Tutorials help ‘U’ Get Informed

Posted January 27, 2012 – 10:49 am

Each day, North Carolinians along with computer users around the world create files on their computers, digital cameras, and smart phones. Like letters of Civil War soldiers or photographs of North Carolina cities and towns, these files will one day be part of the state’s cultural heritage.

To help make sure these files are around for the future, the State Library of North Carolina and the North Carolina State Archives, agencies within the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, work to educate North Carolinians about how simple steps with digital files today can save our cultural resources for tomorrow.

“We asked how the average North Carolinian can make a difference in our digital future,” said Lisa Gregory, of the State Library of North Carolina’s Digital Information Management Program.  “We have launched a short, four-part video tutorial that describes an easy and routine first step: file naming.”

The tutorial describes why file naming is important, how to change a file name, and best practices for naming files.   These videos are part of a new series, “Inform U,” which will feature tutorials on digital preservation.

Gregory goes on to say, “Digital preservation means taking practical and conscious steps to keep digital files around for future access and use. Whether saving annual financial reports or annual vacation snapshots, we hope the file naming tips featured in this video tutorial will help “inform you” about the best ways to manage and preserve both North Carolina’s and your cultural resources.”

About the State Library of North Carolina

The State Library of North Carolina builds the capacity of all libraries across the state, develops and supports access to genealogy and other specialized collections, and provides resources for the blind and physically handicapped.

About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported  Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.  To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

 

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Basket Weaving Workshop at Aycock Birthplace

Posted January 27, 2012 – 8:46 am

FREMONT -If you have ever admired hand woven baskets at craft shows and wanted to learn how to make one, the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site has a class for you!  At the Basket Weaving Workshop, Feb. 18, 10 .a.m.-3 p.m. you can make your own basket.

Local artist Ingrid Quick will teach participants how to make a simple open weave napkin basket.  Participants will work on baskets from 10.a.m-noon, then break for lunch. Guests may bring lunch or visit a local restaurant.  The weaving will resume from 1 p.m.-3 p.m.

Space is limited and registration is required. There is a fee of $10 to for materials which must be prepaid by Feb. 13.  Call (919) 242-5581 or email aycock@ncdcr.gov to register.

The Charles B. Aycock Birthplace, located at 264 Governor Aycock Road, Fremont, interprets the life of a rural 1870s farm family in eastern North Carolina.  Born is 1859, Aycock was elected North Carolina’s governor in 1900.  He was dedicated to education and the site features a one room schoolhouse moved there in 1961.  It is part of the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives.

Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.

To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

 

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State Capitol Hosts African American Read-In

Posted January 27, 2012 – 8:33 am
RALEIGH – The State Capitol and the Richard B. Harrison Library will host a session of the 2012 National African American Read-In on Saturday, Feb. 18.
The Read-In will be held at the State Capitol from noon- 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The event is held in recognition of Black History Month, and the public is invited to share favorite passages from the writings of contemporary and historical black authors. Capitol staff, students of all ages, and community leaders will read aloud from selected works by various African American authors. To participate as a reader, please e-mail Capitol education coordinator Terra Schramm.

This year marks the 23rd anniversary that the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has sponsored the African American Read-In, dedicated to the discussion and reading of books by African American writers with the goal to make the celebration of African American literature a traditional part of Black History Month.

Across the nation, schools, churches, libraries and community organizations will host similar events in support of the read-in, which has been endorsed by the International Reading Association. Over a million readers of all ethnic groups from 49 states, the West Indies and African countries have participated over the years.

The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history, architecture and functions of the 1840 building and Union Square. It is one of the finest and best-preserved examples of a major civic building in the Greek Revival style of architecture. It is a National Historic Landmark. The Capitol is bounded by Edenton, Salisbury, Morgan and Wilmington Streets.

For more information call (919) 733-4994

The State Capitol is allied with N.C. State Historic Sites.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported  Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.  www.ncculture.com
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“Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” Photography Exhibit Visits Caldwell County Library

Posted January 26, 2012 – 4:33 pm

RALEIGH – Heroic tales and valiant feats are depicted in images that reflect North Carolina’s dedication to the war in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit”. The Caldwell County Public Library in Lenoir will host the exhibit from Feb. 1-28, sharing images and stories that capture the history and people of the Civil War (1861-1865).

