Culture Around Every Corner: May 30 – June 2

Activities for kids will be part of the fun Saturday at the N.C. Transportation Museum’s Museum in Motion Festival

A train festival in Spencer, free concerts of classical music in Chapel Hill and New Bern and gold panning in Old Fort 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 afternoon with two great programs at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort. The first will teach kids about fishing and the maritime life that can be found along the Beaufort coast, while the second will be another installment of the museum’s successful Talkin’ Art program. The program lets visitors see maritime art as it is being made.

Friday, Bentonville Battlefield in Four Oaks will kick off its series of summer series of weekend musket demonstrations, while Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort will take part in the town-wide North Carolina Gold Festival featuring mining demonstrations, panning for gold and arts and crafts vendors.

Throughout the day Saturday, the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer will host its annual Museum in Motion Festival. The festival will include special activities for kids and families, lectures, train rides, special displays and more. Also Saturday, an exhibit of artifacts from Gone With the Wind will open Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, the Queen Anne’s Revenge traveling exhibit will makes its debut in Asheville and visitors will be able to tour President John F. Kennedy’s yacht with the Maritime Museum in Beaufort. The Maritime Museum in Southport will also host a sunset history cruise Saturday evening.

Throughout the weekend, the N.C. Symphony will kick off its free community concerts series with performances at Southern Village in Chapel Hill on Friday and Tryon Palace in New Bern on Sunday.

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Sec. Kluttz Visits Arts Organizations Across North Carolina

Art is important to enriching lives, but it’s so much more than that.  In fact, art is just as much about sparking economic development as it is anything else. Over the past week and half, Cultural Resources Sec. Susan Kluttz took several trips to explore some of North Carolina’s diverse arts offerings, see first-hand how art is growing local economies and make an important economic development announcement.

Sec. Kluttz with Pamela Myers, the Asheville Art Museum’s executive director; Carolyn Coward, a member the museum’s campaign committee; and Rob Pulleyn, the immediate past chairman of the museum’s board of trustees.

Sec. Kluttz started her exploration of the arts with a visit to the Asheville Art Museum. The museum focuses on American art of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, and is known as a leader both in the state and the region. While at the museum, Sec. Kluttz was wowed by their collections, learned about the art scene in the region and was thrilled to meet several of the museum’s key supporters and staff members.

Sec. Kluttz speaks at the Women of Note event

Last Monday, Sec. Kluttz was honored to speak at the N.C. Symphony for its Women of Note luncheon, celebrating the symphony’s extensive music education program. In her remarks, Sec. Kluttz emphasized the importance of art and music in education and economic development, how it’s each person’s responsibility to spread the power of arts involvement to others and praised the symphony for having the largest education program of any symphony orchestra in the country.

On Thursday, Sec. Kluttz made an important announcement on the role of the arts in North Carolina’s economic development. The N.C. Arts Council (NCAC) has been working hard to quantify the impact the arts have on jobs and other aspects of economic growth, and she shared the good news they found.

Sec. Kluttz with Sherry DeVries, executive director of the Durham Arts Council, and Chris and Carl Gergen, key note speakers at the Creative Entrepreneur Expo

Specifically, the Arts Council’s research team found an 8-percent growth in creative occupations in the state. Creative industries are now responsible for nearly 320,000 jobs. That’s 6-percent of North Carolina’s overall workforce and translates into more than $12 billion in annual wages. Wow! Sec. Kluttz made the announcement at the Durham Arts Council’s Creative Entrepreneur Expo in Durham.

While at the expo, the Secretary also met some of the innovative business people who are using the arts to help our state grow, and some of the scholars and government leaders who are helping document and support their work.

The Secretary wrapped up her arts tour (for now at least!) Friday morning in Concord when she joined local officials at the Cabarrus Arts Council for the council’s Breakfast for the Arts fundraiser.  Before coming to Cultural Resources, Sec. Kluttz served as the president of the Rowan Arts Council, so she was happy to help support the work of a neighbor!

