NCMC Events From Around the State… March 21, 2011

1). Historic Bath State Historic Site A new display at Historic Bath, “The Civil War at Home: Uncovering Local History Through Family Letters,” will highlight some of the ways readers can glean bits of local knowledge 150 years later through personal letters exchanged during this pivotal era in American history. Canteens, spectacles, binoculars and belt buckles from the Civil War era will be on display through 2011. Based on these letters, Historic Bath staff member Bea Latham will give a lecture titled “A Woman’s Place was in the Home: Learning about Life Through Civil War Letters” on April 16 at 10 a.m.

2). Museum of the Albemarle Help to celebrate Perquimans County, one of the 13 counties that make up the Albemarle area, Sunday March 27 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Learn more about the artifacts in “Our Story, and Out of the Blue: Coast Guard Aviation that represent Perquimans County”. Period furniture craftsman Ben Hobbs and other guest speakers will be available to share personal reflections of Perquimans. Light refreshments will be served.

3). Gregg Museum of Art & Design presents “Trace Evidence”, a symposium held March 24-26 at NC State University's Gregg Museum of Art & Design located on the second floor of Talley Student Center. The symposium is in conjunction with “Traces: Mapping a Journey in Textiles and Pull of the Moon: Recent Work of Barbara Lee Smith”, January 20- May 14, 2011. Panels, fashion shows, and tours of galleries, museums and studios around the city are all part of a shared effort to probe the many ways textiles may be explored as an art medium.

4). N.C. Dept. of Cultural Resources The first families of North Carolina who helped define the state’s cultural diversity will be highlighted in a talk by Dr. Jeffrey J. Crow, Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 25, at the North Carolina Museum of the Albemarle, 501 S. Water St., in Elizabeth City. Telling two compelling stories, one about leader of the Tuscarora Tom Blunt, and the second about Abraham, an 18th-century Afro-Moravian, Crow will share the tale of a struggling Carolina colony at a critical moment in history.

5). Reynolda House Some artists strive to capture a beautiful scene in a landscape, an important person in a portrait, or an abstract idea or emotion on canvas. Unlike many of his contemporaries in the 1920s and ’30s, artist Thomas Hart Benton often chose to tell a story. In the new Reynolda House Museum of American Art exhibition titled “Thomas Hart Benton, America’s Master Storyteller,” visitors will see his large-scale oil masterpiece, “Bootleggers,” alongside three lithographs. The lithographs are based on scenes the artist created for the mural program of the Missouri State Capitol Building, “Thomas Hart Benton, America’s Master Storyteller” will be on view now through July 31, 2011. The exhibition is included in the cost of admission.

6). The Bascom There is so much to see and do at The Bascom this spring! Exhibitions include “Out Back and Down Under” that runs through March 25. Enjoy recent works by photographer Greg Newington that include images from his recent Aussie tour Down Under, and from Out Back on our mountain plateau. Also, through April 9, “Regional Art Organizations, Selected Works” is an exhibition initiative that supports the work of individual artists and arts organizations in the region surrounding our mountain plateau.

7). Port Discover Port Discover’s Afterschool Science presents “1 + 1 Equals Achoo!,” a kid’s health awareness program, on Thursday, March 24 from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Dr. Maille Lyons, from Old Dominion University, presents the unique interactive game illustrating how sickness can spread through a community. Children will also learn what can be done to prevent the germs from spreading and stay healthy!

8). Marbles Kids Museum presents “First Friday at Marbles and Be a Star!” with NC Theatre on Friday, April 1- Museum open until 8:00pm. Put on your Sunday’s best for an evening of play and adventure with NC Theatre. Celebrate a fun-filled evening of Sunday hat-making, song and dance, and a sneak preview of NC Theatre’s production of “Hello, Dolly!” “Be a Star!” is sponsored by Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company.

9). Bennett Place State Historic Site presents “Soldier Life at Bennett Farm”. Campfire cooking of salt pork and Johnny cakes, chopping firewood, mending uniforms and other aspects of the daily life of a Confederate soldier will be demonstrated on Saturday and Sunday, March 26-27, at Bennett Place State Historic Site. Re-enactors will encamp as “Tarheel” soldiers during free programs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, as part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial observance www.nccivilwar150.com.