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography.  The Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources will display 24 images from the State Archives, the N.C. Museum of History and State Historic Sites. Between April 2011 and May 2013, 50 libraries and museums will showcase “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” offering visuals that present gallant women, African American triumph and the perseverance of Confederate soldiers. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further information and seeking viewer comments.

One of the images portrays a letter from Colonel Isaac E. Avery that exemplifies the courage of the Confederate forces. Born Dec. 20, 1828, in Burke County, North Carolina, Avery served in the 6th NC Troops and led the attack on Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg in July 1863. As his final act, Avery wrote a message to Major Samuel McDowell Tate reading, “Major. Tell my father I died with my Face to the enemy. I. E. Avery.”   The note is marked with his blood.

For information on the tour, visit www.nccivilwar150.com or call (919) 807-7389. For information on the Caldwell County exhibit, call (828) 757-1274.

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people  through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state- supported  Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State   Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.  To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

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Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit Comes to New Bern-Craven Library

Posted January 26, 2012 – 2:14 pm

RALEIGH – The Civil War savaged lives yet secured the future of generations in North Carolina and the rest of the nation, and altered the course of American history. The injustices faced by African Americans were some of the most significant factors leading to the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Visitors will see a wide array of images in the Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit  at the New Bern-Craven County Library (  )in New Bern from Feb. 1-28.  Other Civil War and black history programs are scheduled for the month.

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography.  The Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the N. C. Department of Cultural Resources.

The exhibit will commemorate the bravery and resiliency of North Carolinians throughout the Civil War with stimulating images gathered from the State Archives, the N.C. Museum of History, and State Historic Sites. A total of 24 images will be displayed by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources in 50 libraries throughout the state from April 2011 through May 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further information and also seeking viewer comments.

The collection depicts African Americans, women and militiamen, including images of artifacts and official documents. One image shows African Americans setting themselves free by coming to New Bern, which was under occupation by the Union Army.

For information on the exhibit call the Neuse Regional Library System at (252) 638-7800.  For tour information, contact the Department of Cultural Resources (919) 807-7389, or visit www.nccivilwar150.com.

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historical sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

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North Carolina Celebrates Black History All Year

Posted January 26, 2012 – 1:31 pm

February is traditionally recognized as Black History Month, but agencies within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources offer outstanding ways to study and celebrate black history all year. Special programs are planned for February and additional opportunities are available year round.

North Carolina Museum of History

At the N.C. Museum of History, the celebration will start early with the fundraiser, “Roots to Rap: A Musical Conversation,” on Friday, Jan. 27. The Friday night program features singer/multimedia artist Shirlette Ammons, and Pierce Freelon, founder of blackacademics, with his jazz improv group The Beast. Admission is $11 in advance and $15 the day of the program. Proceeds will benefit future AACC Celebrations.

The next day, Saturday, Jan. 28, starting at 11 a.m. and continuing through 4 p.m. will be a FREE African American Cultural Celebration. This annual celebration features 75 presenters and six stages. Performances include the African rhythms of Djembe Talk (drum talk), uplifting a capella harmonies of the Mighty Gospel Inspirations, a marching band, and Zumba exercise. Engaging presenters range from children’s author Kelly Starling Lyons to basketmaker Neal Thomas. Kids will enjoy a scavenger hunt, hands-on crafts and more.

In recognition of this 11th annual AACC, each of the state’s 11 historically black colleges and universities is being featured. Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber, President of Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, will highlight the college and its outstanding student-athlete graduation rate, one of the highest in the nation.

Additional related events in February include:

Feb. 12, the N.C. Museum of History will present “Music From the Carolinas: Boo Hanks.” The program will showcase Hanks’ virtuosity in the delicate finger-style Piedmont blues. The program is presented by PineCone with support from the N.C. Museum of History Associates, Williams Mullen, and WLHC-FM/WLQC-FM. 3 p.m. FREE

Feb. 23, the Museum of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville will present “Red, White, Blue & Black: The Service of Black Americans during the Civil War.” Led by Dr. Charles Anderson, Central Texas College in Killeen,  the program will focus on the roles and contributions of black Americans to the U.S. military during the Civil War. 7 p.m. FREE

North Carolina Museum of Art

Saturday, Feb. 4, the N.C. Museum of Art welcomes back the well-loved Barefoot Theatre to share contemporary adaptations of two folktales of the Baluba and Ashanti peoples. Come enjoy adventures of Anansi the spider, Elephant and other friends. East Building auditorium. Ages 5 and up, under 12 with adult. $5 nonmembers, $3 members.

