NCMC Events From Around the State… April 20, 2015

1). The Museum Trustee Association (www.museumtrustee.org) will hold its spring Trustee-Director Forum on Friday, May 1^st at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. This forum is a great opportunity for museum directors, staff and board members to strengthen their boards and have important dialogue on museum leadership. The Museum Trustee Association holds meetings at major museums around the country – don’t miss your chance to participate while it is in North Carolina. For more information, please contact Mary Baily Wieler by calling 443-956-4490 or by email at mary@museumtrustee.org. To register or to see the full schedule of the forum, please visit www.museumtrustee.org. 

2).  The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (www.blowingrockmuseum.org) is looking forward to revealing its latest exhibition, Millhands/Handmade, which will take a look at the South’s vast textile history, from the growth of industrial mills and their effect on southern families, to regional textile artists working today and keeping handmade techniques alive. The exhibit will be open from April 25 - July 26, 2015, and a reception for this exhibition and others on view will be held during BRAHM’s Summer Exhibition Celebration on Saturday, May 9th from 5:30pm – 7pm, following Blowing Rock’s Art in the Park. The event is free and open to the public.  For more information, please call (828) 295-9099 or visit www.blowingrockmuseum.org.

3). President James K. Polk State Historic Site (www.polk.nchistoricsites.org) invites you to join them on Thursday, May 14^th for an evening with author John Bicknell as he discusses his fascinating book, America 1844. Mr. Bicknell will explore a variety of important events from 1844, including the momentous election of 1844. The evening will begin at 7:00 p.m. General Admission: $25.00, Members: $20.00, Students: $15.00. Students must show a valid student ID. Tickets may be purchased at www.presjkpolk.com. Only 30 tickets will be sold for this special event.

4). Page-Walker Arts & History Center (www.townofcary.org) invites you to the Nazim Hikmet Poetry Festival on Sunday, April 26^th at 1 p.m.  Celebrate poetry at this annual celebration of poets, scholars, and poetry lovers. Meet the winners and; listen to readings and keynote speakers, then enjoy a reception and hangout with poets from around the world.  This event is free. For more information, visit www.nazimhikmetpoetryfestival.org or call (919) 460-4963.

5). The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission (www.NCArts.org) provided input for the Arts Plan for North Carolina last year and the commission is now seeking your ideas through an online survey.  The draft plan builds on the work of the N.C. Arts Council over the last 50 years and is based on the core belief that among North Carolina's greatest assets are its arts, which fuel a thriving creative economy, prepare students for successful futures, and are essential to building and enriching our communities, large and small. The N.C. African American Heritage Commission works to preserve, protect and promote the state's rich African American history, arts, and culture, and is part of the N.C. Arts Council, while its work reaches throughout the Department of Cultural Resources. A summary of the plan is available at www.ncarts.org/AboutUs/StrategicPlan-2015.aspx. After you've read the plan please take the survey located at www.surveymonkey.com/s/artsplan. The survey is open until June 1^st. For more information about the arts in North Carolina and the programs of the N.C. Arts Council or the African American Heritage Commission, please visit www.NCArts.org.

6). Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (www.ncmaritimemuseums.com) presents On Stage: The Senateur Duhamel, Oil Lamp in the month of May. The Senateur Duhamel is a trawler that was sent over from Britain during WWII to protect convoys from German U-boats. The 165-foot ship met with disaster May 6, 1942. Visit the Museum to learn her story and see an oil lamp from the ship on display during May to honor the sunken vessel.  Each month the Museum reveals an artifact from its collection that’s not usually on display. Enjoy the opportunity to “view” authentic history, and discover its special story.  For more information, call the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at 252-986-2995 or visit www.ncmaritimemuseums.com.   Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, 59200 Museum Drive, Hatteras, N.C. 27943.

7). Bellamy Mansion Museum (www.bellamymansion.org) invites you to join them on April 29^th for an exclusive Antiquity Dinner with recipes from the 1850's created by a local Wilmington chef. $100/person. 25 people maximum. Black Tie Optional.  6 courses, wine pairings and cocktails. Call 910.251.3700 for reservations.

8). High Point Museum (www.highpointmuseum.org) invites to visit them for a Blacksmith Demonstration  on Saturday, April 25^th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come watch the costumed blacksmith in action as he crafts various iron pieces. All ages welcome. FREE. Drop-in.

9). Vance Birthplace State Historic Site (www.nchistoricsites.org/vance) invites you to join them for free guided tours of the main house at the bottom of the hour every day the site is open. The first tour is at 9:30 a.m. and the last tour is at 4:30 p.m. The farmstead outbuildings are open to view on a self-guided tour. Maps with details about these buildings are available for loan from the Visitor Center. You can also discover the Civil War Governor of the South with the site’s fifteen-minute film on the life of Zebulon Vance, shown upon request.

10). The Asheville Art Museum (www.ashevilleart.org) is pleased to offer a pen & ink workshop that focuses on political cartoons on Saturday, May 2 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Political Cartoons in Pen & Ink with Jeff Kinzel is held in conjunction with John Heliker: The Order of Things — 60 Years of Paintings and Drawings. In the workshop, instructor Jeff Kinzel will help students create a single-frame cartoon with social or political meaning. Particular instructional focus will be placed on the political drawings of WPA and WWII artists of the 1930s and 1940s, including the work of John Heliker.  This program is appropriate for high school students and adults. All materials and snacks are included in the cost. Class size is limited and advance registration is required. Interested participants can register at www.ashevilleart.org or contact the Museum at 828.253.3227. $20 for members; $30 for non-members.