Sec. Kluttz with Concord Mayor Scott Padgett and Noelle Rhodes Scott, President & CEO of Cabarrus Arts Council.

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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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Culture Around Every Corner: January 17-20

Try your hand at historic cloth making at the Polk Historic Site in Pineville

Native American-themed stargazing, a classical take on the divas of Broadway and a Civil War living history program are just a few of fun things you’ll find this weekend at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Start your weekend off tomorrow with a screening of the film Marina Abramovic, The Artist is Present at the Southeastern Eastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem. Also tomorrow, the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will host a lecture on the Arab Spring, while Historic Bath will present the movie Mansfield Park and Tryon Palace in New Bern hosts a lecture on Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Friday, Town Creek Indian Mound in Mount Gilead will kick off its astronomy series, while the N.C. Symphony will salute the divas of Broadway in a concert in Raleigh featuring a few of the stars from the hit musical Wicked.

The weekend wraps up Saturday with a living history program marking the 148th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Fisher in Kure Beach and the opening of a Scotty McCreery exhibit at the Museum of Albermarle in Elizabeth City. The President James K. Polk State Historic Site in Pineville will also offer visitors the chance to try historic cloth making techniques, while the N.C. Symphony will perform a second wicked divas concert.

UPDATE — the Thursday night programs at the N.C. Museum of History and SECCA have been cancelled because of weather conditions

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Culture Around Every Corner: December 20-23

Join Town Creek Indian Mound for a Mayan-themed
astronomy program

An astronomy program inspired by the ancient Mayans, showings of the movie Polar Express and the last train rides with Santa of the season are just a few of the fun events you’ll find at the sites and museums of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources this weekend.

The fun begins tonight with a continuation of the holiday-themed open house at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, complete with showings of the movie Polar Express. The open house will continue throughout the weekend. Also tonight, the N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport will host a retired Navy admiral for discussions on modern U.S. naval history, while Historic Bath will offer Christmas crafts, movies and songs for children.

Tomorrow morning, the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will debut the second part of its exhibit on governors, while in the evening Town Creek Indian Mound in Mount Gilead will celebrate the winter solstice with an astronomy program focusing on the celestial ways points that the Mayans used. Saturday, the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Asheville will present a performance by balladeer and folklorist Shelia Kay Adams.

Throughout the weekend, the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer will offer the last installments of its Santa Trains and Cookies and Cocoa with Santa programs, while the N.C. Symphony will host concerts featuring yuletide classics from around the world.

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Culture Around Every Corner: December 7-9

Cannon and musket fire demonstrations, gingerbread and ornament making workshops and candlelight tours are just a few of the unique events hosted by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources this weekend.

The fun begins tomorrow with gingerbread workshops for both children and adults at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City and continues with candlelight tours of Duke Homestead in Durham, complete with carols, period dancing and holiday treats. The N.C. Symphony will also play a holiday pops concert in Wilkesboro.

It’s an 18th century Christmas Saturday at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson

Saturday morning, start your day off early with a Civil War living history program at Historic Edenton or cannon and musket fire demonstrations and other French and Indian War re-enactments at Fort Dobbs in Statesville.

In the afternoon, make a traditional North Carolina craft ornament at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh and discover holiday traditions related to food at Alamance Battleground in Burlington. Celebrate the holiday season as American colonists would have at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson in Winnabow, or learn about early 19^th century Christmas traditions at the James K. Polk Historic Site in Pineville. Historic Halifax will offer tours of a number of buildings decorated for the season and carriage rides through town.

Later in the evening, take a candlelight tour of Tryon Palace in New Bern or Vance Birthplace in Weaverville, or enjoy a holiday choral concert at Roanoke Island Festival Park in manteo.

Both Friday and Saturday, the Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort will be open late as part of the Old Fort Tour of Homes, and Historic Edenton will host candlelight tours of historic buildings.

The weekend wraps up Sunday with holiday open houses at Historic Bath and the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum in Sedalia, while the N.C. Museum of History will present a concert of traditional Piedmont Christmas tunes.

The N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer will continue its Santa Trains and Cookies and Cocoa with Santa programs throughout the weekend.