The NCMA has on exhibit through June 24 Reflections: Portraits by Beverly McIver, that celebrates the last decade of her work. Known for her expression-filled canvases, the exhibit highlights work with her mother, who passed in 2004, her mentally disabled sister, and self-portraits. East Building. FREE

The museum’s African Gallery is permanently installed in the West Building and is FREE. Docent led tours are available Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-2p.m., and Friday evenings for groups of 10 or more. Reservations required. Call 919-664-6785.

Thursday, Feb. 16 will be “An Evening of Poetry” with Dr. L. Teresa Church, archivist/playwright, and Dr. Sheila Smith McKoy, N.C. State University. Other presenters include college students and district winners of the N.C. Poetry Out Loud competition. This FREE  program begins at 7 p.m. and will be held in the East Building. Sponsors are the Friends of African and African American Art and the N.C. African American Writers Collective.

Sunday, Feb. 19, the N.C. Museum of Art will offer “Looking at African Art in the 21st Century.”  Dr. Rebecca Martin Nagy, director of the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida and former curator of African Art at NCMA, will grapple with the challenge of how to view and discuss the dynamic field of African art. The FREE program at 2:30 p.m. in the East Building requires a ticket.

North Carolina Historic Sites   

On Sunday, Feb. 12, Historic Stagville in Durham will present the lecture “To Free a Family: The Journey of Mary Walker,” by Dr. Syd Nathans, Duke University professor emeritus. Nathans will speak on the escape of Mary Walker from the plantation and her 17-year attempt to recover her children. It is based on letters from the slaveowners in the South and her employers in the North. 2 p.m. FREE

On Thursday, Feb. 16, programs across the state will illuminate the past and present:

Tryon Palace in New Bern will present an original play, “Sojourner and Her Children,” that will emphasize the relationship of the abolitionist Sojourner Truth, who guided slaves to freedom, yet returned South to visit her children who still were enslaved. The FREE program will be at 7 p.m. in the N.C. History Center.

Historic Bath will show the movie Ruby Bridges that shares the story of first grader Ruby Bridges, who entered an all-white school in the 1960s and helped shape American history. The FREE program will be in the Visitor Center at 7 p.m.

Bennett Place State Historic Site in Durham will present the lecture “The First Year of Freedom in North Carolina: Pursuing Freedom with the Hoe and the Sword, the Book and the Lord” by Dr. Reginald Hildebrand, UNC-Chapel Hill. The lecture, based on his research of U.S. Colored Troops and other records, begins at 6:30 p.m. $5. Read more. 

 

On Saturday, Feb. 18, “Stagville Under the Stars!” in Durham will feature astronomy and the night sky with storytelling featuring tales and myths from African cultures. Tours of original slave quarters will also be available. Presented in partnership with Morehead Planetarium, visitors can peer through telescopes at Mars and Jupiter and also see constellations meaningful to the ancestors. FREE family fun! 7:30 p.m.

And, finally, several N.C. State Historic Sites daily interpret African American History year round. They include:

Somerset Place in Creswell, once a plantation of more than 100,000 mainly wooded acres, which has representations of several slave community buildings to tour. The Collins family house is closed for renovations this year.

Historic Stagville in Durham also was among antebellum North Carolina’s largest plantations at 30,000 acres, and still features the Great Barn, a massive structure built by enslaved craftsmen.

The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum began in 1902 as the Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, was a preparatory school for black youth that shaped many lives, thanks to founder Charlotte Hawkins Brown.

Other accomplishments and events about black history in North Carolina are noted with N. C. Historical Highway Markers

Library and Publications    

If you are interested in tracing your family history there are a number of finding aids to assist with research of family history all year. For more information, visit the State Archives or the State Library Genealogy Branch.

North Carolina Historical Publications also offers numerous black history titles, including “A History of African Americans in North Carolina,” “Thomas Day: African American Furniture Maker,” “A Day of Blood: The 1898 Wilmington Race Riot,” and others.

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources    

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported  Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.

To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

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State Capitol Receives Two Grants to Begin Oral History Project

Posted January 25, 2012 – 4:03 pm

RALEIGH – The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation and the North Carolina Humanities Council have each awarded the State Capitol grants to begin recording the oral histories of state government workers-the secretaries, schedulers, pages, chefs, gardeners, artisans, and managers who have kept the State Capitol and Executive Mansion open to the public and available for all citizens over the years.

