NCMC Events From Around the State… July 26, 2010

1). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher Canoe trips are an excellent opportunity for adventure, exercise and bonding with friends and family. A canoe trip is fun for beginners and advanced canoeists alike, and is the perfect time to gather a group to enjoy nature. The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is offering a canoeing trip to Holly Shelter in Pender County. According to the NC Natural Heritage Program, Pender County boasts some of the most biologically significant land along the Atlantic Coast. Canoeing Holly Shelter is available Monday, August 16 at 8:00 am and Wednesday, August 25 at 8:00 am and available for ages eight and up.

2). Museum of the Albemarle Memories of the old Nags Head Casino will come alive at the Museum of the Albemarle for the fundraising Shag Dance themed Saturday Night at the Nags Head Casino, July 31 from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. It’ll be a night of summer fun and entertainment as the Museum recreates a vision of the inside image of the legendary Nags Head Casino. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, beverages, pinball, pool, Duckpin bowling, and of course, your favorite beach music featuring DJ Harvey Taylor.

3). Greensboro Children’s Museum presents Kick Off to Kindergarten on Saturday, August 14th from 3-5pm. Kickoff to Kindergarten is a free event offered by the Greensboro Children's Museum to help prepare children and their families for kindergarten. The Museum has partnered with Guilford County Schools to have Kindergarten teachers and school leaders available to answer last minute questions for the students and parents and to provide helpful information. Children will get to have fun exploring the museum's exhibits, practice boarding a real school bus, sample tasty options for healthy snacks & lunches and take home goody bags filled with school supplies.

4). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Join us for a relaxed and fun introduction to scrapbooking! Learn something new, meet people who share your interest and find out how to best display and preserve your memories. Begin a memory album or work on one already in progress with the assistance of Ruby Maxey, local scrapbooking enthusiast. Participants should bring photographs and mementoes, paper, accessories and tools will be available. The workshop is Saturday, July 31, 1-5 pm and is open to everyone, but space is limited to 20. An adult must accompany children under the age of 12. $5 for museum members; $10 for non-members

5). Orange County Historical Museum Come see Almost Andy performed by Hillsborough local Art Fettig on Friday, July 30. This skit showcases North Carolina native Andy Griffith. Free shows start at 6:30 and 7:30. Photo Opportunities are before and after each show.

6). Kings Mountain Historical Museum The Kings Mountain Historical Museum’s current exhibit is What Did Our Ancestors Wear? The exhibit will run will run through August 21, 2010 and features many examples of clothing, accessories, undergarments from the 18th to mid 20th century. The exhibit also features a "dress-up corner" for children to try on reproduction clothing for a great photo opportunity.

7). Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum A nearly 400-year-old shipwreck reached its final home at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras early on July 20. The wreckage was first uncovered in early 2008 by storms and tides in Corolla. North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources archeologists believe it could be the oldest shipwreck found to date in North Carolina. The 17-foot-wide by 37-foot-long wreckage sits on a slightly larger concrete pad behind the Museum. Plans are to have a specialized structure built around the shipwreck, which will allow visitors to watch as archeologists try to solve the mystery and unravel the story of the shipwreck.

8). High Point Museum presents Laundry & Ironing Demonstration in the Historical Park on Saturday, August 7, 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday, August 8, 1 pm to 4 pm. Before washing machines, women devoted entire days to doing household laundry. Come watch our costumed interpreters in action and find out why it took so long.

9). Cape Fear Museum Cape Fear Museum of History and Science has been awarded a grant to preserve three Civil War-era artifacts of great historical significance to the Lower Cape Fear region. The Museum will use money from an Institute for Museum and Library Services grant to help conserve three artifacts from its permanent collection – a 34-star U.S. flag, a Confederate 2nd National flag, and a uniform worn by Confederate General W.H.C. Whiting.

NCMC Events From Around the State… July 19, 2010

1). Museum of the Albemarle Benjamin Filene, PhD will present Lead Belly, The Lomaxes, and the Construction of America’s Musical Heritage at the Museum of the Albemarle, Thursday July 22 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Dr. Filene’s lecture will explore how today, African American music is exalted as fundamental to American culture, the roots of rock and roll and America’s premier cultural export. The lecture explores the discovery of Huddle “Lead Belly” Ledbetter by the father and son team of John and Alex Lomax, and their surprise musical finds in the prisons of America.

2). Asheville Art Museum Asheville Art Museum presents a series of lunchtime gallery discussions and presentations, or Art Breaks, designed to inform and engage museum patrons with members of the curatorial and education staff. This special Art Break on Friday, July 23, 2010 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. features local Asheville artists in the Museum’s permanent collection. Art Breaks are free with Museum Membership or admission.

