NCMC Events From Around the State… April 1, 2013

1). N.C. Maritime Museum at Beaufort  Need something for the kids to do while on spring break?  Sign them up for Kayaking for Kids!  Friday, April 5th from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. This program will teach older children how to kayak, safety tips and about the history and habitats of coastal North Carolina.  Participants will be led on a guided paddle trip and will stop for lunch before returning to land.  For ages 12-18, must be able to swim, lunches are not provided, pre-registration required. 

2). Cameron Art Museum  A new exhibition, Here & Now: A Decade of Contemporary Acquisitions, will be on view from March 29 – July 21, 2013 and focuses on an exploration of contemporary acquisitions to the permanent collection since the establishment of the Cameron Art Museum in 2002.  An addition to the exhibition is an “Art Tasting” event on Friday, April 5, 2013 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This member-only event showcases the exhibition through private tours. Wines served have been specifically chosen to compliment the aesthetics of the artwork. Ten dollars per member includes the exhibition, wine tasting, appetizers and music. Purchases for the event may be made online, by phone or in person at our Visitor Services desk. For those who would like to participate but are not members join at the door or by signing up online or calling 910-395-5999.  

3). N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher presents “Aquarist Apprentice” on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 2 p.m. and Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 2 p.m. Check out a dirty job you’re sure to love.  Join staff on a behind-the-scenes tour and learn about Aquarium animals, what they eat, how they live, and how to care for them. Then, assist aquarists with food preparation and help feed the animals. Participants also observe aquarists during daily care and maintenance tasks. This limited opportunity is only open to 10 participants. Participants should wear closed-toe shoes and be prepared to smell fishy. For ages 10 and older, pre-registration required. 

4). Museum of the Albemarle Singer/songwriter and recording artist, Robbin Thompson will take the stage in the Gaither Auditorium on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City.  Opening for Thompson will be the band "Diamond Hart" featuring an extremely talented group of musicians (Michael Thompson, Tommy Hartley, Martin Parker and Dr. Steve Raisor) playing music such as Bluegrass, Blues, Americana, and Jazz Standards in a dual finger style guitar format. 

5). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts the first-ever Triangle BEST•Fest, on Saturday, April 6. This exciting collaboration brings university and industry scientists together to showcase amazing advances in Biotechnology, Engineering, Science and Technology through fun, hands-on and interactive activities.  Visitors will learn about the Triangle area’s history and promising future as an innovative leader in these fields, as well as why these fields are important to their daily lives. Free Admission.  A partnership with the North Carolina Science Festival and the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering. 

6). High Point Historical Society is hosting its seventh annual Evaluation Extravaganza – Tra$h or Trea$ure? Saturday, April 6 from 10 am to 2 pm. The Evaluation Extravaganza provides an opportunity for community members to bring their valued treasures before expert evaluators who will review the item and provide a verbal approximation of value. Cost per item is $6 or 3 items for $15 for High Point Historical Society members and $12 per item or 3 items for $25 for nonmembers. 

7). UNC-Chapel Hill Wilson Library Special Collections Exhibit Explores Academic Freedom at UNC-Chapel Hill.  On June 26, 1963 North Carolina's lawmakers approved a bill that came to be known as the Speaker Ban. The controversy surrounding the Speaker Ban became the most well-known test of academic freedom on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus – but it was neither the first nor the last. The exhibit "A Right to Speak and to Hear: Academic Freedom and Free Expression at UNC" explores the Speaker Ban and other controversial events at the University from the 19th century to the 21st. The exhibit is at UNC’s Wilson Library in the North Carolina Collection Gallery through June 2 and contains materials from the North Carolina Collection, the Southern Historical Collection, and the University Archives.  In conjunction with the exhibit, Wilson Library will offer a lecture entitled "The Speaker Ban Through Student Eyes" on Thursday, April 11 at 5:00. Former UNC student body president Robert Spearman (Class of '65), now an attorney for a Raleigh law firm, will discuss student efforts to repeal the Speaker Ban.  

8). Historic Oak View County Park is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition, “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” on April 19, 2013. Based upon an original interactive exhibit developed by the National Constitution Center, this traveling version explores Lincoln’s struggle to resolve the basic questions that divided Americans at the most perilous moment in the nation’s history: Was the United States truly one nation, or was it a confederacy of sovereign and separate states? How could a country founded on the belief that “all men are created equal” tolerate slavery? In a national crisis, would civil liberties be secure? 

9). Bellamy Mansion Museum On Thursday April 25th, 6:30-9:00 p.m., the Bellamy Mansion Museum is pleased to announce John Golden and a host of celebrated local musicians will be performing. It will be an evening of great music on the lawns at the Bellamy Museum. Tickets will be $15 for adults and $5 for students. We hope to see you there! 

10). SECCA The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) and The Winston-Salem Symphony are partnering with Berlin-based artist Andreas Nicolas Fischer for a performance on May 12 and 14. During the performance, Fischer will create a video projection response to the sounds of the Symphony and then use the recordings to create two unique sculptural objects. The two finished sculptures by Fischer, created from an indigenous North Carolina tree recently harvested from SECCA’s campus, will be raffled off. The final sculptures will be on display at SECCA from May 21 - 26. Tickets for the raffle will be $50 each. Tickets are on sale now.