, 2010

1). Joel Lane Museum House The Joel Lane Museum House is proud to announce a lecture by Peter Sandbeck, an eminent architectural historian who is currently Administrator of the State Historic Preservation Office. Peter will speak on 18th-Century Architecture in North Carolina at 7 pm on Thursday, April 8, 2010 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. Seating is limited, and pre-payment is strongly suggested as seating is very limited.

2). N.C. Transportation Museum A Civil War mystery involving one of the most well-known landmarks on the N.C. Outer Banks was the focus of a recent presentation at the N.C. Transportation Museum. Kevin Duffus program, “The Lost Light: The Mystery of the Missing Cape Hatteras Fresnel Lens,” based on his book of the same name, was held Saturday, March 6 in the museum’s Bob Julian Roundhouse. Duffus recounted his three-year journey to locate the lighthouse lens, missing since the early days of the Civil War. Tracking the optic as it traveled by wagon, steamboat, rail and ocean liner, Duffus was finally able to locate the lens and restore it to Cape Hatteras.

3). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum invites you to a screening of True Stories on Saturday and Sunday, April 3 and 4, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. each day. This film screening is free with Museum Membership or admission. “True Stories” is a cult-classic starring David Byrne with music by the Talking Heads. This film portrays a gallery of eccentric personalities including the “laziest woman in the world” with her array of time-saving gadgets and a man with a “Wife Wanted” sign on his front lawn, all residents of the fictional town of Virgil, Texas.

4). Turchin Center for Visual Arts presents First Annual Draw-a-Thon! March 26-27. The Draw-a-thon is a free campus and community inclusive event that celebrates and promotes drawing, creativity, spontaneity, and artistic collaboration. Students, professors, and local artists will be invited to gather at the Turchin Center and draw together for an approximately, 24 hour stretch. Some basic meals and art supplies will be provided with the goal of creating a casual, fun atmosphere that is welcome to both the curious novice, the devoted expert, and every level in between.

5). Ackland Art Museum Each spring, the Ackland Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill presents New Currents in Contemporary Art (April 9 - May 23, 2010), an exhibition of works by graduating UNC-Chapel Hill master of fine arts students. Marking the culmination of a two-year program, this exhibition introduces four emerging artists who interpret ideas ranging from the personal to the political in a wide variety of media, styles, and approaches. “New Currents in Contemporary Art” features the work of artists T. Coke Whitworth, Jessica Dupuis, Kia Mercedes Carscallen, and Emily Scott Beck.

6). Cameron Art Museum presents Literary: Diana Hume George, author on Thurs. Mar. 25, 8:00 pm. Diana Hume George is the author or editor of eight books of nonfiction and poetry. Founding former director of both the creative writing and the women’s/gender studies programs at Penn State/Behrend College, she is a core faculty member of Goucher College’s MFA program in Nonfiction, and co-director of the Chautauqua Writers’ Festival. Recent personal essays and interviews appear in “Creative Nonfiction and River Teeth”, among other publications, and “Watching My Mother Hallucinate” was named a Notable Essay of 2008 by Best American Essays.

7). Kings Mountain Historical Museum The Kings Mountain Historical Museum would like you to come by and view our current exhibit Early Inhabitants of the Western Piedmont which will run through May 1, 2010. This exhibit features private and other Museum collections of early pottery, basketry and weapons from the Native Southeastern Indians and early pioneers that lived in the Western Piedmont many years ago.

8). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher Kristen Edgell’s photography can put the hardened of hearts at ease. Her work, which is being exhibited in the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher’s Spadefish Gallery, is full of peace and tranquility captured through the eyes of the a beach lover. Her photographs portray the heart and soul of the Wilmington waters in her Coastal Carolinas collection.

Monday, March 15, 2010

NCMC Events From Around the State… March 15, 2010

1). Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens On Thursday, March 18 at 7 p.m. in the visitor center auditorium, a free lecture and panel discussion with Dr. Jeffrey Crow, Terrell Armistead Crow and Mary Barden will discuss several topics relating to many roles of African Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Dr. Crow’s talk will center on “A Spelling Book in One Hand and a Musket in the other: African Americans in Civil War North Carolina.” Terrell Crow’s topic is, “Mary Bayard Clarke’s “Betsey Bittersweet’ Articles 1867-1868: A Conservative Response to Reconstruction.” Mary Barden will talk about “Mary Bayard Clarke: The New Bern Years.”

2). Weatherspoon Art Museum presents Odd Bodies: Selections from the Permanent Collection through April 18, 2010. The human body is a source of endless artistic inspiration. "Odd Bodies" includes work from the Weatherspoon’s permanent collection by Janine Antoni, Rona Pondick, Hiram Williams, LoCurto/Outcault, Mika Rottenberg, and other artists who delve into imaginative and, sometimes, bizarre examinations of the relationship between body and mind.

