January Programs at the Museum Focus onAfrican American Cultural Celebration,Dressing the Abbey Extended Hours 

January Programs at the Museum Focus on

African American Cultural Celebration,

Dressing the Abbey Extended Hours

For images, follow this Dropbox link. Captions and credits are listed after program descriptions.

December 30, 2021 (RALEIGH, N.C.) — As a kickoff to Black History Month, we are holding our 21st Annual African American Cultural Celebration on January 28 and 29. The celebration is virtual with presentations from authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, scholars and more. The theme for the #AACC2022 is “Black People, Green Planet: Environmental Justice.” Plus, this is the last month to experience Dressing the Abbey before the exhibit closes on January 17 at 5 p.m. The museum and Museum Shop are open to the public with special protocols in compliance with Executive Order 215. Admission is free! Please note: The museum will be closed on New Year’s Day.

Top Five Things to Do This Month

• Kick off Black History Month with our 21st Annual African American Cultural Celebration featuring authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, scholars and more, with a central theme of highlighting the contributions that African Americans, past and present, have made to North Carolina’s history and culture.
• Extended hours will be held for Dressing the Abbey on January 14. For one last time before the exhibition closes at 5 p.m. on January 17, experience original costumes worn by the stars of Downton Abbey^TM that depict fashions of the British aristocracy in the early 20th century.
• Beach Music: Making Waves in the Carolinas closes on January 2 at 5 p.m. Before it closes, explore the defining sound of the Carolinas, and learn the history behind the music.
• Learn how to care for your grandmother’s quilt or vintage wedding gown by joining the free online Textile Preservation Workshop on January 15. Learn how to properly clean, store, and display your family’s textiles.
• Trains, planes, and automobiles. Find out when these inventions showed up in our state and how people got around 100 years ago in our Tar Heel Tales: NC Transport – Things That GO program. You’ll also listen and read along to Locomotive by Brian Floca.

Read on for a current listing of January events and follow us on social media for updates and additional programming. You can also stay up to date on all events and exhibits at the museum website: ncmuseumofhistory.org. Programs are FREE unless otherwise noted. Advance registration, at ncmuseumofhistory.org/events, is generally required to receive a confirmation email with information about joining online presentations.

Did you miss a previous program? Many of the museum’s programs are being archived to enjoy any time on the museum YouTube channel.

Exhibit Closing: Beach Music: Making Waves in the Carolinas

Sunday, Jan. 2, 5 p.m.

Beach music is the defining sound of the Carolinas. Propelled by African American rhythm and blues, boundary-crossing teens in the late 1950s and early 1960s created a culture with its own signature dance (the shag), its own beloved stars (the Embers, the Catalinas, Chairmen of the Board, and the Tams, to name just a few), and its own rich memories that have endured across the decades. The North Carolina Museum of History’s exhibit Beach Music: Making Waves in the Carolinas shares not only the hits and the dance moves but also the fascinating stories behind the music. The gallery is rich in sound, alive with color, and interactive for all ages.

Visitors to the exhibition will hear familiar sounds and music, as well as gain new insights into the history that created the scene. Newcomers to the genre will discover a core element of Carolina culture and identity.

See the exhibit before it closes on January 2 at 5 p.m.

History and Highballs: Heirloom Jewelry

Thursday, Jan. 6, 7 p.m. via Zoom

Speakers: Nancy Avery, General Manager, GIA AJP, Raleigh Diamond; Jordan Madre, Museum Registrar, NC Museum of History.

Join us for a special History and Highballs as we delve into the world of heirloom jewelry! The program will start off with MOH’s own Jordan Madre, museum registrar, showcasing some precious and costume pieces of jewelry that are part of the museum’s collection. Then Nancy Avery, general manager of Raleigh Diamond, will share some of her favorite pieces of both antique and modern jewelry that echo the style found in our Dressing the Abbey exhibit! She’ll also give us the inside scoop on how these gorgeous pieces from the past act as inspiration for current jewelry designs.

