ncmuseums

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

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

NCMC Events From Around the State… May 29, 2012


1). High Point Museum  presents Evaluation Extravaganza – Tra$h or Treas$ure on Saturday, June 9, 9 am to 3 pm. “The Evaluation Extravaganza” provides an opportunity for community members to bring their valued treasures before expert evaluators who will briefly assess the item and provide a verbal approximation of value. Cost per object is $5 for High Point Historical Society Members and $10 per item for nonmembers. No large furniture or firearms.

2). Greenville Museum of Art The Greenville Museum of Art announces a call for entries for the Greenville Museum of Art Annual Juried Art exhibition to be held Friday September 7, through Sunday, October, 2012. The call is open to artists 18 years and older working in fine art and craft media and who reside in eastern North Carolina as will as the triangle communities of Wake, Orange and Durham. Cash prizes will be awarded. Entry fee applies, deadline is July 19.

3). Museum of the Albemarle  The Benjamin Bowser Unsung Hero Committee will be honoring former Pea Island Life Saving Station #17 Keeper Benjamin Bowser in a gravesite ceremony on Monday June 11, at 6:30pm. The event will be held at Bowser’s gravesite at the Corinth Baptist Church, 7300 Caratoke Highway in Jarvisburg. Participants in this ceremony will include The USCG Color Guard, Admiral Stephen Rochan, USCG retired, Elaine Marshall, NC Secretary of State , Paul O’ Neal, County Commissioner, and others.

4). Marbles Kids Museum  presents Music Makers with the NC Symphony – Fables for Families on Saturday, June 2 from 11am-2pm. Try out orchestral instruments, explore the music of concert fables and meet a special guest from the Symphony. The musical fun leads up to the Symphony's outdoor performance of Fables for Families on June 16.

5). Cape Fear Museum presents Stormfest on Saturday, June 2, 10 AM-4 PM. Free and open to the public. Meet meteorologists from area news stations; learn about weather phenomena, how to predict it, and what it’s like to be on TV! Find out how to prepare for dangerous weather, and discover the resources local governments offer to help with storm response and recovery. Organized by the National Weather Service.

6). Historic Oak View County Park  Historic Oak View County Park has partnered with Shaw University Radio, WSHA 88.9 FM, to present Jazz in the Park on June 9, 2012 from noon until 3 pm. This event is a live jazz concert featuring the Raleigh Jazz Orchestra as well as a jazz jam session on the grounds of Historic Oak View. Area performers are invited to bring their instruments and sit in. This event is free and open to the public.

7). N.C. Collection and Wilson Special Collections Library  Civil War currency will be the topic of a June 2 program Currency in Chaos: How the Civil War Changed America’s Money. Wendell Wolka will deliver the keynote speech, “And the World Turned Upside Down: The Effect of the Civil War on the Paper Money of the United States both North and South.” The free public program will begin at 10 a.m. in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room. Registration will open at 9:30 a.m. Participants who bring samples of Civil War currency will also have the opportunity for experts to evaluate their items.

8). Cameron Art Museum  Elliot Daingerfield (1859-1932) is one of North Carolina’s most prolific and well-known artists. Elliot Daingerfield: Art and Life in North Carolina showcases over 60 paintings and drawings from both private and museum collections. Opening reception at Cameron Art Museum on Friday, June 1, will include remarks at 6:30 pm by Joe Dulaney, Elliot Daingerfield’s Grandson and curator J. Richard Gruber.

9). Battleship NORTH CAROLINA  presents Museum Ship’s Weekend: Azalea Coast Amateur Radio Club on June 2 – 3, 2012. The Azalea Coast Amateur Radio Club will operate on board the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA as one of 63 ships participating worldwide. On this annual event, HAM radio operators will communicate and transmit via voice using the Ship’s original radio equipment. Visitors will be to interact and see as part of the tour how one type of communication was used during World War II as well as is still is today. Free with Battleship admission.

10). Reynolda House Museum of American Art  presents Family First Paper Relief Sculpture Workshop on Sunday, June 3, 2 p.m., $7 per person. Take inspiration from the sculptures that decorate the gardens in A Genius for Place and create a lion head sculpture from cut and folded paper. This two-hour workshops is for elementary school-aged children and older, accompanied by an adult. Reservations are required, as space is limited.

Monday, May 21, 2012

NCMC Events From Around the State… May 21, 2012
1). High Point Museum  presents Genfest on Saturday, June 2, Noon to 5 pm. The Heritage Research Center’s annual family- and local-history and culture festival will be held on the first floor of the High Point Public Library. Exhibitors will include genealogists, historians, authors, craftsmen, and representatives from local historical and genealogical societies, museums, and lineage societies. Genealogy and local-history books, maps, and other products will be available for purchase. Free and open to the public. Attendees will be eligible for exhibitor prizes and can qualify for entry in our drawings for Ancestry.com memberships.