The North Carolina Humanities Council awarded a $700 planning grant, while the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation’s $3,000 grant will fund the first phase of the project, recording oral history interviews.

 ”These generous grants provide us with an opportunity to begin collecting the stories of the ‘unsung heroes’ of the Capitol and the Executive Mansion  and to the public,” said Deanna Mitchell, site administrator of the Capitol. “We hope to continue raising funds to increase the number of stories we can collect and share.”

The multi-year project aimed at documenting the oral histories of state employees and other elected officials who have served in the Capitol and Executive Mansion is collaboration between the North Carolina State Capitol, the North Carolina Executive Mansion, the North Carolina Folklife Institute and the North Carolina Civic Education Consortium.

Funding is still needed for later phases of the project, which will use the recorded interviews to create a web-based exhibit and educational materials for school children; a DVD; teacher training workshops; a major, long-term exhibition for the Capitol; and a traveling exhibit for libraries statewide. On-site and traveling exhibitions will include smart phone/tablet applications to explore stories beyond the exhibitions and enhance interactivity.

The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history, architecture and functions of the 1840 building and Union Square.

It is one of the finest and best-preserved examples of a major civic building in the Greek Revival style of architecture. It is a National Historic Landmark.

The Capitol is bounded by Edenton, Salisbury, Morgan and Wilmington Streets.  For more information call (919) 733-4994 or visit State Capitol allied with N.C. State Historic Sites.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported  Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.  www.ncculture.com
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Bennett Place Lecture on African Americans’ Newly Won Freedom Experiences

Posted January 25, 2012 – 12:59 pm

 DURHAM – Words of the formerly enslaved will be shared in a lecture at Bennett Place State Historic Site on Thursday, Feb. 16, 6:30-9 p.m.  The presentation, “The First Year of Freedom in North Carolina: Pursuing Freedom with the Hoe and the Sword, the Book and the Lord,” by Dr. Reginald Hildebrand, UNC-Chapel Hill, will offer first-hand accounts based on his research.

Among experiences documented are reports of black soldiers entering Wilmington who participated in the Union capture of Fort Fisher in February 1865, the first July 4th celebration by the newly independent former slaves, and recollections of a “watch night” service to mark both the New Year and the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The program, hosted by the Durham Civil War Roundtable and the Bennett Place Support Fund, is free to members, and has a $5 fee for visitors.  The lecture is part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration organized by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

This and other special events at Bennett Place are funded and sponsored by the Bennett Place Support Fund, Inc., a nonprofit which provides additional funding to this historic site.  For information, visit Bennett Place.

The mission of Bennett Place State Historic Site is to interpret the meeting of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to bring a peaceful solution to the Civil War and the surrender of 89,270 exhausted Confederate troops, and also interpret the lives of yeomen farmers such as James and Nancy Bennett.

Bennett Place is at 4409 Bennett Memorial Road, Durham, NC, 27705.

For more information call  (919) 383-4345 Bennett Place is part of  N.C. State Historic Sites.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported  Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.  www.ncculture.com
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Call for Nominations: AASLH Leadership History Awards

Posted January 23, 2012 – 3:11 pm

RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is seeking nominations of North Carolinians or North Carolina historical organizations that have excelled in the collection, preservation or interpretation of state and local history. Nominees will be considered for the Leadership in HistoryAwards, offered each year by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).

The association bestows these awards annually to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards recognize exemplary work by federal, state or local historical societies, museums, institutions or agencies, or specialized societies in the areas of oral history, genealogy, folklore, archaeology, business history, or others.  Privately owned museums or foundations, individuals, junior historical societies, and related agencies also may apply.

Winning North Carolina organizations in 2011 included the Greensboro Historical Museum, the University Library at UNC-Chapel Hill, the State Archives in Raleigh, the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo, and the N.C. Museum of History.

Nominees do not have to be members of AASLH, and self-nominations are encouraged.  Visit AASLH awards to download a nomination form and to learn more about the award guidelines and the documentation that must accompany the forms.  Please send nomination forms and other required information by March 1 to:  Laura Ketcham, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, 4610 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4610.

The American Association for State and Local History is a nonprofit organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history.

About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives.

Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.

