NCMC Events From Around the State… October 31, 2011

1). Airborne & Special Operations Museum To celebrate Heroes Homecoming, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation will be hosting many different events beginning Saturday, November 5, and running through Friday, November 14. On November 6 at 8am The Vietnam Moving Wall will be escorted to the museum by the Fayetteville Police Department and NC Rolling Thunder Chapter 1. At 3pm a Salute to Veterans ceremony will officially open the Parade Field, featuring flags representing veterans from all services. The Vietnam Moving Wall will also be open to the public at this time.

2). N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Heroic tales and valiant feats are depicted in images that reflect North Carolina’s dedication to the war in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com). The Onslow County Public Library in Jacksonville and the Transylvania County Public Library in Brevard will host the exhibit from Nov. 1-29, sharing images and stories that capture the history and people of the Civil War (1861-1865).

3). Maria V. Howard Arts Center On November 5, 2011, join artist Catherine Jordan in making an embroidered journal cover. This class introduces fabric painting, a few detail stitches and easy finishing techniques to create a journal for yourself or as a gift. Fabric painting adds depth and beauty as a landscape backdrop for surface embroidery, and a beautiful eyelet band adorns the top of the sampler. The project covers a diminutive journal 3” x 4”. The workshop will begin at 9:00 am on November 5th and end at 4:00pm. The workshop fee is $35 with a $40 material fee paid to the instructor.

4). President James K. Polk State Historic Site Join us Saturday November 5 for the “Polk Birthday Celebration”. This living history program will bring back to life the Polk family of Mecklenburg County in November 1795, when James K. Polk was born. Activities will include open hearth cooking, children’s toys and games, woodworking, and musket firing demonstrations. Visitors will have a chance to see some of the types of animals found on a 18th century farm. The site will also host the blue grass band the Flat Possum Hoppers who will be playing out on the grounds. Clay artist Rick Crowley will be on site giving demonstrations and selling hand crafted pieces. There will be a craft area for children, and of course birthday cake!

5). N.C. Museum of History The “Celebrate NC History Festival” on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. kicks off the largest exhibit ever at the N.C. Museum of History. “The Story of North Carolina” highlights more than 14,000 years of the state’s history. Part One of this permanent exhibit opened in April, and now the entire exhibit will be complete. Admission to the festival and the exhibit is free, and weekend parking is free. Award-winning musicians, storytellers, dance groups, authors, craftspeople, re-enactors and other presenters will capture the flavor and diversity of the Tar Heel State. There will be something for all ages.

6). Waterworks Visual Arts Center will host gallery guest speaker Dr. Sharon D. Raynor on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 7 pm. Dr. Raynor’s oral history project “Breaking the Silence: The Unspoken Brotherhood of Vietnam Veterans” is a powerful addendum to the exhibition “Imprints”. Her oral history highlights the war experiences of Vietnam veterans of North Carolina. Funded by the NC Humanities Council, her program explores the concepts of trauma, silence, healing, and recovery.

7). Asheville Art Museum will host a symposium and panel discussion on the unique traditions, contemporary issues and future challenges of Southeastern basketry from Friday, November 4 – Sunday, November 6, 2011. Admission for events taking place at the Museum Friday through Saturday is $20 for Museum Members and students (including college students with valid school ID), and $30 for non-Members. Admission for a half-day trip to Cherokee, NC on Sunday, November 4, is $25 for Members and non-Members. Advanced registration for the day trip to Cherokee by Friday, October 28th, is requested.

8). Rockingham County Historical Society Wright Tavern’s “Restoration Celebration” is being held November 5th from 10 am to 3pm. Come join us to celebrate this achievement. Get a glimpse of the past. Activities include games, live animals, exhibitors, food, and history. Come trace your family’s history with the genealogy folks from “Family Search”. Learn to make candles with the Mayodan Moravian Church. Let Frank Bray show you how our ancestors smoked meat and sample some, win homemade desserts in the cake walk, watch quilting, pottery, and hearth cooking demonstrations, pan for gems with the Rockingham County Mineral Club, and much more.

9). SECCA is going to stretch your notions of fashion on Nov. 3. Imagine a dress wrapped around a canoe, models encased in beautifully-tailored pods, unraveled suits - seam by seam, and a wig made of fabric tentacles. SECCA is an affiliate of the N.C. Museum of Art, within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday Nov. 3, SECCA is celebrating the opening of three exhibitions which include these works and many others. Enjoy performance art, music, food and friends and mingle with exhibiting artists at this free event.

10). Turchin Center for the Visual Arts Connect through the Arts by stopping by our November First Friday! This month, we are celebrating two artists and one new exhibition. Visit our website or call 828-262-3017 to learn more about the times and featured artists!

11). NC Digital Heritage Center is pleased to announce a new digital collection at the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center: “North Carolina Samplers”, now open for contributions from museums and archives across the state. This new online collection will feature images of historic needlepoint samplers held by cultural heritage organizations in North Carolina. Museums and archival collections are invited to contribute images of samplers from their own collections. You can submit existing digital images, or talk with us about how we can help photograph samplers from your collection.