Culture Around Every Corner: May 16-19

Head to the James K. Polk Historic Site in Pineville Saturday for a living history event featuring civilian and military re-enactors.

Living history events in Pineville and Burlington, an antique truck show in Spencer and a scavenger hunt at our three historic sites in Durham are just a few of the opportunities for family fun offered by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources this weekend.

The fun starts Thursday with a film exploration of the life of Frida Kahlo at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem. Alamance Battleground in Burlington will also host a commemoration of the Battle of Alamance, while Tryon Palace in New Bern presents a lecture on African-American cooks. In Beaufort, the N.C. Maritime Museum will continue its popular Talkin’ Art and Brown Bag Gams series.

Friday, the fun continues with behind-the-scenes tours of the kitchen gardens at Tryon Palace during the day, and a concert by Los Lobos and a preview of the annual auction at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh in the evening.

Saturday morning, the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will offer tours of its History of Harvest exhibit, while the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort will host a workshop on using maritime navigation and communications equipment. Later in the day, the museum will host a meeting of the Carolina Maritime Model Society.

Throughout the day Saturday, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) will host its spring community day, complete with art making activities for kids. The N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer will present an antique truck show and its first-ever spring event for Boy Scouts. In Pineville, the James K. Polk Historic Site will demonstrate military drills and practices, camp life and musket firing as part of a Mexican-American War living history event, while all three of our Durham historic sites—Bennett Place, Duke Homestead and Historic Stagville will host a scavenger hunt that encourages your family to explore history across the city.

On the coast, Historic Bath will participate in Bath Fest by giving free tours and hosting its annual croquet tournament, while the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City will offer hands-on activities and games as part of the city-wide N.C. Potato Festival.

The weekend rounds out Sunday with a celebration of the history and heritage of Northampton County at the Museum of Albemarle.

Throughout the weekend, the N.C. Symphony will play Stravinsky’s famed work “The Rite of Spring” in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, and Alamance Battleground will stage a living history event complete with military and domestic re-enactors. This weekend is also your first chance to see the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation and Watergate exhibits at the N.C. Museum of History.

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Secretary Kluttz Joins Art Museum for Trail Opening

Sec. Kluttz at Saturday’s opening with N.C. Museum of Art director Larry Wheeler, Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane, BlueCross BlueShield of N.C. CEO Brad Wilson and Dan Gottlieb and Cathy Higgins of NCMA and BCBSNC, respectively

Blue grass, marching bands and food trucks set a festive air for the opening of the mile-long Blue Loop multi-modal recreational trail on the 164-acre grounds of the N.C. Museum of Art. The loop connects with the network of trails behind the museum and helps to promote that art can be found inside as well as out.

Amidst a crowd of several hundred onlookers, Sec. Susan Kluttz joined N.C. Museum of Art (NCMA) director Larry Wheeler, Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane and BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina (BSBCNC) CEO Brad Wilson to dedicate the new recreational trail.

Kluttz emphasized the importance of public private partnerships, art’s role in economic development and the importance of recreation in her remarks.

The trail was made possible through collaboration between the museum and BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, the state’s largest insurer. It is the flagship project of BCBSNC’s “Get Outside, North Carolina” initiative that seeks to improve health and reduce obesity-related medical costs in the state.

The mile-long loop also connects to the extensive Capital Area Greenway System (which has grown to an 88-mile, 3,700-acre network) and adds to the draw of NCMA’s Museum Park, already one of the top art parks in world, according to Bicycling Magazine.

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Gov. Perdue Donates Desk to Museum of History

The desk pre-move in the governor’s office

Earlier this afternoon, North Carolina Museum of History staff carefully wrapped Governor Beverly Perdue’s heavily carved desk, placed it on a rolling table, and pushed it across Union Square and Edenton Street to the Museum where it will join that institution’s permanent collection.  This desk is part of a group of items she recently gave to the museum.

Protecting the desk for a safe move

The State Capitol Historic Site, the N.C. Museum of Art and the N.C. Museum of History—all part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources—help preserve and maintain the official state furnishings used by the governors in the Capitol and the Executive Mansion. Each incoming governor selects items from special collections maintained by these institutions and combines them with items of their own to furnish his or  her office in the State Capitol and the living areas of the Executive Mansion.

Arriving safely at the N.C. Museum of History

Upon departing office, each governor donates items that help document his or her time in office to these collections. Some of these items—including Gov. Perdue’s veto stamp—are on view as part of the Leading the State exhibit at the N.C. Museum of History. Check them out tonight when you head out to First Night Raleigh! In celebration of the New Year, the museum will be open until 11 p.m.

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Culture Around Every Corner: November 1-4

Fall train excursions, untold stories of the Civil War and a brief history of chocolate are just a few of the fun events that you’ll find this weekend at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Start your weekend off tomorrow night at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem with the screening of a documentary on famed artist William Kentridge’s artistic philosophy and creative process.

Explore the Greek gods in sculpture Friday at the N.C. Museum of Art

The focus on the arts will continue Friday, when the N.C. Art Museum in Raleigh shows This Gun for Hire as part of its “Femme Fatale” movie series and presents gallery tours that explore how the Greek gods and goddesses are portrayed in stone.