To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

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Museum to Welcome Railroad Historian

Posted January 23, 2012 – 12:13 pm

A history of the Wilmington and Raleigh Rail Road Company

January 29, 2012   2:00pm

FAYETTEVILLE – The Museum of the Cape Fear is pleased to welcome Dr. James Burke from Cape Fear Community College on January 29, at 2:00 pm. Dr. Burke recently published The Wilmington & Raleigh Rail Road Company, 1833-1854, a look at the company that eventually became known as the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad—lifeline of the Confederacy.

In his presentation, Dr. Burke will include a considerable amount of information about Fayetteville, which he uncovered while researching for his book. His talk will chronicle the railroad’s history “from its inception, exploring its impact on subsequent railroad development in North Carolina and its significance within the context of American railroad history as a whole,” with emphasis pertaining to Fayetteville’s role in early railroad development.

Mr. Burke received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Wilmington Railroad Museum.

Admission is free. For more information, please call 910-486-1330 or visit www.museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov.

The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex, located on the corner of Bradford and Arsenal avenues in Fayetteville, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, within the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported  Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources serves as a champion for North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.  To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

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Tickets for Natalie Merchant with the North Carolina Symphony

Posted January 23, 2012 – 11:33 am

RALEIGH, N.C.—Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant will join the North Carolina Symphony for a single performance on Tuesday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m., the orchestra announced today. The concert takes place at Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets for this one-night-only performance will go on sale on Monday, Jan. 23 at 10:00 a.m.

Tickets will be available for purchase online at www.ncsymphony.org or by calling North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724. Tickets will also be available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000.

About the North Carolina Symphony

Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts annually to adults and school children in more than 50 North Carolina counties. An entity of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the orchestra employs 67 professional musicians, under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks.

Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60 concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metropolitan area. It holds regular concert series in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington—as well as individual concerts in many other North Carolina communities throughout the year—and conducts one of the most extensive education programs of any U.S. orchestra.

 

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North Carolina Symphony Presents “Dvořák and America” Across the State

Posted January 23, 2012 – 11:32 am

Innovative Cross-Disciplinary Project Offers
Multimedia Performances, Educational Opportunities in
Four North Carolina Communities, Feb. 12-19

Project Supported by National Endowment for the Humanities

RALEIGH, N.C.—An in-depth examination of Antonín Dvořák’s experiences in America is the focus of an intense week of concerts and activities by the North Carolina Symphony, Feb. 12-19.

Performances of the concert program “Dvořák and America” in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Fayetteville and New Bern, featuring a complete performance of his popular Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” headline seven exciting days of music and cross-cultural entertainment. The concert also features the rarely heard Hiawatha Melodrama for Actor and Orchestra, created by Michael Beckerman using Dvořák’s music and words from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Song of Hiawatha.”

Former Good Morning America host and broadcast voice of the Symphony David Hartman narrates the program alongside actor/baritone Kevin Deas and a video installation by media artist Peter Bogdanoff.

Several opportunities for North Carolina residents to learn more about the visionary composer pave the way for these orchestral programs, beginning with a performance as part of the North Carolina Symphony’s popular Pub Series. A small ensemble of Symphony musicians will present the composer’s “American” String Quartet, one of his most famous and cherished works, at Humble Pie restaurant in Raleigh on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 8:00 p.m.

Joseph Horowitz joins former North Carolina Symphony principal clarinetist Jimmy Gilmore for an in-depth conversation on Dvořák at Fayetteville State University on Monday, Feb. 13 at 12:00 p.m. Students and faculty from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University will present “Dvořák’s American Accent,” a free multimedia chamber music event, at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gerrard Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7:00 p.m.

There will be also opportunities in all four communities for individuals and student and community groups to participate in additional activities for free. For more, see the schedule below and online at www.ncsymphony.org/dvorak.

Encouraged to come to America by the visionary educator Jeannette Thurber, Dvořák was tasked with leading the way to the creation of an American national music. “The Americans expect great things of me,” he said, “and the main thing is, so they say, to show them to the promised land of a new and independent art; in short, to create a national music…It is certainly a great and splendid task for me…There is more than enough material here and plenty of talent.”

Dvořák’s exploration of American musical idioms led him to two of America’s defining sagas: the Indian wars and the slave trade. His use in his own work of the themes and melodies he found in this material challenged and illuminated American notions of race and identity, all ideas that are examined in “Dvořák and America.”

