NCMC Events From Around the State… April 28, 2014

1). North Carolina Preservation Consortium (www.ncpreservation.org) announces a special workshop, “Preserving Photograph Collections”, on June 9^th from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Historic Yates Mill County Park, Raleigh, NC. Historical and fine art photographs can be found in many libraries, archives, museums, and historic sites.  Preserving these collections requires a deep knowledge of the various types of photographic media, chemical photographic processes, causes of deterioration of photographic materials, and photograph conservation science.  This workshop is an introduction to identifying and preserving 19th and 20th century photographs: daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, hand-colored silver gelatin prints, contemporary color, and digital photographs.  Strategies for preservation and best practices for proper handling, exhibition, and storage will be presented.  Participants are encouraged to bring photographic items of interest.  This workshop is designed for staff and volunteers in libraries, archives, museums, historic sites, and other heritage institutions with photograph collections.  Faculty and students in museum studies, library and information science, archives, and public history programs are also welcome to attend.  No prior training or experience is required.  The registration fee for this workshop is $50.00 for NCPC members and $75.00 for non-members.  The $75 fee comes with a year-long NCPC individual membership.   Registration covers lunch, refreshments, and supplies.  A registration form is available on the NCPC web site in the Events section.  

2). The Asheville Art Museum (www.ashevilleart.org) is offering a 7:00 p.m. curator-led tour of the exhibition Take 10: Collectors’ Circle 10th Anniversary for its First Friday Art Walk on May 2^nd. Although all of the exhibitions are open to visitors during First Fridays, the Museum is focusing this event on its Take 10 exhibition, which celebrates the generosity of the Museum’s Collectors’ Circle, a membership group that encourages the exchange of ideas and interests, art learning, connoisseurship and collecting. The exhibition includes the work of artists related to Western North Carolina or who studied or taught at Black Mountain College (1933–1956), and features several fine handmade objects created in the region.  The Museum is pleased to offer a “Pay As You Wish” entrance fee from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. for all of the First Friday Art Walks, which take place on the first Friday of each month through December 2014. More than 20 members of the Downtown Asheville Art District (galleries and museums representing many diverse types of art) participate in First Friday Art Walks — all venues are located within a walkable half mile radius of downtown Asheville.

3). Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (www.ncmaritimemuseums.com) to host the Hatteras Storytelling Festival Events on Saturday, May 3^rd.  Carol White Dillon, 67, was 13 years old when the Battle of Torpedo Junction began in 1942.  She was a young girl growing up in Cape Hatteras North Carolina during World War II.  The Buxton native remembers vividly experiences of German U-Boats and spies.  As part of the Hatteras Storytelling Festival, Dillon relates her memories and reads excerpts of the children’s book, Taffy of Torpedo Junction, Saturday, May 3 from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.    Presenting another dramatic part of Outer Banks history as part of the festival is Ben Cherry, aka Blackbeard. As a dramatic actor, Cherry shares riveting tales of piracy from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., also at the Museum.  Visitors learn how Ocracoke Island served as one of Blackbeard's hideaways during the pirate's swashbuckling days.  Cherry’s experience in acting and love of the sea and its lore drew him to the role of Blackbeard. Through his research, costumes, and authentic props, he gives a spellbinding rendition of this most famous pirate's life.  The storytelling events taking place at the Museum are free.  For more information on the Hatteras Storytelling Festival, a three-day event of stories and music, visit: www.hatterasyarns.org. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located at 59200 Museum Drive, Hatteras, just past the Ferry Docks. 

4). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (www.naturalsciences.org) stays open from 5 to 9 p.m. on the First Friday of every month, inviting visitors to witness a (classic) sci-fi or horror movie, wander through eye-catching exhibits, or enjoy food and beverages at the Daily Planet Café. Additionally, the Museum Stores offer after-hours shopping (till 7pm) and an opening reception for April Flanders, whose show “Beyond Their Borders” runs May 2-26 in the Nature Art Gallery. All exhibited art is for sale.  This month’s sci-fi movie is “Revenge of the Creature” and begins at 7 p.m.  Free Admission to the film. Receive discounted tickets to “Rainforest Adventure” every First Friday from 5 to 7pm. Swing like a spider monkey. Ride the butterfly zip-line. Discover a rodent that weighs more than 100 pounds and a beetle that can carry more than 850 times its own weight. Visitors to this new exhibition are invited to explore one of the least-known habitats on Earth in a fully interactive maze, chock full of the sights and sounds of a tropical rainforest. Prices: Free for Members; all other tickets $5 on First Friday. Rainforest Adventure is designed for families with children ages 3-12.

           

5). Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, SECCA (www.secca.org), invites you to their Silhouette Gala on Friday, May 2^nd.  The annual gala and fundraising event will be held in the main gallery of the museum – the only time of year when patrons get to dine surrounded by art. The evening includes a 6 p.m. cocktail hour followed by a sit-down dinner and live performances by U.N.C. School of the Arts dancers. Proceeds support the efforts by SECCA to enrich lives in the community and enliven thought through contemporary art while increasing its accessibility to diverse audiences.  With exhibitions changing seasonally, the annual gala is always uniquely responsive to the art on view. This year’s Silhouette Gala is inspired by the sophisticated humor and graphic tableaux of the current exhibition Eric Fertman: A Comic Turn. Playing with the idea of light and shadow, delicate lanterns will provide table illumination while dancers create a silhouetted performance to whimsical melodies. Everything from wardrobe and décor to a signature cocktail will reflect this striking yet exuberant theme. Longtime community members and arts supporters Nancy and Gordon Peterson are this year’s Silhouette Gala co-chairs. The event is scheduled from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.; black and white cocktail attire is encouraged. The colors salmon, ochre or hot pink are suggested as wardrobe accents. To reserve the most alluring seats in town, call 336.725.1904 or email Kristin Bell at info@secca.org.