2). Bennett Place State Historic Site  will present a program to remember and honor American soldiers on Saturday, May 26. The Memorial Day tribute is for military personnel over time. History re-enactors will represent some of the first soldiers from the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and War of 1812. Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers, Rough Riders from the Spanish American War, and soldiers of World Wars I and II, and Vietnam, will be represented. The free program is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

3). Waterworks Visual Arts Center  Summer Exhibition opens at Waterworks Visual Arts Center on May 19 and runs through August 11, 2012. With A Discerning Eye: Realism to Abstraction explores the boundaries between the artist’s use of elements of design to express their thoughts. Some artists manipulate the elements to mirror the world in photographic detail while others take pleasure in showing us the elements as a statement in itself. Artwork from five regional artists challenge the viewer to look beyond the obvious and to deepen their understanding of the realism in abstraction and the abstraction in realism.

4). HandsOn!  is planning a family MUD FUN event scheduled for Saturday, June 2 from 5:00 – 7:00 at Berkeley Park. You may have heard of the upcoming mud run to benefit Hands On! that will be a challenging 3.5 mile obstacle race in the mud, but this smaller family-oriented event will focus more on those families who enjoy the creativity and programs offered at Hands On! Family MUD FUN will include muddy games for kids and adults of all ages. Tickets for the event are $15 per person for ages 2 & up, and this includes a Chick-Fil-A meal, live music throughout the event and muddy games and fun! All participants must register prior to May 25, but participation is limited and may be cutoff earlier.

5). The Bascom  Alex Matisse: Ometto opened at the Bascom on May 17th. “In Italy, the word Ometto, meaning ‘little man’, is used to describe rock cairns that lead the way on hiking trails above the tree line,” shares Alex Matisse whose works will be at The Bascom through October 21. The pots in the exhibition originate from the tradition of salt-glazed stoneware grave markers that were made in abundance in the counties of the eastern Piedmont of North Carolina. “The Ometti will convene on the front lawn of The Bascom, holding vigil for a few months, before being marshaled into the world to take up their posts,” he adds.

6). Museum of the Albemarle  Forty images appear in The Photography of Lewis Hine: Exposing Child Labor in North Carolina, 1908-1918, an exhibit at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City. Peering from across a century, many of the children look much older than their actual years. Hine captured the harsh realities of their mill village lives in Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln, Rowan and other Tar Heel counties. His compelling photographs range from girls running warping machines in Gastonia to boys covered in lint after long hours as doffers and sweepers in a Hickory mill. The exhibit will open May 29th at 10:00 am. Admission is free.

7). Kings Mountain Historical Museum  On Tuesday, May 22 at 4:30PM, the Kings Mountain Historical Museum will host Flower Arranging Workshop for Children ages 9 – 12 by Susan Patterson, Sunflowers by Susan and Thursday, May 31 at 6PM – Julie Flowers, Area Consumer Horticulture Agent, Gaston and Cleveland Counties will share techniques for your vegetable garden at the Family Gardening Fun Night. Advance registration is requested with both programs due to space limitations.

8). Discovery Place  Dive beneath the surface of ice with penguins, swim through tropical landscapes with turtles, forage in the forest with a family of bears and see the world as never before through the eyes of some of the planet’s most majestic and powerful creatures when National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes opens May 26 at Discovery Place. Showcasing the ongoing research of National Geographic’s Crittercam, a scientific video- and data-gathering tool safely worn by wild animals, the exhibition invites visitors to see the world through animal eyes and encompasses more than 20 years of scientific invention and research collaborations.

9). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History  Historic Downtown Mount Airy Ghost Tours every Friday and Saturday May – October. Join us for an exciting 90 minute, lantern-lit walking tour through Mount Airy's streets and its historic past on Friday May 25 and Saturday May 26 at 8pm. You will hear about 13 of our "less mortal" friends and some of Mount Airy's resting places. Tours begin and end at Old North State Winery, 308 N. Main Street. Wear comfortable shoes and bring your camera and umbrella, if needed. Tickets are $10 and pre-paid reservations are required!

10). Port Discover  See what’s in Port Discover’s incubator! Mason Lawrence, with the NC Cooperative Extension, visits Port Discover to teach the basics of embryology during Embryology – Egg to Chicken, at Port Discover’s Afterschool Science, Thursday, May 24, at 3:00 pm. Take a close-up look at chicken eggs as they begin to develop into little baby chicks! The incubator and eggs will remain at Port Discover after the program.

Monday, May 14, 2012

NCMC Events From Around the State… May 14, 2012




1). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences (http://naturalsciences.org) Ever wondered how humans live, work and play in outer space? Now that the space shuttle program is over, does that mean space exploration will cease? Have your children ever expressed an interest in becoming an astronaut? Are aliens real? If you’ve ever had questions about the cosmos, Astronomy Days at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh is where you need to be on Saturday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 20 from noon to 5 p.m. Free.

