NCMC Events From Around the State… March 25, 2013



1). Museum & Archives of Rockingham County In observance of Women’s History Month, the Museum & Archives of Rockingham County (MARC) presents “From WWII to Today: The Women of Rockingham County”. The event will be held Thursday, March 28, 2013, 6-8pm, at the Museum & Archives of Rockingham County (MARC). A panel discussion brings women throughout the county together to share their experiences and the changes over time for women in the workplace, the home and society. Questions from the audience will be entertained and encouraged. In addition, special exhibits will be on display remembering other local women from our area.

2). Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center and the Media Arts Project announce the 4th Annual {Re}HAPPENING, on Saturday, April 6th from 6pm to Midnight in the original dining hall of the former Black Mountain College, now Camp Rockmont. This year over 80 artists are participating in over 30 projects, performances and installations dotting the buildings and grounds. Please visit www.rehappening.com or call 828-350-8484 for tickets and info.

3). High Point Museum presents “Early American Skills Workshop” – Friday, April 5, 9 am to 4 pm at the High Point Museum. Want to bring your historical site to life? Engage visitors? Offer programs for low to no cost? Our experienced park interpreters will provide detailed instructions for hands-on activities and historical background for those interested in learning about early American culture. Participants will learn how to create programs that can be tailored to their historical mission. Egg dyeing, stenciling, quill pen writing, candle dipping, soap making to name a few of the programs that will be demonstrated and taught. Only $10 per person - Bring your own lunch.

4). Fort Fisher State Historic Site As part of Park Day 2013, individual and group volunteers are needed on Saturday, April 6, 2013, to help beautify and preserve Fort Fisher State Historic Site, the largest earthen fortification in the Confederacy, which once protected the port of Wilmington and the vital blockade running trade on the Cape Fear River. Park Day, now in its 17th year, is an annual hands-on preservation event created by the Civil War Trust to assist with the maintenance of America’s Civil War sites.

5). Joel Lane Museum House Paul Webb will deliver a talk on “Archaeological Testing at the Bloomsbury Estates Site, Raleigh NC” on Thursday, April 11, 2013, at 7 pm at the Joel Lane Museum House. Admission will be $15 for the general public and $10 for members of the Joel Lane Historical Society. Refreshments will be served. Paul Webb will present information on recent archaeological work at the Wake Courthouse community (also known as Bloomsbury or Wake Crossroads), which developed in the late 1700s around the home of Joel Lane.

6). N.C. Maritime Museum at Beaufort Horses, Hiking and History! Join Associate Curator Benjamin Wunderly on a trip to Shackleford Banks, April 3rd. Early residents of the island included whalers, fishermen and boat builders, but the only inhabitants that remain are wild horses and shorebirds. Come learn about the history of this unique barrier island now part of a pristine national seashore. Pre-registration is required.

7). Preservation Chapel Hill Wednesday, March 27 - Opening Reception: "Housed Within: a Museum Display Critique and Investigation of a Classic Maya Household at K'axob." Horace Williams House, 610 East Rosemary Street, 5:00-7:00. The exhibit investigates a series of house floors and associated burials at the Maya village of K'axob, an archaeological site in Northern Belize. This display focuses on artifacts and features from Structure 54, a residential compound in the northern part of K'axob that was excavated in 1995.Meyer invites the public to an opening reception for the exhibit on March 27th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. This reception is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

8). Wrightsville Beach Museum presents “Wrightsville Beach Museum Shrimperoo”, fundraiser for the museum on Sunday, April 7, 2013, 6-8 PM. The freshest boiled shrimp with the friendliest crowd and fun music will make this the best fundraiser you have been to since our last one! Just like the shrimp boils under the deck of the Lumina, you will visit with beach friends and eat from a bountiful feast of shrimp with all the trimmings. Boiled Shrimp Plates. Beer and wine by the glass. Live music with the South Hammocks Bluegrass Band. Tickets are available at the museum, from board members, and online at www.wbmuseum.com.

9). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher invites visitors to act, learn and have fun at “Little Ripples, Big Waves”, April 5-6. The family-friendly event showcases how everyday actions can make a big difference for our planet and our community. The event features games, demonstrations, conversations with local experts, animal feedings and interactive dive shows. Community partners with a wide variety of activities will be on hand. Don’t miss a special program on polar bears presented by North Carolina Zoo educators on Friday, April 5 at 11:30 am.

10). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences The bizarre world you met in “Planet of the Apes” was only the beginning. What lies beneath may be the end! Or it might just be the second of five Ape Planet movies. Either way, “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970) is this month’s feature film shown at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on First Friday, April 5 at 7pm. Free.

NCMC Events From Around the State… March 18, 2013

1). SECCA When was the last time you bathed in color? Does vibrant color fade? Does paint ever really dry or does it have a life force of its own? Does art create an energy field within those who view it? One way to seek the answers to these questions is to attend the exhibition opening celebration March 22 at The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA). SECCA will be opening three shows that highlight the force and attraction of color in different mediums -- video, paint and computer generated images. The opening, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. Music will be provided by DJ Ben Hovey accompanied by his own talent on the horn. Light refreshments and a cash bar will be provided.

2). Preservation Chapel Hill Wednesday, March 20 - Preservation Connections Lecture Series, ""Pioneering Women Architects in North Carolina", 5:30 pm. - Horace Williams House, 610 East Rosemary Street. George Smart will be joining us for our Preservation Connections Lecture Series with a talk entitled, "Pioneering Women Architects in North Carolina" looking at North Carolina's professional female architects in the 20th century. George Smart, founder of Triangle Modernist Houses, a component of Triangle Modernist Archive, Inc. Triangle Modernist Archive, Inc. is a North Carolina nonprofit organization committed to documenting, preserving, and promoting modernist architecture.

3). Kings Mountain Historical Museum presents “KMHM Spring Fling” on Saturday, April 13th 10am-4pm. The annual daylong event will feature living history demonstrations from the 38th North Carolina Civil War re-enactment group. Other events for the day include a performance by the Log Cabin String Band and a reading of Civil War letters by Joy W. Sparrow from the book “Sparrows’ Nest of Letters”, edited by Joy W. Sparrow at 10:30am.

4). High Point Museum Thursdays, March 21, 28, April 4, and April 11, 10 am to noon “Design and Function” seminar series - Problems in Design caused by your lifestyle with the answers to some of them from a panel of design experts - Decorating maven Donna Kaiser is following her hit design series held in the fall by organizing a Design and Function seminar series. The four-part series will feature speakers from High Point’s design, furniture and textile industries. The speaker lineup, in addition to Kaiser herself, includes Joe Fisher, Edith Brady, Penn Wood, Howard Haworth and Plato Wilson. The charge for the series will be $50 for nonmembers and $25 for members or per class, $20 for nonmembers and $10 for members.

5). Smith-McDowell House Museum The Smith-McDowell House Museum will be the setting for the Living History Day on April 13, 2013 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. After hosting fourth and fifth grade students the day before, the Museum and grounds will welcome the public to enjoy a variety of Living History demonstrations. Demonstrations will include spinning, Civil War memorabilia, basket weaving, Cherokee storytelling, quilting, broom making, and more (subject to availability). The museum will also be open for self-guided tours. Admission is free, but donations are always appreciated.

6). Weatherspoon Art Museum presents “WAMJam Music Performance: Two UNCG A Capella Groups” on Thursday, Mar 21, 6pm. WAMJam is a series of informal performances featuring UNCG students, faculty and friends. Enjoy jazz, new music, a capella, and more performed in spaces throughout the Museum. Look for WAMJam on Thursday evenings throughout the spring and remember WAM is open Thursday nights until 9pm. Free and open to the public.

7). N.C. Maritime Museum at Beaufort Join Associate Museum Curator Benjamin Wunderly on a journey through time as we look at Boatbuilding Past and Present, Tuesday March 19. Participants will look at several examples of wooden boats that cruised the waters of North Carolina dating back to the late 1600’s. A behind the scenes look at our Watercraft Center will show how some of these wooden boats are restored and how the technique of building them is passed on to new generations. Finally, we will go to a local boat manufacturing facility to observe modern boat building methods using molds and fiberglass. Pre-registration is required

8). HandsOn! Hands On!-A Child’s Gallery, the children’s museum in downtown Hendersonville, invites you to come join us for Book n' Craft on Wednesday, March 20th at 11am. Children of all ages are invited to come listen to the strange tale of the Dr. Seuss book "Horton Hears a Who" and complete a craft. Cost to attend is included in $5 admission and is free for museum members.