3). Cameron Art Museum presents William McNeill Fannin’ the Heat Away: A Celebration of the Art and Social History of the Handheld Church Fan on Thurs. July 29, 7:00 pm. William McNeill celebrates a vanishing relic of Americana: the handheld church fan. A collector of vintage church fans, McNeill uses a sampling of his extensive collection to explore to explore how fans have served as devotional icons, and illustrates their role in advertising and in the kitsch visual culture of the American South.

4). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History presents History Talks: From Laurel Hill to Yellow Tavern - The Life of J.E.B Stuart on Sunday July 25 at 3pm. Author and historian Tom Perry will give a presentation on Civil War Confederate Major General James Ewell Brown (J.E.B.) Stuart. James Ewell Brown Stuart was born at Laurel Hill in Ararat, Virginia (Patrick County). A cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and support of offensive operations, Stuart was also known for his cavalier dress and personality. Join the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and Tom Perry for an in-depth look at one of our most intriguing hometown heroes.

5). Reynolda House Museum of American Art As we simmer on hot summer days with temperatures in the nineties, do you ever wonder how people survived the summer heat before air-conditioning as we know it? Visit Reynolda House Museum of American Art and learn about the “air-washing system” of the early nineteenth century and the later system that used 100-pound blocks of ice to cool the vast interior of the 64-room home in the 1930s. The museum’s Beat the Heat Tours on Sundays, July 25 and again August 8 will reveal those secrets and more. The tours start promptly at 2 p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.

6). Fort Fisher State Historic Site Lifeguards use them to show surf conditions. Olympians use them to convey pride and patriotism. But did you know that Civil War soldiers used flags for military movement and coordination on the battlefield? Learn more about these vital—and fun—communication tools at Fort Fisher State Historic Site’s program Coded Communication in the Civil War on Saturday, July 24.

7). Cape Fear Museum presents Learning Center: The Five Senses on Saturday, August 7 and 14. Discovery smells great! Make sense of the Museum as you see, smell, hear, touch and taste this fun science theme. Test out model eardrums, touch mystery box objects and experiment using smell and taste together to learn about the world around you. Activities are free with Museum admission. Appropriate for children ages 5 to 12. Parental participation is required.

8). High Point Museum presents Blacksmithing Demonstration in the Historical Park on Sunday, August 1, 1 pm to 4 pm. Come watch our costumed blacksmith in action as he crafts various iron pieces.

NCMC Events From Around the State… July 12, 2010

1). Reynolda House Museum of American Art Three new works are on view at Reynolda House Museum of American Art. Anni Albers’s "Red Meander" (1969) and Lee Krasner’s “Free Space I” and “Free Space II” (1975) can be seen in the historic house alongside a work already in the museum’s collection, “I-S, J” (1973) by Albers’s husband, Josef Albers. They will remain on view through August 15, 2010. This small, unified grouping allows visitors to consider how abstract form and color theory continued to shape the printmaking practices of these three innovative artists late in their careers.

2). Museum of the Albemarle Join the Museum of the Albemarle for a Summer Fun Day on Tuesday, July 20, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The day will focus on the traveling exhibit “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music”. To begin the day, Mr. Bert Berry of Chesapeake, Virginia, will provide visitors to the Museum with a brief history on the dulcimer and demonstrate by strumming a few tunes. Mr. Berry will allow visitors the opportunity to strum a few notes themselves. C-Shells will follow for the listening enjoyment of the young and the “young at heart” at 11:00 am in the Gaither Auditorium.

3). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History presents the Surry Quilters' Guild 2010 Quilt Show Opening on Saturday July 17 from 10am - 5pm. The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History is pleased to host the 2010 Quilt Show by the Surry Quilters' Guild from July 17 through the beginning of October. Approximately 20-30 quilts will be on exhibit on the 3rd floor of the Museum.

4). Charlotte Nature Museum Meet some feathered friends including hawks, owls and more as Charlotte Nature Museum hosts its July Creature Feature: Hawk Talk on Saturday, July 17, from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. with special guests from Carolina Raptor Center. Soar with the powerful eagle owl as you learn all about its shallow wing beats and long, fast glides. Keep your eagle eye open for the Barred Owl, which nest throughout Freedom Park and Charlotte Nature Museum’s Paw Paw Nature Trail. Also go beak-to-beak with the Eastern screech owl, the Eurasian eagle owl and Harris’ hawk.

