Dear Friends:
We are excited about the Associates and the Museum during 2010. Three marvelous transformations are taking place in the year ahead: the Thomas Day exhibit opens in May, the blockbuster George Washington exhibit opens in September, and the Story of North Carolina exhibit will be taking shape in our first floor galleries throughout the year for its grand opening in 2011. Stay in contact with the Associates by joining, becoming a facebook fan, following us on twitter, signing up for our weekly e-news, or responding to our blog posts. You can do it all right here on our website by clicking on the buttons at the top of each page.
The Associates will be busy with Museum Days:
- Wilmington April 14
- Asheville April 21
- Wilson May 2
The Asheville Museum Day will be the centerpiece of a three-day tour of Asheville and surrounding attractions. Our travel committee is also beginning to plan a trip to Charleston, SC with the Historic Charleston Foundation.
The Young Associates will follow up their successful fall agenda with an equally busy spring, highlighted by the second annual casino party at the Museum on April 10. Attendees will get a chance to take a close-up look at a living exhibit, as the Robson House is erected and restored on its new site inside the North Carolina exhibit.
Our 13th Frolic Fundraiser will be held in Pinehurst March 19-20. The resort casual dance and silent auction on Friday night will be followed by the gala seated dinner and live and silent auctions on Saturday. Both events will be inside the historic Carolina Hotel at Pinehurst Resort. Attend one or both evenings; reserve a room at a special Associates rate by calling Pinehurst Resort at 800-659-4653.
The Associates continues its partnership with the National Humanities Center and the Museum education section to sponsor a lecture and reception series February 9, March 16, and April 13. Perspectives on History features Humanities Center fellows speaking on topics that link with current Museum exhibits, followed by a reception.
We will continue to sponsor First Fridays, with special Shop events planned during exhibit construction. In February, come meet silversmith Lee Spivey, one of the Shop's most popular jewelry designers. That's First Friday, February 5, from 6-9 pm. Refreshments served.
The Associates will be sponsoring gala openings for several exhibits:
- the Thomas Day exhibit May 22, which also marks the publication of a Carolina Press book on Thomas Day by our own curator of decorative arts, Patricia Marshall.
- the Down Home exhibit June 13, an exhibit on the Jewish experience in North Carolina prepared by the Jewish Heritage Foundation.
- the Real George Washington traveling exhibit September 10 from Mount Vernon, which will be a dazzling gala as befits an important and exciting exhibit about our nation's first President. The Associates are also developing and sponsoring a weekly lecture series to be presented in tandem with the exhibit.
We are also pleased to be working with the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, housed in our Museum, to host their gala reception on the evening prior to the induction of the 2010 Hall of Fame members, on May 12 at the Museum.
As you can see, it's fun (and busy) to be a member of the Associates. Your membership support and participation in our events goes directly to further our mission: membership services, Museum marketing, and programming and event support. Find out more, join, renew, or donate at right here at our website. Join our facebook group or follow us on twitter, by clicking on the icons at the top of each page of our website. Sign up for our weekly e-news and look at sample copies by clicking on the icon at the top of each page. You can also share our e-newsletters with your social network on your own by clicking on the appropriate icon embedded in each newsletter. We are very excited to be launching the History Associates blog in the near future. Stay tuned to this space, facebook, our e-news, or twitter to catch it when we roll it out.
Sincerely,
Executive Director