9). Waterworks Visual Arts Center presents “Celebrating Rowan County’s Young Artists – Rowan/Salisbury’s Elementary Schools”, March 9-27. Now in its 30th year, this rotating display of artwork features the works of nearly 800 students representing Salisbury-Rowan County’s public, independent, and home-schooled students. These exhibitions celebrate both the outstanding efforts of the art specialists who teach the creative process and the extraordinary talents of our county’s youth. A reception to honor the students and their families, the art specialists, and school administrators will be held on Thursday, March 21 from 5-6:30pm. Free and open to the public.
10). Gaston County Museum of Art & History “Through an Artist’s Eyes: Gaston County Schools Annual Art Show” – March 23 – May 11 – The Gaston County Museum has partnered with Gaston County Schools to present artwork from the county’s elementary, middle, and high school students. This show will display over 600 pieces of artwork. There are 10 art categories including: painting, sculpture, fiber arts, photography, print making, comic art, ceramics and glass, digital art, drawing, and mixed media. The middle and high schools students will be judged and awards given to the top pieces in each category.

NCMC Events From Around the State… March 11, 2013

50th Anniversary NCMC Annual meeting registration is now under way! Take a look at the conference itinerary and register on-line.


1). Weatherspoon Art Museum presents Noon @ the 'Spoon Public Tour: "Diana Al-Hadid" on Tuesday, Mar 12, 12pm. Noon @ the 'Spoon features a 20-minute docent-led tour of a new exhibition. Offered every second Tuesday of the month. This month: Diana Al-Hadid. This exhibition highlights Diana Al-Hadid's unique exploration of art historical references to examine sculptural and pictorial space.

2). Museum of the Albemarle Museum of the Albemarle will recognize a member of the greatest generation on Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 2 p.m. in the Gaither Auditorium. Hear the story of the survival of Felton J. (F.J.) Outland of Gates County in what is called “the greatest naval disaster at sea.” Mr. Outland, a native of Gates County, graduated from Sunbury High School and enlisted with the United States Navy. He was sent to the Great Lakes for training and assigned to the USS Indianapolis, which was stationed in San Diego, California. Gunner’s Mate Outland was one of 1,196 men serving aboard the heavy cruiser when it was torpedoed shortly after midnight on July 30, 1945.

3). Greensboro Science Center Bunnies, bunnies and more bunnies are hopping to the Greensboro Science Center on Saturday, March 16 for the annual Bunny Day Celebration. Families are invited to attend this popular event from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. where they can see and pet the largest collection of bunnies in the Triad! Local rabbit breeders will display a wide variety of live rabbits, such as English Lops, New Zealand Giants and Satins for visitors to see and pet. In addition, children can enjoy face painting, crafts, story-telling and special appearances and photo ops with the Easter Bunny!

4). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences It’s been called one of the coolest events the Museum puts on, and this year won’t disappoint. Snakes, snakes and more snakes are the theme of this year’s “Reptile & Amphibian Day” at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. On Saturday, March 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the main Museum and the Nature Research Center will be transformed into a herpetological paradise. Free! From boas to pythons, pit vipers to rattlesnakes, visitors can get up close and personal with all manner of serpent as well as live frogs, toads, salamanders, turtles, lizards and crocodilians.

5). HandsOn! invites you to come to “Learning Spanish -Creatively”. This class is designed for 3-6 year olds and will be held on Friday, March 15th, at 11am and Friday, March 22nd at 11am. Students will learn basic Spanish vocabulary and colors through games, dramatic play, movement and songs for a 2 week series. Cost is $8 for members and $10 for non-members. Call to sign up. This class is taught by Colleen Schnitzer a freelance theatre, Spanish instructor and mother of three. Colleen has taught theatre from Seattle to North Carolina and most recently at Kanuga Conference Center. Hands On! is thrilled that Colleen is sharing her talents at the museum.