5). Port Discover Port Discover invites preschoolers to examine living creatures and learn how they survive in the wild at Cool Critters, the July Toddler Time, Thursday, July 15 at 10 a.m. Children will create their own clay critter and build a camouflaged habitat to take home. 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.

6). The Bascom Beginning July 8 and running through September 5, The Bascom will showcase a special exhibition of 24 large-format photographs featuring special places in America. Some of the landscapes and gardens featured in these images are hundreds of years old. To preserve these treasures, George Eastman House, in conjunction with TCLF, has commissioned 12 celebrated photographers to make a visual interpretation of each of the twelve sites. The resulting images have been organized into a traveling exhibition called Heroes of Horticulture.

NCMC Events From Around the State… July 6, 2010

1). Reynolda House Museum of American Art presents Beat the Heat Tours on Sundays, July 25 and August 8, 2–4 p.m. This behind-the-scenes tour of Reynolda House allows visitors to investigate areas normally closed to the general public. Guests will explore the kitchens, laundry and mechanical rooms, ice-block air conditioning rooms, the squash court, and areas below the swimming pool, as well as enjoy the view across the lawn from the former roof garden.

2). Asheville Art Museum The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to present the exhibition Sallie Middleton: A Life in the Forest with an opening reception for the public that will be held Friday, July 16, 2010 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. This exhibition is on view Friday, July 16 through Sunday, December 5, 2010 and is free with museum membership or admission.

3). Cameron Art Museum PuppetArt is an exhibition presented by the Cameron Art Museum in collaboration with the Port City Puppet Festival, sponsored by the Puppeteers of America Southeast Region and the UNCW Office of Cultural Arts. The exhibition features large-scale puppets and set designs from the famous Vermont-based “Bread and Puppet Theatre”, and selected international puppets from various historical periods drawn from the collection of Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts. A wildly celebratory opening reception and program will be held Thursday, July 15, which also marks the opening festivities of the Port City Puppet Festival.

4). Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum Dancing, jazz, stories and crafts offer excitement and fun at the African American Heritage Day at Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum on Saturday, July 10. The free event is part of 2nd Saturdays program from the 37 museums and state historic sites within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. Experience arts and culture from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Bring your lawn chair and stay all day!

5). Weatherspoon Art Museum presents Summer Film & Music Series: Warhol & Friends on July 8, 15 & 22, 6:30-9 pm. This year’s Summer Film & Music Series celebrates the creative personalities who inspired and were inspired by Andy Warhol. Stay late for live music in the Sculpture Garden featuring indie rock of the 1970s & 80s. Films begin at 6:30 pm, music immediately follows. Free admission, music and complimentary refreshments. $5 suggested donation to help support museum education programs.

6). N.C. Transportation Museum The N.C. Transportation Museum will host a special event July 10, featuring artists from around the region, antique and classic boats, and speaker Ben Casey with his program, N.C. Waters – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The boat show and artists display will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., while Casey will speak at 1 p.m. in the Bob Julian Roundhouse. The event is part of 2nd Saturdays, a partnership between the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and N.C. Arts Council. Artists will be given the opportunity to show and sell their work, especially those items with a maritime theme.

7). Battleship NORTH CAROLINA The Battleship is pleased to host the Battleship Arts Fest, Saturday, July 10, 2010 in Battleship Park from 10am to 2pm. Arts Fest features creations for sale by local artists working in ceramics, metal, wood, and other media. The DREAMS Center for Arts Education, whose focus is offering free-of-charge arts programming to youth, will have young artists selling their work, face painting by donation, entertaining the crowd with African drumming, and offering bottled water and baked goods for sale.

8). N.C. State Capitol As one of the most photographed buildings in North Carolina, the State Capitol is a fitting setting for an afternoon of art. From noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 10, photographers, painters, and other visual artists will be on site to demonstrate their craft and sell their wares. The free event is one of the 2nd Saturdays programs that bring together arts, history and authentic North Carolina culture. The museums and state historic sites within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources offer great fun for families on a budget this summer.

9). Orange County Historical Museum Participate in Native American Day on July 10 from 1-3pm and learn about the lifestyle of the southeast woodland people by special demonstrations of tools and weapons by Blackfeather Jeffries and women’s life talks by Lynette Jeffries.

10). Tryon Palace Write your own personal memoirs and learn how to publish them. Meet present-day authors, hear their stories and purchase their works at the 2nd Saturdays event July 10 at Tryon Palace. The free New Bern Literary Read-In and Book Fair features North Carolina native and author Sheila Peele-Miller, who will present a memoir writing workshop. Come learn about the historical legacy of African-American writers in North Carolina during a presentation by guest speaker Reginald Watson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English at East Carolina University.