3). Museum of the Albemarle The Museum of the Albemarle will hold History Tales: Make It, Take It, Watch it Grow, on Tuesday, March 16 from 3:30 pm until 4:30 pm. Elementary age students accompanied by an adult will learn how people farmed when there were no tractors, compare farm equipment past and present, read a book, and participate in a hands-on activity. The program is free to the public.

4). Kings Mountain Historical Museum The Kings Mountain Historical Museum would like you to come by and view our current exhibit Early Inhabitants of the Western Piedmont which will run through May 1, 2010. This exhibit features private and other Museum collections of early pottery, basketry and weapons from the Native Southeastern Indians and early pioneers that lived in the Western Piedmont many years ago.

5). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to announce its Summer 2010 Internships. The deadline for applications is April 19, 2010. The Internship Program at the Asheville Art Museum offers participants "hands-on" training in the museum profession and a comprehensive overview of museum operations. Interns participate in the day-to-day activities of Museum departments, in addition to working on specific projects. When making your arrangements, please keep in mind that internships are unpaid. We are happy to work with universities that offer credit for internships.

6). Port Discover Port Discover will open the doors to its expanded science center on Saturday, March 20, the first day of spring. Port Discover will open at 10:00 a.m. at the new location at 611 E. Main Street, Elizabeth City. A day full of programs is planned for Port Discover’s opening day in its expanded space.

7). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History presents Lunch and Learn Series for: New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music. Lunch and Learn Sessions will be held every Wednesday, March 17 - April 21 at 12:00 noon at the Museum. These sessions will feature a regional musician and/or singer who will speak about the role roots music has played in his/her life as well as the importance of roots music in our community. These programs will be FREE to the public and are held at the Museum Annex.

8). SciWorks Join SciWorks as we celebrate NanoDay 2010! Faculty and students from Forsyth Technical Community College and the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials at Wake Forest University will be at SciWorks for our 3rd annual NanoDay event. Learn about degree programs and careers in this emerging field from FTCC and WFU. This event features hands-on activities and is fun for the whole family and free to the public with paid museum admission.

9). The Light Factory presents The Romance of the Road: Photographs in Search of the Promised Land on exhibit through April 11, 2010. The Romance of the Road explores what any freeway offers someone who is tired, weary, or fallen off the track - a chance to dream about a better place, or better life that may be at the other end. Free and open to the public.

10). The Arts Center Celebrate Youth Art Month at the Arts Center’s Annual Kids Day Celebration, March 20, 2010, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm! Join us for an afternoon of fun filled family activities including puppet shows by the Fire Department, safety information from the Police Department, a drum circle from Music Explorium, Keep America Beautiful activities, drum making, clay activities and plenty more.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

NCMC Events From Around the State… March 9, 2010

1). Oriental History Museum presents new exhibit Theater in Oriental Through the Years running through mid-April.

2). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum invites you to screenings of In A Dream on Monday, March 15 at 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. This film screening is $8.00 general admission at the Fine Arts Theatre in Downtown Asheville. Isaiah Zagar is Philadelphia’s version of Antonio Gaudi: for over 40 years he has created over 100 concentrated mosaics, many in his South Philly neighborhood. Known also for two- and three-dimensional self-portraits, Zagar’s work is in the collections of museums around the country.

3). Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens A Union City in the Midst of the Confederacy: New Bern Occupied will be the theme this weekend as we honor the anniversary of the Battle of New Bern. From Saturday-Monday, March 13-15 programming will concentrate on the Union occupation of New Bern and the civilian aspect of the Civil War. Living history programs will highlight the lives of New Bernians living under Union occupation, tours of the historic houses will explain how the homes were used during the war, and craft activities and programs for children will be included throughout the weekend. Saturday and Monday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

4). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences Discover Why Sharks Matter: The Ecological and Economic Importance of Sharks, Threats They Face, and How You Can Help when the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh welcomes shark conservation biologist David Shiffman on Tuesday, March 9 at 7pm. Reserve your seat now for this multimedia presentation by visiting or calling the Museum Box Office at 919-733-7450 x212.

5). Turchin Center for Visual Arts presents Syntax: ‘sin-, taks, March 5 - June 5, 2010 Main Gallery This exhibition features contemporary artists who employ writing in the creation of images. From their use of the graphic quality of individual letters, to Arabic calligraphy, to words that possess meanings, these artists all create works that pull the viewer into a dialogue. The addition of writing adds an interesting layer to image making that challenges the viewer to interpret these visual cues.

6). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History in cooperation with the NC Humanities Council, is pleased to announce the grand opening of Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibition New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music at 2pm on Saturday March 13. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be followed by a public reception. “New Harmonies” will be on display at the museum until Saturday April 24, however the series of local roots music exhibits featuring Tommy Jarrell, Ralph Epperson and WPAQ and Donna Fargo will be permanent additions to the museum. During this six week exhibition period, there will be no admission charge to the museum and any exhibit related programs or events.