6). Spencer Doll & Toy Museum presents “Antiques Appraisal Fair” (Roadshow Style) on Friday March 15 - Saturday March 16. The Spencer Doll and Toy Museum will have antique appraisers on hand at the museum from 10am - 4pm. Antiques dealer Michael Hansen will take a look at visitors' items and will offer advice and information regarding a broad spectrum of general merchandise, including toys. Bring your family heirlooms, yard sale bargains and long-lost items salvaged from attics and basements, so our experts can reveal the fascinating truths about these finds. $5 Admission.

7). Battleship NORTH CAROLINA presents “Power Plant” on March 16, 2013, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm, $65 per person. $60 for Friends members or active military. Calling all Navy engineering enthusiasts! Join us for an in-depth program on the Battleship's power plant. Learn in detail about the ship's eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers, four sets of General Electric turbines and reduction gears, steam and diesel powered service turbo generators, along with electrical distribution, water distillation, and steering mechanisms. Our program features classroom presentations and behind-the-scenes tour of engineering spaces.

8). Cameron Art Museum  presents “Yarn Bomb the CAM!” on Sat. Mar. 16, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. Enliven CAM’s grounds with color through yarn bombing — a guerrilla knitting graffiti practice that uses yarn as the preferred medium for wrapping anything and everything possible. Trees, bikes, bike stands, pillars and posts, sculptures, the building and balcony, whatever inspires and you have the fiber to cover them with brightly colored cozies, rail stockings, benchwarmers or draped in strands of color.

9). N.C. Transportation Museum The N.C. Transportation Museum hosts the “Easter Bunny Express” for two full weekends, March 23-24, 29-30. A big finale is planned March 30 that includes our annual Easter Egg Hunt and the LeHigh Valley steam locomotive pulling the museum’s Caboose Train.The Easter Bunny Express is a family favorite at the N.C. Transportation Museum. Children and their parents receive a visit from the Easter Bunny as they enjoy the museum’s 25 minute narrated train ride. The Easter Bunny has candy, a hand shake and a smile for each child as the train makes its way down the tracks. The Easter Bunny Express is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and active military and $10 for children 3-12. Children 2 and under always ride free. Tickets include museum admission, the train ride, tattoos and the craft.

10). N.C. Maritime Museum at Beaufort The whaling camps of North Carolina are long gone and the New England whale ships no longer visit our coast, but the whales that were once hunted still swim the ocean deep off of the Tar Heel state. Come learn about the different species of whales that are common in North Carolina waters. On Tuesday March 12 at noon, Natural Science Curator Keith Rittmaster will give a free presentation about these magnificent marine mammals!

NCMC Events From Around the State… March 4, 2013


50th Anniversary NCMC Annual meeting registration is now under way! Take a look at the conference itinerary and register on-line.
1). N.C. Museum of History presents “Art in Clay: Masterworks of North Carolina Earthenware”, March 8-Sept. 1, 2013. Exhibit admission is required. See rare examples of 18th- and early-19th-century artistry — dirt made beautiful by Moravian potters and others working in the North Carolina backcountry. The curator’s tour of the exhibit will be on March 9th from 2:00-2:45pm.

2). Waterworks Visual Arts Center Celebrating Rowan County’s Young Artists – “Independent/Home School Exhibition” through March 6 at Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury. Now in its 30th year, this rotating display of artwork features the work of nearly 800 students representing Salisbury-Rowan County’s public, independent, & home school students. These exhibitions celebrate both the outstanding efforts of the art specialists who teach the creative process and the extraordinary talents of our county’s youth.

3). Cameron Art Museum presents “Lecture & Tour: Ben Billingsley on Zelda Fitzgerald” on Sun. Mar. 10, 3:00 pm. CAM Members and Students: $5.00, Non-members: $10.00. Artist and art teacher, Ben Billingsley offers a lecture on Zelda Fitzgerald and tour of CAM’s current exhibition on Zelda’s art. This is the closing program for and held in conjunction with the exhibition “Sometimes Madness is Wisdom: The Artwork of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald” (ends March 10, 201) and The Big Read Greater Wilmington in celebration of The Great Gatsby.