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Give the Gift of Culture This Holiday Season

North Carolina-made pottery is one of the items available in the N.C. Museum of Art’s store

Looking for the perfect gift for the art or history buff in your life? Look no further than our historic sites and museums!

For history lovers, the gift shops at many of our history-related venues offer unique toys, books and other gifts spanning centuries of North Carolina history. From gift baskets and specialty foods at the N.C. Museum of History to model planes, trains and automobiles at the N.C. Transportation Museum, there’s truly something for everyone on your list. A wide range of books and posters from North Carolina Historical Publications are also marked down between 50 and 75 percent, now through Dec. 31.

For those more inclined toward, the N.C. Museum of Art and SECCA offer a wide range of gifts from artisan-crafted jewelry and pottery to posters, prints, games and more. The N.C. Arts Council also offers guidebooks for exploring North Carolina’s rich heritage and gives you the chance to help projects come to life in your loved one’s name through its new power2give website.

Tickets to a North Carolina Symphony concert or for admission to one of our historic sites make great stocking stuffers, while gift memberships to the any of our venues are something your loved ones can enjoy throughout the year.

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Culture Around Every Corner: November 15-18

Celebrate Native American culture at the N.C. Museum of History
all day Saturday.

Traditional Native American dancers, blacksmithing and naval military demonstrations and a 5K family fun run are just a few of the offerings of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources this weekend.

The weekend fun starts tonight with another installment of Historic Bath’s historical film series in Bath and a live performance of a Thomas’s Wolfe short story at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Asheville.

Saturday begins early with a 5K family fun run and walk to raise money for holiday gifts for needy children at Town Creek Indian Mound in Mount Gilead. Also Saturday morning the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City will kick off its holiday season with a craft workshop. Later in the day, the Museum will host a discussion on segregated schools during the first half of the 20th century.

In Raleigh, the N.C. Museum of History will host its annual American Indian Heritage Celebration complete with traditional and contemporary artists, dancers and performers, while Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo will host the 15th Annual Manteo Rotary Rockfish Rodeo fishing tournament. The N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort will offer a day-long class in traditional boat building.

All weekend long, Tryon Palace in New Bern will present programs on Civil War life, while the CSS Neuse in Kinston will host a naval-themed living history program. The N.C. Symphony will perform music from Mozart and Shostakovich in Raleigh and Chapel Hill.

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Culture Around Every Corner: The Halloween Edition

Explore Asheville’s haunted history with tours of Riverside Cemetery led by staff of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial.

With Halloween just a week away, the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources offers a variety of ways for visitors to have a “boo-tiful” cultural experience.

The fun has already begun at the Museum of the Cape Fear, where visitors can take Victorian-themed Halloween tours of the Poe House and enter their prized pumpkins in a Jack-O-Lantern contest. The Museum will also offer nighttime tours of Poe House and a trick-or-treat event on the weekend.

Friday afternoon, the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City will have hands-on activities for children complete with junior docents telling local ghost stories. Later in the evening, visitors can witness a recreation of a séance popular in the 19th century and hear performances of North Carolina folk ballads at Duke Homestead in Durham. Friday also features haunted exhibit halls at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort, and ghost ship Ghost Ship tours Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, which will be continued on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon, staff from the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Asheville will lead tours of the historic Riverside Cemetery exploring the personalities and stories of the people of Asheville’s past, while the N.C. Maritime Museum in Southport will present games, stories and other activities for the little goblins and ghouls in your family. Visitors to Town Creek Indian Mound in Mount Gilead will have the chance to experience the night as it appeared to the Mound Builders nearly 1,000 years ago on firelight tours, while the North Carolina Symphony presents its annual Halloween Spooktacular in Raleigh.

The spooky season rounds out with a Halloween bash complete with trick-or-treating, a bounce house and an animal petting zoo at the Battleship North Carolina on Tuesday and Halloween Safe Night at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh on Wednesday.

For more on North Carolina’s haunted history, check out the NCpedia articles on Ghosts and Folklore.

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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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