 

6). North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort (www.ncmaritimemuseums.com) invites you to some boating fun on Saturday, May 3^rd!  The 40th Annual Wooden Boat Show will take place from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and features a variety of small wooden boats, historic vessels, nautical crafts, educational activities, boat models, traditional skills demonstrations and displays.  Admission is free and open to the public.  Proceeds from this fun event help support the operations of the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum and the North Carolina Maritime Museum.  At 11 a.m., the 7th Annual Beaufort Boatbuilding Challenge will take place.  The Beaufort Boatbuilding Challenge seeks to celebrate and maintain the long tradition of boatbuilding and other maritime occupations along the North Carolina Coast.  The challenge is a two-man team competition (and in the first year two all-girl teams entered the fray). Each team builds an identical 12 foot skiff within a four hour time limit. Speed of construction and quality of workmanship are both considered in determining the winners.  The teams are judged on quality, speed and a rowing race. The teams build their own oars and compete against each other in the rowing relay race on Taylors Creek, each member of the two-man team rowing one leg of the relay.  When the teams sign up with an entry fee of $100, they are one set of Carolina Bateau skiff plans, two Awards Ceremony tickets (Saturday night), two Challenge T-shirts, plus possession of the boat the team builds. Teams bring their own tools.  The 40th Annual Wooden Boat Show and 7^th Annual Beaufort Boatbuilding Challenge both take place on the Beaufort waterfront at the North Carolina Maritime Museum and the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center located across the street from the museum.  252.728.7317. North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, 315 Front Street, Beaufort 28516. 

7). Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (www.ncmaritimemuseums.com) will hold British War Grave Ceremonies on May 8^th & 9^th at 11 a.m.  For 72 years, near the anniversary of the Bedfordshire’s sinking, members of the National Park Service, U.S. Coast Guard, and British Royal Navy join visitors and local citizens to honor the service of the men buried in the cemeteries.  The British War Grave ceremonies will take place on May 8, at 11 a.m. at the British Cemetery in Buxton and on May 9, at 11 a.m. at the British Cemetery in Ocracoke. The ceremonies honor the 63 foreign sailors who lost their lives just off the coast of the Outer Banks.  The ceremonies are organized by the Friends of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, the Ocracoke community, the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary 16-04, the National Park Service, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, students from the Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal Studies, students from the Ocracoke School and the Ocracoke Boy Scout troop.  The ceremonies are free and open to the public.  For more information, call the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at (252) 986-2995.  The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located at 59200 Museum Drive in Hatteras, N.C.

8). The Museum of the Albemarle (www.museumofthealbemarle.com) will celebrate the 1st day of May with “May Day” activities on Thursday, May 1st between 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Make a Daisy Chain and dance around the May pole to welcome spring, warm weather and extended light.  Free Family Program.  For More information, call 252-335-1453.

9). Hands On! (www.handsonwnc.org), a Child’s Gallery, is celebrating National Pet Week on Tuesday, May 6^th – Friday, May 9^th.  All day, every day, enjoy DIY activities in our Party Room focused on pet care & safety. Explore activities from the “Pet Trunk” of the Early Learning Center at the Children & Family Resource Center. All events and activities are free with $5 admission/free for members. Sponsored by Etowah Valley Veterinary Hospital. Also plan to attend these special events:  Tues. 5/6 3:30 pm. Unusual Pet Panel! Get up close to an Irish Wolfhound, a tarantula, a chicken, and more!  Wed. 5/7 3:30 pm. Meet a Police Dog! Learn how people & dogs work together to keep our community safe.  Thur. 5/8 3:30 pm. The Animals of F.E.N.C.E.! Meet the wild animals from the Foothills Equestrian and Nature Center that probably should not be pets. What makes an animal a wild animal and what makes an animal a pet?  Fri. 5/9 3:30 pm. Meet Romeo, the Therapy Dog! Romeo will steal your heart as his owner Charlene Farrell discusses his role as a therapy dog. Charlene will talk about taking care of Romeo and about dog safety. Children will be able to pet and walk Romeo.  The mission of Hands On! is to provide children and families with "hands on" educational experiences that stimulate the imagination and motivate learning in a fun, safe environment.

10). The North Carolina Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org) invites you to *Readers’ Theater: Camp Followers on Friday, May 2^nd, from 7-9 p.m.  Presented by Voices in Concert, set in 1864 and based on actual events, this readers’ theater presentation features scenes from a new drama by local playwright Rudy Wallace. It follows the trials of a group of newly liberated slaves who have been abandoned in Georgia during Gen. Sherman’s historic March to the Sea.  Like storytelling, readers’ theater is a format that stimulates the imagination and often leads to a powerful experience for the audience. Minimal stage props free the performers and the audience from the physical limitations of conventional theater, and narration serves as the framework of the dramatic presentation.   $5 per person, ages 13 and up; free, children 12 and under with adult.  To register, call 919-807-7992, or purchase tickets in advance at www.ncmuseumofhistory.org. Tickets also can be purchased the night of the event in the Museum Shop.