Saturday morning, discover how you can record and preserve your family’s history through oral histories at a workshop hosted by the State Library and State Archives in Raleigh, or have lunch while listening to a lecture about the work of the work of Edvard Munch at the N.C. Museum of Art across town. Throughout the day, the President James K. Polk State Historic Site in Pineville will celebrate our 11^th president’s birthday by recreating life as it was in 1795, while Tryon Palace will put on programs about the history of chocolate and alcohol in America.

Round your weekend out Sunday by spending the day on a train ride to Georgia and back with the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer, or listening to alternative histories of several famous Civil War battles at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.

All weekend long, the N.C. Symphony will present a concert of Hayden and Mahler in Raleigh and Wilmington, while Tryon Palace will host performances of the Tony Award-winning play, God of Carnage.

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Culture Around Every Corner: October 11-14

Claudette Colbert in Sleep, My Love, which will be screened Friday at the N.C. Museum of Art.

From traditional boat building to behind-the-scenes tours of a battleship to panning for gold, there’s truly something for everyone this weekend at the venues of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Start your weekend off tonight at SECCA in Winston-Salem with an exploration of how public art has empowered youth in the Triad. On Friday, journey back into the colonial era at Alamance Battleground in Burlington, where military and civilian reenactors will be on hand doing a variety of demonstrations, or head to Tryon Palace in New Bern for garden tours and a heritage plant show.

Friday afternoon, the Museum of Albemarle in Elizabeth City will offer kids and their parents the chance to make crafts related to a mysterious local tale. Later in the evening, the Museum of Art in Raleigh will present a poetry slam and a screening of the 1948 film Sleep, My Love as part of its “Femme Fatale” movie series.

All day Saturday, Reed Gold Mine in Midland will host traditional craftsmen to show visitors what life was like when John Reed owned the mine in the 19^th century. The N.C. Museum of Art will show families several artists whose work focuses the autumn season and then give them time to create work inspired by the fall colors. The Maritime Museum in Beaufort will let visitors try their hand at traditional boat building carpentry, while the Battleship North Carolina will give visitors the chance to see the ship behind-the-scenes.

Sunday will be filled with traditional music. The Outliers will play at the Museum of History in Raleigh, while the Old Fort Pickers Band will jam on the porch of the Mountain Gateway Museum all afternoon.

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Culture Around Every Corner: September 28-30

Celebrate Hispanic heritage Saturday at the N.C. Museum of History

From World War II naval re-enactors to a lecture on northern European art to a celebration of Latino culture in North Carolina, there’s truly something from everyone this weekend at the sites and museums of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

The fun begins today with Thomas and Friends train rides and entertainment at the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer. In town for the second weekend in a row, Thomas will be at the museum through Sunday.

Tomorrow, the N.C. Museum of History will celebrate Hispanic heritage month with craft demonstrations, music and dance performances and more. Right across Edenton Street at the State Capitol, North Carolina historian David Cecelski will launch his widely anticipated book on the Civil War. Across town at the N.C. Museum of Art, curator Dennis Weller will present a series of lectures on northern European art, complete with food and drinks from the region.

Closer to the coast, World War II living history interpreters will bring the Battleship North Carolina alive with re-enactments of daily duties and drills, while Tryon Palace will host its Fall Family Day. The N.C. Maritime Museum at Beaufort and the Museum of the Albemarle will also both present programs on the environment in celebration of National Estuaries Day.

Tonight and tomorrow, the North Carolina Symphony will pay homage to the music of Ray Charles. On Sunday, the Symphony will kick off its Sounds Bites series at Humble Pie in Raleigh.

Other events this weekend include model boat building at the N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport, an auto and  motorcycle show at Roanoke Island Festival Park and dog’s day at Town Creek Indian Mound.

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Culture Around Every Corner: September 20-23

Take a Ride with Thomas the Tank Engine, this (and next) weekend at the N.C. Transportation Museum.

Norwegian prints, Civil War-era reenactors and rides on Thomas the Tank Engine are just a few of the fun things you’ll find this weekend at the sites and museums of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Start your weekend off early with the N.C. Arts Council at the installation of the North Carolina’s poet laureate this afternoon. The celebration will begin around 4:30 in the old House of Representatives chamber in the State Capitol. Later in the evening, Historic Bath will screen The Help as part of its historical films series, while Elisha Minter will portray Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights activist, in a storytelling program at Tryon Palace.

Starting Friday morning and continuing through Sunday, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends will be on hand at the N.C. Transportation Museum. Take your kids out for rides on Thomas, music, Thomas-themed games and activities and the opportunity to meet Sir Topham Hatt.

On Saturday and Sunday, Bennett Place in Durham will host a living history program on the Civil War homefront in North Carolina. Visitors will have the chance to see what is was like to be left behind after the men went off to war. Both days, Vance Birthplace in Weaverville will have 1800s military demonstrations and other pioneer life activities, while the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will offer special tours of the Gone with the Wind exhibit, led by the owner of the collection himself!

