NCMC Events From Around the State… July 16, 2012


The North Carolina Museums Council recently established a Southeastern Museums Conference Annual Meeting Registration grant. One full, paid registration to the November 7-9 Annual Meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia will be awarded. Deadline for applications: August 15. Forms are available on the NCMC web site.

1). Yalik’s Modern Art Yalik's Modern Art presents a documentary exhibit recounting former High Point resident John Coltrane's uneasy relationship with jazz critics during the tumultuous Civil Rights period. The exhibit titled, “John Coltrane vs. the Jazz Critics: 1961-1966”, coincides with the 2012 John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival, Saturday, September 1st. Through an examination of photographs, letters, record reviews, commentaries, musical examples, and artifacts, Coltrane and the Jazz Critics details the strategies Coltrane employed to weather a concerted campaign by Down Beat magazine to discredit his musical experiments in the years before Coltrane produced his most original and enduring recordings.

2). Weatherspoon Art Museum announces two performances by Invisible, Greensboro's experimental multimedia performance collective featuring Mark Dixon, Bart Trotman, Jodi Staley, Jonathan Henderson and secretly Fred Snider, will offer two presentations of their current production, The New Obsolete, at the Weatherspoon Art Museum on Friday, July 20 at 7pm and Thursday, July 26 at 6pm. All performances are free and open to the public. Visitors may view the “set” of The New Obsolete which will be installed in the Museum’s atrium from July 17 through July 26 during regular museum hours.

3). Asheville Art Museum The Museum welcomes the return of pianist Teresa Sumpter who will perform a recital including compositions by Beethoven, Schubert, Debussy and Schoenberg. Dr. Sumpter has performed in venues across the U.S. and currently teaches piano and music theory at Mars Hill College. This summer’s Pianoforte recital will take place on Sunday, July 22 at 3:00 p.m. in the Museum’s newly renovated East Wing (upper level). Tickets to Pianoforte Concerts are $6 for Museum Members and $8 plus Museum Admission for non-Members.

4). Tryon Palace presents African-American Lecture: “Differing Views, NC Women on the Homefront 1860 – 1865” on Thursday, July 19, 7:00 p.m. Guest Speaker: LeRae Umfleet at the North Carolina History Center, Cullman Performance Hall…Free admission. Learn about the various experiences of NC women during the Civil War by hearing the stories of coastal NC women in comparison to the experiences of their piedmont and mountain counterparts. The experiences of African American women such as Elizabeth Keckly and Mary Jane and Sarah Connor of New Bern will be highlighted.

5). Museum of the Albemarle  Join the Museum of the Albemarle in celebrating the region’s environment and explore the natural world through interactive songs with “Pamlico Joe and Clean Water Flow” on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. Pamlico Joe and Clean Water Flow will perform at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. However, either before or after the concerts, there will be a variety of activities set-up throughout the Museum. One can visit a fish tank and talk with a fisheries biologist from North Carolina Inland Fisheries, visit with the Edenton National Fish Hatchery that was established in 1898, discover what is in the water through Port Discover’s “Water Quality” educational program and visit with “Coastie” and learn how to be safe while on or around the water.

6). High Point Museum  Museum is hosting two upcoming programs related to the second phase of our North Carolina Schools of Longrifles exhibit which will be open until August 25. On Saturday, July 21 from 3 pm to 6 pm will be an antique longrifle identification event. If you own an old longrifle, here's your chance to learn more about its history and value. Specialists, Joe Byerly and John Aderholdt, will be on hand to evaluate antique rifles. Weapons must be secured and not loaded. The cost is $5 per item for High Point Historical Society members and $10 per item for nonmembers. Then on Saturday, August 11 from 10 am to 2 pm will be the second longrifle seminar. The focus will be Jamestown Rifles and local expert and author Michael Briggs will lead the discussion. Cost is $20 per person and includes lunch. Registration required please.

7). HandsOn! Hands On!-A Child’s Gallery, the children’s museum located in downtown Hendersonville is excited to announce our Let’s Go Fly! Mini-camp on Thursday, July 26th from 10:30am-12:30pm. This program is sponsored by the Asheville Regional Airport! The cost is $15 for non-members and $9 for members. Reserve your spot today—space is limited! Create 4 different paper airplanes and test their flying skills.

8). N.C. Department of Cultural Resources During World War II, the arrival of the North Carolina Civil Air Patrol (CAP) dramatically reduced the German sinking of American vessels off the North Carolina coast. In recognition of the valuable service the Civil Air Patrol provided, a N.C. Highway Historical Marker will be dedicated on Saturday, July 21, at 10:30 a.m., in Manteo at the Dare County Airport, the former CAP base.

9). Blowing Rock Art & History Museum As part of its recognition of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum will host special guest Elliot Engel as its Third Thursday speaker at 4 p.m. on July 19. Engel, who draws crowds for his literary and historical talks across the country, will present “Scarlett Fever: The Greatness of Gone with the Wind,” revealing the background of the book and how it reflects the story of author Margaret Mitchell’s life.

10). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher’s newest installation in the Spadefish Gallery combines elements of fire and water in “Ocean Pyrography: The Art of Mary Jane Mumpower.” The new exhibit, which opened July 1 and runs through the end of September, features images of aquatic animals and marine environments fluidly seared into wood. Through pyrography, or wood burning techniques, artist Mary Jane Mumpower creates detailed scenes with varied textures and patterns making her art visual and tactile.