2). Port Discover (www.portdiscover.org) Celebrate National Strawberry Month during “Strawberries Galore!” Port Discover’s Toddler Time program, on Thursday, May 17 at 10:00 am. Children will discover how taste buds detect sweet from sour and will plant a strawberry bed in Port Discover’s Kids Grow Garden. Toddler Time is a special science program just for preschoolers, ages 3 – 5. Cost for the program is $5 per child and reservations are required. Parents or guardians must accompany the child.

3). Hickory Museum of Art (http://www.HickoryArt.org) will host a preview reception on Friday, May 25 from 6 – 8 pm for “Contemporary Art for Adult Children: Paintings by Susan Webb Tregay.” Tregay is a nationally recognized artist whose new series recently won awards from Watercolor USA and the International Society of Acrylic Painters.

4). Museum of the Albemarle (www.museumofthealbemarle.com) ) Watch for Pirates at the Potato Festival as the Museum of the Albemarle presents “Pirate Family Fun Day” on May 19th beginning at 10:00 am. Out on the Museum Green join Blackbeard’s Crew and enjoy hands on pirate activities from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. From 10:00 am until 1:00 pm visit with children’s author James C. Butz as he introduces you to his new book: “The Legend of Privateer Sir Captain Curri C. Tuck.”

5). Charlotte Nature Museum (www.charlottenaturemuseum.org) Mother Nature makes some of the cutest and cuddliest babies around – and she has a large brood! From fuzzy furballs to itsy bitsy and creepy crawly, young wildlife come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Join Charlotte Nature Museum for the May Creature Feature event, Nature’s Babies, Saturday, May 19, from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

6). Weatherspoon Art Museum (http://weatherspoon.uncg.edu/) On Saturday, June 16, the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro will open a new exhibition, Zone of Contention: The U.S./Mexico Border. The exhibition focuses on artists’ investigations of issues related to the U.S./Mexico border, a geographic area of much debate and contention. Through photography, sculpture, works on paper, video, and new media, subjects such as migrant labor, immigration law, national sovereignty, and border control will be examined in terms of their current social and ideological impact.

7). N.C. Transportation Museum (www.nctrans.org) is once again celebrating the golden age of railroading this June, but doing so in a bigger and better fashion than ever before. The Great Southeastern Rail Days Festival will be held Saturday, June 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, June 3 from noon to 5 p.m. The Great Southeastern Rail Days Festival will feature an expanded offering of train rides, live music, magic, railroad artist Andy Fletcher, kid’s activities and a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the merger of Southern Railway and Norfolk & Western to form Norfolk-Southern Railways. Like our previous “Rail Days” events, there will be a huge offering for families and railfans alike. But like the name, this year’s event is bigger and better.

8). Bennett Place State Historic Site (http://www.nchistoricsites.org/bennett/) On May 12, 1862, Lorenzo Leigh Bennett, oldest son of the Bennett Family, went to the town of Hillsboro and enlisted in the 27th North Carolina Infantry, Company G. As the war entered its second year, he and many other young men joined to serve the Southern effort. Over the course of the four year war more than 120,000 men from North Carolina served in the Confederate Army, and more than 32,000 of them died. In conjunction with the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War, Bennett Place State Historic Site will present "Joining the Southern Cause," an outdoor educational program depicting life of the Southern soldiers and civilians in the second year of the war. Living history programs will be Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday, May 20, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

9). HandsOn! (www.handsonwnc.org) Hands On! –A Child’s Gallery, the children’s museum located in downtown Hendersonville, will be hosting a ”Music” class on Friday, May 18th from 11:00am-12:00 noon for children ages 3 years and up. Parent’s as teachers take their children on a musical journey. Parents will learn how to use manipulatives from the Early Learning Center boxes to help their children learn. This class is offered in conjunction with the Children & Family Resource Center’s Early Learning Center (ELC).The class will be free with $5.00 admission for non-members and free for members. There are limited spaces so please call to sign-up.

10). Cape Fear Museum (www.capefearmuseum.com) Cape Fear Museum’s Toys and Games exhibition is a delight for both the young and young-at-heart. Remember your favorite toy when you were young? What games did you play with your friends and siblings? Many of us connect to our pasts through our childhood experiences. View historical images of people at play and toys and games from our collection. You’ll relate to generations of local residents through their playthings. Play with a variety of interactives inspired by the Museum’s collection. Toys & Games is open through September 9, 2012.

Sunday, May 06, 2012

NCMC Events From Around the State… May 7, 2012
1). HandsOn!  Hands On!, the children’s museum in downtown Hendersonville, is excited to announce a new exhibit opening Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The Hands On! ice cream parlor and sweet shop is named "Kilwins" and is sponsored by Kilwins. This exhibit will feature an ice cream counter where visitors will be able to serve up ice cream as they learn colors, counting & shapes. Curious children and adults peer in the exhibit's windows along with a really curious cow.

