NCMC Events From Around the State… February 4, 2013

50th Anniversary NCMC Annual meeting registration is now under way! Take a look at the conference itinerary and register on-line.
1). HandsOn! Hands On!-A Child’s Gallery, the children’s museum in downtown Hendersonville, is celebrating Mardi Gras on Tuesday, February 12th all day. Come create Mardi Gras masks. A special snack will be provided at 10:30 am by the Hendersonville Community Co-op while supplies last. This program is for all ages. The cost to attend is free with $5 admission and is free for members.

2). Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro is pleased to present a major solo exhibition, “Diana Al-Hadid”, from February 9 – May 5, 2013. The exhibition highlights the artist’s unique exploration of art historical references to examine sculptural and pictorial space. Born in Syria and raised in Ohio, the artist’s haunting works convey a world turned upside down. Her recent large-scale gypsum and metal sculptures, small bronzes, and drawings are inspired by myriad sources, including Italian and Northern Renaissance painting, Gothic architecture, and Hellenistic sculpture.

3). N.C. Museum of History February is the month for lovers so what better way to spend Valentine’s Day than at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The Museum and Rocky Top Hospitality will host “A Star-Crossed Lovers Valentine’s Dinner: Love Stories from the Titanic” on Thursday, February 14 inside the Museum’s Nature Research Center, Daily Planet Café. Cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. featuring an array of Titanic-inspired drinks, such as the “Iceberg Martini,” “Night Sky,” and “St. Germaine & Champagne.” A three-course dinner follows at 7 p.m., with foods inspired by cuisine that would have been served on board the Titanic. The cost of the dinner is $50 per person.

4). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences Visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and witness a live in-flight downlink from the International Space Station (ISS) with NASA astronaut and North Carolina native Dr. Tom Marshburn. The audio/video downlink will take place 10:15–10:35am on Tuesday, February 5 from the Main Auditorium and other locations within the Museum. Classes from local elementary, middle and high schools will be in attendance and select students will have the opportunity to ask Marshburn questions during the downlink.

5). Museum of the Albemarle Museum of the Albemarle will hold “History Tales: Make It, Take It” on Friday, February 8, 2013 at 3:30 pm. Participants must be elementary age and accompanied by an adult. Participants will discover how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed “Everyone could be great”, learn about his role in changing society through the book Martin’s Big Words, and participate in a hands-on activity.

6). N.C. Maritime Museum at Beaufort On February 6th at noon Museum educator Christine Brin will give a presentation on Maritime Myths. She will unveil the facts or fictions behind such creatures as sea dragons, mermaids and the Kraken! This lecture is a “Brown Bag Gam” and is free. The audience is welcome to bring their lunch and enjoy the show!

7). New Winston Museum Beginning February 2013, the New Winston Museum will present a free bi-monthly Salon Series featuring a broad range of local historians, artists, writers, musicians, crafts-folk and other specialists. February 14th, 11:45am: Wake Forest University history professor, Dr. Michele Gillespie on the courtship and marriage of Katharine and R.J. Reynolds, based on information from her recent biography, “Katharine and R.J. Reynolds: Partners of Fortune in the Making of the New South”, (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2012).

8). Mount Airy Museum of Regional History On Tuesday February 4, Mike Wiley presents “Brown v. Board of Education: Over 50 years later”, at 7pm. In 1952, the Supreme Court heard a number of school segregation cases, including Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. It ruled unanimously in 1954 that segregation was unconstitutional, overthrowing Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which set the "separate but equal" precedent. This play recounts the effects of the decision on the families who participated in the original court case, the impact of the ruling on school systems at the time and the challenges still being made today.

9). Asheville Art Museum Joining in the community’s celebration of the phenomenal restaurants and breweries that call Asheville home during “Asheville Restaurant Week”, the Asheville Art Museum is delighted to host “Toast Asheville”, a top flight evening of fine wines and craft brews—many from local and regional breweries and distributors—paired with delectable hors d’ oeuvres from local restaurants. The evening’s festivities also include live music with classical guitarist Kevin Lorenz and a silent auction with fabulous lots benefiting the Museum’s educational programs and exhibitions. Toast Asheville takes place at the Museum on Thursday, February 7 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

10). Historic Edenton After seven years hiding in her grandmother’s attic in Edenton, Harriet Jacobs escaped to freedom in the 1842. She went on to become an abolitionist, aid worker and author. A tribute to this remarkable life is being presented by Historic Edenton State Historic Site on Saturday, Feb. 9, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Family Life Center of Edenton United Methodist Church. In addition to celebrating the bicentennial of Jacob’s birth, the program celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 300th anniversary of the town of Edenton.