This project is part of “Music Unwound,” a larger undertaking that originated with a series of concerts developed by Pacific Symphony Music Director Carl St. Clair specifically designed to investigate new forms of audience engagement. The North Carolina Symphony’s four performances of “Dvořák and America” are written and produced by author, scholar and Guggenheim Fellow Joseph Horowitz, a highly regarded pioneer in thematic, interdisciplinary classical music programming.

“Surveys conducted by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Pacific Symphony have confirmed that symphonic subscribers are today looking for new concert formats incorporating some explication and other extra-musical components,” says Horowitz. “The challenge, obviously, is to offer something that doesn’t patronize or simplify and that equally suits ‘old listeners’ and ‘new listeners.’ We believe that it can be done—and that at the same time, programming of this kind can create linkages to museums and educational institutions that can amplify an orchestra’s service to the community.”

Promoting fresh possibilities for emotional and intellectual connections among concertgoers by presenting art in context is the motivating force behind this National Endowment for the Humanities-funded project. The $300,000 grant, shared among the North Carolina Symphony and its consortium partners, the Pacific Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic and Louisville Orchestra, is the first NEH public programs grant to go to orchestras in a decade and supports the integration of humanities content with live concert performances.

Horowitz and Deas will participate in many activities in all four communities, along with Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn. Question and answer sessions, pre-concert talks, a master class for university vocal students in Chapel Hill, a continuation of the Symphony’s partnership with Marbles Kids Museum for the family friendly music exploration “Music Makers” and many other events will also be offered during the week.

In addition, two high school teachers from Wilmington and the Charlotte area will bring groups of students to the concerts in Raleigh and Fayetteville. The teachers, who attended a three-week NEH training institute directed by Horowitz, are using a young readers book and an interactive DVD he created to prepare their students for the concerts they will attend.

“‘Dvořák and America,’” with its focus on issues of race and national identity, addresses topics that are still a critical component of the American conversation,” says North Carolina Symphony President and CEO Sandi Macdonald. “The North Carolina Symphony is pleased to be participating in an important project that speaks so clearly to our organization’s dual mission of education and statewide service.”

General admission tickets to the Raleigh performance of “Dvořák and America,” presented as part of the Symphony’s Friday Favorites series on Friday, Feb. 17 at 12:00 p.m., are $25. The NCS Matinees Friday Favorites Series is presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

Additional performances of “Dvořák and America” will be held first on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 8:00 p.m. at Memorial Hall, on the campus of the UNC-Chapel Hill. Tickets for this Chapel Hill Series concert range from $33 to $48 with $30 tickets for seniors and $10 for students.

Fayetteville State University’s Seabrook Auditorium hosts the program on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for this Fayetteville Series concert are $30, with $25 for military personnel and $5 for students.

The final performance of “Dvořák and America” will be held at New Bern Riverfront Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this New Bern Series concert range from $30 to $42, with $30 tickets for seniors and $10 for students.

For tickets to any of these concerts, as well as $65 dinner concert tickets to the North Carolina Symphony’s Pub Series performance of Dvořák’s “American” String Quartet at Humble Pie in Raleigh on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 6:00 p.m., visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org or call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.

Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., in Raleigh.

Memorial Hall is located on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, at 208 E. Cameron Ave.

Seabrook Auditorium is located on the Fayetteville State University campus, at 1200 Murchison Road.

New Bern Riverfront Convention Center is located at 203 S. Front St. in New Bern.

About the North Carolina Symphony

Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts annually to adults and school children in more than 50 North Carolina counties. An entity of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the orchestra employs 67 professional musicians, under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks.

Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60 concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metropolitan area. It holds regular concert series in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington—as well as individual concerts in many other North Carolina communities throughout the year—and conducts one of the most extensive education programs of any U.S. orchestra.

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Cannon and Musket Fire Recall 1760 Cherokee War at Fort Dobbs

Posted January 20, 2012 – 4:05 pm

STATESVILLE – Fort Dobbs State Historic Site will offer a glimpse of the harrowing days of the 18thcentury Cherokee War on Feb. 25-26.  The Cherokee had been allies of the British when the French and Indian War started in 1754, but tensions arose which quickly spiraled into war.  The 30 member garrison at Fort Dobbs was attacked by more than twice its number in a confusing night time skirmish on Feb. 27, 1760.