2). The Bascom  On Saturday, March 12th, join Rosemary Stiefel for “Stylistic Analysis” from 10 am – 4:00 pm. Gain a fresh way of seeing whether you are an art appreciator or hands-on artist. Learn how to look at and examine works of art by well-known artists from various time periods and movements. Students will gain a better understanding of art, for intellectual enjoyment and/or the making of art, by creating simple diagrams showing how the paintings were created stylistically. Take a closer look at the art you love!

3). Kings Mountain Historical Museum To celebrate the recent addition of the herb garden to the interpretation of the historic houses on site, the Kings Mountain Historical Museum will open the exhibit In “:Full Bloom: Gardening & Agriculture in Kings Mountain” on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The exhibit, featuring scrapbooks from the Kings Mountain Garden Club and historic agricultural tools will be on display May 15 - June 2, 2012.

4). Asheville Art Museum Museum members and visitors are invited to a special “Up for Discussion” featuring esteemed art scholar Dr. Mary Ann Caws on Thursday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the Museum’s new East Wing, followed by a book-signing and light reception. Tickets are $5 for Members and $7 + Admission for non-Members. A personal friend and colleague of artist Robert Motherwell during his lifetime, Dr. Caws has written a number of biographies on the artist, including “Robert Motherwell: With Pen and Brush”.

5). CSS Neuse State Historic Site and Governor Caswell Memorial  present “Wood, Iron, and Time: 50 years of Evolving Preservation on Maritime Artifacts” on May 19, 2012 at 2 p.m. at the Neuse Regional Library. Come hear two experts in preservation discuss how techniques have changed in the last fifty years. Leslie Bright will give his perspective on how things were done when the CSS Neuse was recovered in the early 1960s and how they have changed. Then Wendy Welsh will talk about work being done on the Queen Anne’s Revenge and how those techniques have evolved even further. CSS Neuse Site Staff will detail why in light of these advances it has been so important to move the Gunboat into a fully-enclosed and climate controlled building.

6). Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum In ceremonies next week, communities on the Outer Banks pay honor to World War II British and Canadian sailors who gave their lives to defend the coast of the United States. The British War Grave ceremonies take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 10, at the World War II British Cemetery in Buxton, and again at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 11, at the World War II British Cemetery in Ocracoke. Held by the Friends of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, the Ocracoke Community, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the National Park Service and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the ceremonies honor the 63 foreign sailors who lost their lives just off the coast of the Outer Banks.

7). Hickory Museum of Art  will host a film screening of “From Billy to Wiili: A Bipolar Artist’s Journey” on Saturday, May 12 at 7pm. The film is presented in conjunction with an exhibition of the same title in the Museum’s Shuford Gallery. A reception will immediately follow the screening. “From Billy to Wiili” is the story of Boone and Blowing Rock artist Wiili Armstrong, a regionally known artist who suffered from Bipolar Disorder. It documents his life and art as seen through the experience of his family, friends and neighbors. The documentary was produced by WTVI/PBS.

8). N.C. Transportation Museum  presents two events Saturday, May 12, hosting an auto show for those who travel on two wheels and providing kids with some Thomas and Friends® themed activities. The “6th Annual Carolina Classic Motorcycle Show” will feature bikes of all makes and models, built between 1900 and 1992. Hosted by the Triad Classic Motorcycle Club, the show is judged in 7 classes, British, American, Japanese, European, Custom, Competition and Retro. There will also be a People’s Choice award. Also Saturday, May 12, the N.C. Transportation Museum will be hosting some midday fun for those fans of the PBS character, Thomas the Tank Engine®. Thomas and Friends themed activities will be available for kids from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

9). N.C. Maritime Museum at Beaufort “The Queen Anne’s Revenge Model” What did Blackbeard’s flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge look like? Nobody can be too sure. However, local historians were able to piece together clues from 300 year old documents to make a model of what Queen Anne’s Revenge probably looked like. Learn about the building of the model of Queen Anne’s Revenge currently on display in the museum. Paul Fontenoy, the Museum’s Maritime History Curator will give this free presentation at noon on May 16.

10). Orange County Historical Museum  presents "A Sense of Place” from May 15, to August 15. The Orange County Historical Museum will present a special exhibit on historical architecture and restoration in Hillsborough in collaboration with local Architect Fred Stewart. The exhibit will trace the layers of history made by the families that resided in the homes. A number of historic structures will be featured, such as the Methodist Church, Masonic Hall, St Matthew's Church and the Colonial Inn. The exhibit will also highlight a few of the major architects, builders and designers responsible for Hillsborough's classical look and most recognizable homes and buildings.