discussion of arts and culture in and around Orange County, North Carolina

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Text for the Cultural Arts article to be published in the Chapel Hill News Sunday, March 21^st

 

 

 

The Blooming March into Spring…by Morgan Kenney

 

Chapel Hill --It seems as though spring may be beginning to exercise its annual task of bringing the majority of us out of the doldrums caused by the relative grayness winter demands that we endure.

 

We know that without light there would be no color and without the warmth and enriching rays of our generous star, known “ locally” as the sun, there would be none of the botanical wonders that begin to appear at the outset of spring. We may also know that in this special place to live, Chapel Hill and its surrounds, there exists a group of folks that every two years dedicate a high percentage of their free time encouraging and assisting fellow citizens in presenting their cared for gardens to us through a tour. 

 

This group of folks call themselves The Chapel Hill Garden Club (CHGC). The CHGC was established in 1931. Over the past 73 years the club has been an active and generous advocate of improving the quality of life in Chapel Hill through the beautification of its environs.

 

This year the Garden Club Tour will be held on Saturday, April 17 from 10am to 4pm. The tour will feature the gardens of the East Franklin Street area. The Chapel Hill Museum (CHM) will open an exhibit of the 7 decades of the CHGC on April 8.

 

The exhibit will include information on each of the decades including newspaper and magazine articles, photography, scrapbooks, programs and activities that will show the positive contribution of the Club and its members. The exhibit, History in Bloom: The Chapel Hill Garden Club (1931-2004) will be available to The Chapel Hill Museum’s visitors from Friday, April 9^th through Sunday, June 6^th.

 

In the spring of 2004 The Chapel Hill Museum’s School for Traditional Arts, Crafts and Culture (ChimneyStack) has included a number of classes and workshops in support of the Chapel Hill Garden Club’s efforts. For information on these workshops please email Phoenix Miller AKA, School Marm at Chimneystack AT earthlink.net or go to the Museum’s website at www.chapelhillmuseum.org to see a full web-based catalog for the spring session.

 

The spring also brings over 1000 4^th grade students to the Museum to learn a little more about the

rich history of the Town and State where they live. While at the Museum the children will have the chance to be introduced to the life and works of Paul Green including being part of a costumed reenactment of The Lost Colony, Paul Green’s first of 17 symphonic dramas still being performed every summer at Manteo.

 

The exhibits currently on display at the Chapel Hill Museum include Dreams in Color featuring the compelling works of Ms. Minnie Evans (1892-1987) a visionary artist who lived and worked in Wilmington at the coast. For a number of years in the middle part of her life, Ms. Evans was the gatekeeper at Airlie Gardens near Wrightsville Beach. Her work can be seen through Sunday, March 28^th.

Also on exhibit is the Farmer/James Collection of North Carolina Art Pottery covering the period from the late 1800’s through 1950. The pottery included in the exhibit is now in the owned by and in the permanent collection of the Chapel Hill Museum through the generosity of Dr’s Nancy Farmer and Everette James. The exhibit will be available to the public through the first week in June.

 

Additionally, Carolina in my Mind: The James Taylor Story with images from James’ early childhood, school reports, his drawings, Grammies and awards. There are photos of his time here with his brothers and sister, all accomplished musicians in their own right. Taylor’s father came to Chapel Hill to become the Dean of the UNC-CH medical school.

 

And, of course, anyone who drives or walks by the Museum at dusk or later will see the pride of the Chapel Hill Fire Department, the 1914 Model T fire truck one of the first eight made. It was the first motorized vehicle owned by the Town of Chapel Hill. The Museum’s fall education program for 2^nd graders uses the fire truck as the centerpiece of a fire safety program that includes a visit from the Chapel Hill Firefighters.

 

 

Future exhibits will include the telling of the story of Battle Park through photography and documentation, an exhibit in the fall of 2004 on Luther Hodges, Sr., advisor to presidents, and a two-term governor of NC who was instrumental in the creation of the Research Triangle Park.

 

The Chapel Hill Museum Shop many items and books that serve as an embellishment to these exhibits. The Shop also features works from local potters, weavers, jewelers, writers and artists such as special prints of Cornelia Phillip Spencer’s celebration of the floral beauty of Chapel Hill.

 

 

The Chapel Hill Museum’s ‘hours are 10am-4pm Wednesday through Saturday and from 1-4pm on Sunday.

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• From: Chmuseum AT aol.com
• To: rilevy AT mindspring.com, lludington AT chccs.k12.nc.us
• Subject: March on April
• Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 17:40:46 EST

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