7). Hickory Museum of Art The Hickory Museum of Art is gearing up for its 9th annual Art on the Avenue festival and is accepting applications for artists and artisans who would like to participate. The festival will be held on Saturday, May 1 from 10 AM to 4 PM on the SALT Block lawn behind the Museum. Interested applicants should contact Ann Hinson or Ronni Smith at 828-327-8576 to register no later than April 1. Art on the Avenue is a popular free family fun event.

Monday, March 01, 2010

NCMC Events From Around the State… March 1, 2010

1). Bellamy Mansion Museum presents African-American History Day on Saturday, March 27, 10-4. Experience the domestic life of the mansion from a 19th century perspective. The Bellamy's household included eleven family members and 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 slave artisans who built this grand house, the carriage house and the slave quarters.

2). Museum of Anthropology presents Death in Medieval London: The Black Plague of 1349 on Tuesday, March 18, 7:00pm. The 14th-century Black Death was one of the most devastating epidemics in human history. It killed tens of millions of Europeans and caused social, demographic, and economic changes throughout the continent. Dr. Sharon N. DeWitte, a biological anthropologist at the University at Albany, SUNY, will present her research on mortality patterns and reactions to the epidemic in London using a Black Death mass burial ground. Admission is free.

3). Kings Mountain Historical Museum is proud to announce the opening of our new exhibit Early Inhabitants of the Western Piedmont which will run through May 1, 2010. This exhibit will feature private and other Museum collections of early pottery, basketry and weapons from the Native Southeastern Indians and early pioneers that lived in the Western Piedmont many years ago.

4). Battleship NORTH CAROLINA presents Behind the Scenes at the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA: Hidden Battleship on March 13, 2010. Saturday, March 13th, join us for a unique, behind-the-scenes tour of un-restored areas of the Battleship. The four-hour tour consists of small groups with guides. Guests explore the bow, third deck, brig, after gyro, storage rooms, ammunition handling, Engineer’s office, torpedo area, engine room #3, the cold storage compartments, and up inside the fire control tower to the top of the ship. The Azalea Coast Radio Club will be in Radio II to explain their work on the ship’s radio transmitters.

5). Cape Fear Museum presents Pi Day on Tuesday, March 16, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. This daylong extravaganza of high-energy, hands-on, facilitated mathematics activities will excite and motivate learners of all ages. Discover the Meaning of Pi. Sort through the Puzzle Playground. Build towers with Shape Makers. Become an origami master when you Fold It! Appropriate for K-5th grade.

6). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum’s ARTmob is pleased to present an Artist Talk with Gabriel Shaffer at Blue Spiral 1 on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. This event is free. Gabriel Shaffer lives and works in Asheville, NC. The son of renowned folk/visionary artist Cher Shaffer, Gabriel was raised surrounded by many folk and outsider artists. In June 2002, at the age of 27, Shaffer had an epiphany while experimenting with painting. He has since focused solely on visual art.

7). Museum of the Albemarle The Museum of the Albemarle will celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday with Seussical Time on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 from 10:00 am until 10:45 am. Pre-schoolers must be between the ages of 3 to 5 years old and must be accompanied by an adult. Participants will celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday by learning a few interesting “Seuss” facts, reading a Dr. Seuss story and participate in a hands-on activity.

8). Museum of the Cape Fear will welcome spring and celebrate women and their contributions to history with a Women’s History Month Garden Party on Saturday, March 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. Ladies and gentlemen of all ages are invited to an afternoon of elegance at the 1897 Poe House, located at the historical complex. Relax in the backyard beautifully decorated for afternoon tea, and hear speakers highlight two Victorian-era topics: roses and etiquette.

9). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences Devouring people as if they were flies, cult B-movie classic The Giant Gila Monster crawls onto the big stage at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh on Friday, March 5 at 7 p.m. When a podunk Texas town finds itself under attack from a 70-foot-long Gila Monster with a hunger for humans, it looks to quick-thinking “teenage” mechanic and hot-rod gang leader Chase Winstead to save the day.

10). The Bascom Photographic Works by Greg Newington, the first exhibition in the U.S. of works by the award-winning Australian photographer, continues at The Bascom through March 7. The exhibition is in the ground floor of The Bascom's main building Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

11). Turchin Center for Visual Arts presents 7th Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition (AMPC) March 5 - June 5, 2010. Mezzanine Gallery The 7th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition (AMPC) is a program of Appalachian's Outdoor Programs in partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. The AMPC has grown to become a prominent regional competition attracting the work of amateur and professional photographers from across the country allowing them the opportunity to celebrate the unique people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.