On Sunday, the N.C. Museum of Art will debut a widely-acclaimed exhibition of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch’s work, a lecture at the Museum of the Cape Fear will examine the role of railroads in the Civil War and a talk at the Museum of History will describe how the South was packaged for pop culture consumption.

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Culture Around Every Corner: September 14-16

It’s another very busy weekend across North Carolina, with many opportunities to explore the arts and history of the Tar Heel state.

Kick off your weekend early with a Friday morning hike on the famed Shackleford Banks, hosted by the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort. In the evening, head to the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem for the unveiling of a 50-year retrospective of the work of Anne Kesler Shields, a local visual artist.

All day Saturday, the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort will offer visitors a chance to build their own boat over the course of seven hours, while the Maritime Museum in Southport will host a series of lectures on Outer Banks history. The Beaufort museum will also be offering a hike of Rachel Carson Reserve in the morning.

Build your own boat Saturday at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

Farther inland, the CSS Neuse/Gov. Richard Caswell Memorial in Kinston will have re-enactors on hand portraying soldiers across history from the American Revolution to Korean War, while the Daughters of American Revolution will celebrate the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution at Alamance Battleground in Burlington.

The weekend winds down Sunday afternoon with intimate, behind-the-scenes tours of exhibitions at SECCA complete with tea and desserts, an ice cream social at the Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort and two chamber music concerts, one at Tryon Palace in New Bern and another at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City.  SECCA’s paperless exhibition also closes Sunday.

Throughout the weekend, Paperhand Puppet Intervention will present its “City of Frogs” show at the N.C. Museum of Art, while SparkCon—sponsored in part by the N.C. Arts Council—will celebrate the Triangle as a creative hub of the South.

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Free Fun Fourth

Check out these free fun family events taking place over the Fourth of July weekend around the Department of Cultural Resources…

The N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh will show the film “Friends in Liberty: North Carolina in the American Revolution,” on Friday, July 2, from 6-7 p.m.  Experience the American Revolution through the eyes of 14-year-old Hugh McDonald and his friend, Anne Taylor. The film is based on the original journal of McDonald, who joined the Sixth North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Army in 1776.

Tryon Palace in New Bern will host a celebration of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, July 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The fun-filled day will feature a Fife & Drum performance and the reading of the Declaration of Independence at 11 a.m.  There is free Garden admission from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., although Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket.

Fort Fisher State Historic Site in Kure Beach will host a celebration on Saturday, July 3. Independence Day crafts and activities will be available from 10 a.m. to noon, and again from 2-4 p.m.  The Fort Fisher staff invites you to come enjoy the museum, stroll the site’s historic grounds, and enjoy the holiday weekend.

The 14th Annual “Battleship Blast” fireworks show will take place on Sunday, July 4 in downtown Wilmington.  The Riverfront Celebration will begin with a street fair in downtown Wilmington at 5 p.m., with music provided by the 440th North Carolina Army National Guard Band.  Primary viewing for the fireworks will be from downtown Wilmington. The entire Battleship North Carolina complex on Eagles Island will be closed at 6 p.m., and all vehicles will be required to leave by 6:30 p.m.  Fireworks should begin about 9:05 p.m.  Sponsored by the City of Wilmington, U.S. Cellular, Food Lion, WECT TV-6, and 102.7 WGNI.

Roanoke Island Festival Park will hold a July 4th celebration that will feature East Carolina University, performing music by George M. Cohan at 8 p.m. The celebration will also include fireworks provided by the town of Manteo. Held at the park’s Pavilion, the celebration is free and open to the public. Gates open to the public at 6 p.m. Parking will be available at Roanoke Island Festival Park until the lot is full and in downtown Manteo. Handicap parking will be available at the park.

The State Capitol in downtown Raleigh will host a family-oriented Independence Day celebration from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 4, that features a patriotic concert. Take a trip to the Capitol’s “Old Fashioned 4th” area and see how people in North Carolina celebrated Independence Day long ago.  New to the program this year is a naturalization ceremony where 30 people will take the Oath of Citizenship and become Americans. Musical performances, food and historic demonstrators round out this day of patriotic fun.

The N.C. Symphony, led by Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks, will celebrate Independence Day with a free Summerfest Series concert on Sunday, July 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park in Cary.  The fun includes the Triangle’s largest Fourth of July festivities, including the Town of Cary’s special fireworks display.

The N.C. Museum of Art is open on Saturday and Sunday of Fourth of July weekend from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The Museum Park is open from dawn to dusk.  Visitors can join the daily docent-led tour that meets at the Information Desk each day at 1:30 p.m. This free tour is a wonderful introduction to the Museum’s permanent collection, and with a different docent each day, the tour is a new experience on each visit to the NCMA! No reservations are needed—just show up.

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Thinking “Inside the Box”

At the ribbon ceremony marking the opening of the N.C. Museum of Art, a student from the “box team” from the N.C. State University School of Design had a vital, yet unseen job.  In order to make the ribbon fall at just the right time, Charlotte Guice was at the ready inside the box.  After the ceremony, artist Wayne Henderson and Cultural Resources Secretary Linda Carlisle stayed around to help her climb out.  To see all of the photos used to make the “North Carolina Places and Faces” installation, click here.

 

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