NCMC Events From Around the State… August 25, 2014

1). Don’t forget that SEMC 2014 Conference award applications are due August 31^st! In partnership with the Southeastern Museums Conference, the North Carolina Museums Council is offering one free registration to the SEMC conference in Knoxville, TN this Oct 20-22^nd. This award is available to all active NCMC members that are presently working in the field.  Please apply for this by sending in a letter (no more than 1 page in length) with your name, title, institution, and contact info, and a description of your current role at your institution and how attending the SEMC conference will benefit you and your institution. The winner will receive one free registration to the 2014 SEMC conference in Knoxville, TN. This award does not include any assistance with housing, travel, or any other related costs of attending this conference.  Applications are due to the professional development chair by August 31st.  Applicant letters can be sent to:  NCMC Professional Development Chair, North Carolina Museums Council, PO Box 2603, Raleigh, NC 27602.

2). NCMC (www.ncmuseums.org) is now accepting session proposals for the 2015 annual conference in Durham, NC. Please consider broad issues that address the needs of all museums or ideas which can be adaptable across museum types and sizes. Consider partnering with others doing similar projects to present multiple solutions to common problems. Think about the skills – tried-&-true or brand-new - that all museum professionals need to succeed. Send your proposals to Michael Scott, NCMC Professional Development Chair (profdevelop@ncmuseums.org), by Friday, October 17, 2014. Selection of proposals for the final program will be made by November 21, 2014, and all speakers must confirm participation by December 5. Thank you in advance for helping to make the 2015 conference an exchange of valuable information and ideas as well as a rejuvenating and FUN experience for us all!

3). Kings Mountain Historical Museum (www.kingsmountainmuseum.org) will host “Tracks through Time,” the 11th Annual Reverse Raffle & Auctions event on Saturday, September 13^th.  Looking for a nice evening out?  Join your community for a fun and festive event that provides vital support for the Museum exhibits and programs you enjoy.  Each $100 raffle ticket provides dinner for two guests; the grand prize winner will receive $10,000 and at least every fifth ticket drawn will win a fabulous door prize.  Ticket holders do not have to be present at the event to win these great prizes.  Whether you want to start your Christmas shopping early or you are looking for that one-of-a-kind item for yourself or a loved one, be sure to check out both the Live & Silent Auctions.  We’ll have something for everyone this year, from stunning hand-crafted jewelry to sports memorabilia signed by your favorite players.  An array of delicious home-baked cakes will also be up for auction.  The event will be held at the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life and Conference Center.  Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Cash, check, and credit cards will be accepted.

4). The Charlotte Museum of History (www.charlottemuseum.org) invites you to join them on September 6^th for a free community-wide celebration of the Piedmont Backcountry, featuring music by the Charlotte Folk Society, demonstrations of crafts such as pottery, blacksmithing, basket weaving, rifle and cartridge making, along with children’s crafts and colonial games.  Free tours of Hezekiah Alexander Home Site and Museum.

5). The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts (www.tcva.org) at Appalachian State University is hosting a Gala and Silent Auction on Thursday, August 28^th from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This event will feature over $13,000 worth of auction items as well as live music from The Mercury Dames and heavy hors d’oeuvres all centered around the Turchin’s current international exhibition, TWENTY: Contemporary Art from South Africa. Admission to the Gala and Silent Auction is free for Turchin Center donors and $25 for non-donors. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP by August 20 by calling 828-262-3017 or emailing turchincenter@appstate.edu.

6). Bellamy Mansion Museum (www.bellamymansion.org) invites you to “Seeking Freedoms: Rural and Urban Slave Life in Southeastern NC” at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays August 28^th and September 4^th. UNCW’s history professors Dr. Chris Fonvielle and Dr. John Haley lead the moderated discussions on both evenings about the enslaved African American experience before the Civil War in the contexts of plantation life and city life. Freedom of movement, domestic vs. field life, levels of autonomy, and the intersection of town and country are just some of the themes open for debate. Audience participation in the discussion is encouraged. The August 28^th event takes place in the plantation house at Poplar Grove, 10200 US Hwy 17N, and on Sept. 4^th it will take place at Bellamy Mansion and slave quarters, at 503 Market St. After the discussions we will take the group onto the sites to further explore the slave experience on the plantation at Poplar Grove and in the slave house at the Bellamy Mansion.  Both events are free with a suggested donation of $5 towards educational programming.

7). The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (www.ncmaritimemuseums.com) announces the return of a rare Civil War artifact that will now go on permanent exhibit.  Through the generosity of the Keith Family Foundation, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum has acquired the silk ensign from the USS Monticello.  It is one of only three silk naval flags from this period known to exist and is the only one with the name of the ship, "Monticello", and that of her commander, “Lieut. Daniel L. Braine” embroidered along the hoist.  USS Monticello’s Civil War service is impressive, involving active employment in the blockade of the Confederacy's Atlantic seacoast and the capture of several prizes. She took part in early wartime actions in the blockade of the James River and, in North Carolina, participated in the August 1861 capture of Hatteras Inlet, and the “Chicamacomico Races”.  For more information, call 252-986-2995 or email maryellen.riddle@ncdcr.gov. 

8). The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex (www.ncdcr.gov/ncmcf/Home.aspx) will celebrate Lafayette’s birthday in grand style with our annual Festival of Yesteryear: A Celebration of Early America on Saturday September 6th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Arsenal Park.  Focusing on the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, the program features costumed re-enactors demonstrating various aspects of daily life including woodworking, music, toys and games, silhouette drawing, and militia drills.  Be sure to visit Apprentice Alley, where children can participate and learn a variety of trades through hands on crafts and activities including making a tricorn hat or mob cap, weaving, and rebus puzzles.  This year marks the 225th anniversary of North Carolina ratifying the U.S. Constitution. Admission to the event and all activities are FREE! 

9). The Asheville Art Museum (www.ashevilleart.org) is pleased to present Hands, Heart, Mind: Cherokee Artistry, an exhibition celebrating the unique artwork of the Cherokee — the longest tradition of art and creativity in Western North Carolina. The Cherokee have long created artistic as well as functional works. In the 20th century, with the rise of tourism and the increased availability of manufactured products, the functional and the artistic blended together. Many Cherokee artists take pride in their ancestry and see part of their work as preserving the traditions and history of the Cherokee. They also want their work to be considered art and for many of the artists in this exhibition, making and selling their work is the source of their income or an important supplement.

10). The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (www.ncaquariums.com) will offer programs tailored especially for individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired on Saturday, September 6^th.  Sign language, captioning or scripting will enhance many of the activities of the day – animal feedings, live-animal presentations and films – and interpreters will assist visitors at selected exhibits.  The dive program, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., will include an interpreter assisting with questions for the diver swimming inside the exhibit with sharks, rays and a green sea turtle.  The aquarium presents Deaf Awareness Day with the assistance of the Regional Resource Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to draw attention to the needs and interests of the hearing-impaired.