The 252nd anniversary program will feature living history interpreters who will portray provincial soldiers and Cherokee warriors, present musket and cannon firing demonstrations, and ongoing demonstrations of 18th century military and American Indian camp life.  The free programs will run 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday.  A special evening firing will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The free educational program at this state historic site gives life to North Carolina’s past experiences and traditions and demonstrates the value of living history to students and adults.

For more information call (704) 873-5882 or visit

Fort Dobbs.  Fort Dobbs is the only state historic site dedicated to the period of the French and Indian War (1754-1763), also known as the Seven Years War.

Fort Dobbs is North Carolina’s only historic site dedicated to the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years’ War.  It lasted from1754-1763 and crossed five continents. For more information call  (704) 873-5882 or visit Fort Dobbs, part of   N.C. State Historic Sites.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported  Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy.
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Coca-Cola Foundation Presents $100,000 Grant to N.C. Museum of History

Posted January 20, 2012 – 8:28 am

What: The Coca-Cola Foundation will present a $100,000 grant to the N.C. Museum of History Foundation. The grant, titled Educational Outreach Programs for North Carolina Students, will enable the N.C. Museum of History to expand its outreach services, including live, two-way videoconference classes, to students and educators across the state.

Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton and others will share brief remarks during the presentation, followed by refreshments. There will be photo opportunities and contacts available for interviews.

When: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, at 11 a.m.

Where: Main Lobby, North Carolina Museum of History
5 East Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-1011                                                            

Notes: The presentation is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required. For directions and parking information, go to ncmuseumofhistory.org.

Grant: The Museum of History’s outreach services provide learning opportunities and resources to students and teachers in all 100 North Carolina counties. With the $100,000 grant, the museum will:

● double its capacity to provide distance-learning videoconferencing classes for grades K-12;

● develop a new distance-learning class about human ecology in North Carolina;

● publish four issues of the award-winning magazine Tar Heel Junior Historian;

● expand multidisciplinary History-in-a-Box teaching kits; and

● initiate the Tar Heel Junior Historian Community Preservation Project and service award.

 

About the N.C. Museum of History

The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton Street, across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported symphony orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

About the Coca-Cola Foundation

The Coca-Cola Foundation is the Coca-Cola Company’s primary international philanthropic arm. Founded in 1984, the Foundation was established in the U.S. as a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Foundations grants are awarded throughout the year on business plan priorities, tax requirements, legal compliance and approval by the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

About Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated (CCBCC)

Charlotte-based Coca-Cola Consolidated is the nation’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler with franchise territories in 11 Southeastern states.  For more information on CCBCC please call 704-557-4100 or visit www.CokeConsolidated.com.  You can also follow CCBCC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cokeconsolidated and Twitter at www.twitter.com/cokeccbcc.

Explore more than 14,000 years of the state’s history in the exciting new exhibit The Story of North Carolina. Free admission. For details, visit ncmuseumofhistory.org.

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Author to Speak on a Slave Escape from a Durham Plantation

Posted January 20, 2012 – 8:25 am

RALEIGH – In 1848, Mary Walker fled slavery and the plantation that is now Historic Stagville in Durham, leaving behind her son and daughter.  She spent 17 years trying to recover her family.  Dr. Syd Nathans, professor emeritus with Duke University, tells of Walker’s remarkable ordeal in the book “To Free A Family:  The Journey of Mary Walker” at Historic Stagville on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m., and at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, on Monday, Feb. 13, at 11 a.m.  The programs are free.

The tale of Mary Walker is representative of the secret labors of hundreds of women escaping bondage and trying to reclaim their families in the South.  The story is also the basis for the Addy Walker doll in the American Girl doll collection.

Two extraordinary collections provide the basis for the story — the letters and diaries of Walker’s former North Carolina slaveholders, and those of the northern family who protected and employed her.  In spite of her persistence and the assistance of black and white abolitionists, she was not reunited with her children until the end of the Civil War.

Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing at both Historic Stagville and the Museum of History.  The programs are sponsored by the N.C. African American Heritage Commission (AAHC), whose mission is to preserve, protect, and promote North Carolina’s African American history, arts and culture for all people.  The AAHC is affiliated with the Department of Cultural Resources.

For additional information call Michelle Lanier at (919) 477-7103.  The Division of State Historic Sites and the Division of State History Museums are within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives.

Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

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