4). High Point Museum  presents “Leap Into History – High Point Historical Society Fundraiser” on Saturday, March 9, 6:30 pm to 9 pm. Remember your tie-dyes and neon wardrobe? The Historical Society’s annual Leap into History cocktail party will bring back those memories of the 70s and 80s. Join us as we walk down memory lane Saturday, March 9 from 6:30 pm to 9 pm at the High Point Museum. We are celebrating the 70s and 80s to survey guests about important people, events and objects which tell High Point’s story during these decades. This will allow us to start collecting “recent history.”

5). N.C. State Capitol The NC Executive Mansion is now booking tours of the house and gardens for spring! Tours of the Mansion are held Wednesdays and Thursdays, March 13- June 27 at 10 am, 10:30am, 2 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3 pm. Tours of the nearly five acres of flower and vegetable gardens will be offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays, March 13 through June 6, at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Wednesday garden tours are designed for children; Thursday garden tours are for adults. To book a tour, call Capital Area Visitor Services at 919-807-7950 or 866-724-8687.

6). Kings Mountain Historical Museum On Saturday, March 9th 10am-4pm KMHM will host a “Celebration of Women’s History”. The day long program will feature weaving and spinning demonstrations, as well as a book signing and program by author Shelia Ingle inside the Museum. Outside, in the Museum Commons, the 49th North Carolina Civil War Re-enactment group will be doing living history demonstrations, with cooking and other female activities.

7). N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences On St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17 at 2 p.m., author Julie Hedgepeth Williams returns to give a special talk in the Museum’s, Daily Planet Café. Williams, a Raleigh native, is the great-niece of Albert Caldwell, who survived the Titanic with his wife Sylvia and their son. Her book, “A Rare Titanic Family,” tells their story and details the unusual circumstances that led them to be on board the ship. Her talk will be followed by Q & A and guests can buy her book. The talk is free, however, the Café will offer St. Patrick’s Day-themed food and drink specials that day, as well as the entire week prior.

8). Museum of the Albemarle The Museum of the Albemarle will be the site of the 2013 “Albemarle Pinewood Derby” on Saturday, March 9, 2013. Cub Scouts will begin registering and weighing in cars at 9 a.m., with a strict closing time of 11 a.m. Races will begin at Noon and last until approximately 2 p.m. Get caught up in the excitement of the Pinewood Derby by stopping by the Museum. The Pinewood Derby is a Cub Scouts annual event. It is the most popular event for many Scouts and is probably the best known Scouting event among non-Scouts.

9). N.C. Maritime Museum at Beaufort On March 7th at noon Education Curator Lee Anne Gordon will present on the new Sentinel Class cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard. These vessels are the first to be named for U.S.C.G. enlisted heroes and will conduct missions including port, waterways and coastal security patrols; fishery regulation and enforcement; search and rescue; and national defense. There will be 58 fast response cutters built, one of which is named for U.S. Lifesaving Service keeper Richard Etheridge of the Pea Island station on the Outer Banks. This presentation is free!

10). HandsOn! Hands On!-A Child’s Gallery, the children’s museum in downtown Hendersonville ,will join the annual Kindergarten Readiness Rally at the Blue Ridge Mall on Thursday, March 7th from 4-7pm. Dr. Bunson & Dr. Beaker will be there to showcase their traveling class, "Mad Scientists on Wheels", and do some Hands On! science for pre-schoolers getting ready for Kindergarten. There will be lots of helpful information for parents and action-packed activities for the kids. Even a real yellow school bus you can sit in!

11). Tryon Palace “Civil War Weekend: Keepers of the Town” - Soldier's Ball, Encampment, Exhibits, Lectures and More Held March 9-10. Ever wonder what life was like in New Bern during the Civil War? Did you know that even though New Bern was firmly planted in the South, the town itself was occupied by Union troops for most of the war. Let Tryon Palace take you back in time to experience life in New Bern during the Civil War this March 9-10. Whether you're dressed in blue or gray, Tryon Palace invites you to dance at the Union Ball, tour the Academy Museum and stand alongside a Union encampment on the South Lawn.