History at High Noon: Celebrating Piracy: Really?

Wednesday, Jan. 12, 12–1 p.m. via Zoom

Speaker: Dr. Charlie Ewen, Professor, Department of Anthropology; Director, Phelps Archaeology Laboratory, East Carolina University.

In 2018, North Carolina marked the 300th anniversary of the pirate Blackbeard’s demise with festivals, traveling exhibits, and lectures. That led the Charlotte Observer to question: Why would North Carolina celebrate a murdering scoundrel like Blackbeard? Surely celebrating murder and mayhem can’t be a good thing. Fortunately, archaeology gives us a legitimate opportunity to satisfy our guilty pleasure. By studying their shipwrecks and lairs, archaeologists have been able to recreate the real lives of pirates and those they preyed upon.

Ewen received his PhD at the University of Florida (1987). He joined the faculty at East Carolina University in 1994 and is a full professor in the Department of Anthropology as well as director of the Phelps Archaeology Laboratory. He is a past president of the Society for Historical Archaeology. His research interests focus mostly on historical archaeology (specifically the contact and colonial periods). However, like most archaeologists, Ewen has been led by circumstances to work on nearly every kind of archaeology site, from prehistoric villages to Civil War fortifications and 20th-century homesteads. While in North Carolina, Ewen has directed more than two decades of projects at such places as Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens in New Bern, Fort Macon State Park, Historic Hope Plantation, Historic Bath, and Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, and has documented African American cemeteries in eastern North Carolina.

Dressing the Abbey Extended Hours

Friday, Jan. 14, 9 a.m.–9 p.m.

Experience original costumes worn by the stars of Downton Abbey^TM that depict fashions of the British aristocracy in the early 20^th century. The exhibition showcases the turbulence and changes in the late Edwardian era through the 1920s by means of the fashions of the period while evoking fans’ favorite moments. 

There are 35 costumes in the exhibition that show the progression of style from 1912 to 1927. All are shown on mannequins and include accessories such as hats and jewelry. The costumes show off the style of the aristocracy and their servants. The Crawley family’s costumes consist of silks and fine woolens and are embellished with beads and embroidery. 

Presented by Exhibits Development Group, USA, in cooperation with Cosprop Ltd., London, England. The exhibition is not endorsed by, sponsored by, licensed by, associated with, or otherwise affiliated with the television series Downton Abbey™, NBC Universal International, Carnival Film and Television Limited or their representatives.

Textile Preservation Workshop

Saturday, Jan. 15, 10–11 a.m. via Zoom

Have you ever wondered how to care for your grandmother’s quilt or a vintage wedding gown? Join Paige Myers, the museum’s textile conservator, in this virtual program as she provides tips for the proper ways to clean, store, and display your family’s textiles.

Exhibit Closing: Dressing the Abbey

Monday, Jan. 17, 5 p.m.

This is the last month to experience Dressing the Abbey! View original costumes worn by the stars of Downton Abbey™ that depict fashions of the British aristocracy in the early 20th century. The exhibition showcases the turbulence and changes in the late Edwardian era through the 1920s by means of the fashions of the period while evoking fans’ favorite moments. This exhibit will be on display at the North Carolina Museum of History through 5 p.m. January 17.

Tar Heel Tales: NC Transport – Things That GO

Wednesday, Jan. 19, 1–2 p.m. via Demio

Ages 5–8; parents are encouraged to participate with their children

Trains, planes, and automobiles . . . Find out when these inventions showed up in our state and how people got around 100 years ago. Then listen and read along to Locomotive by Brian Floca.

History and Highballs: Fashionable Millinery

Thursday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m. via Zoom

Speaker: Katie Allen, Milliner and Founder, Lifted Millinery

Join us for a special History and Highballs as we delve into the world of millinery with Katie Allen, milliner and founder of Lifted Millinery! Allen will give us a brief history of millinery, contemporary and traditional methods of hat-making, and share some of her favorite creations. She’ll also include a live demo in her studio using some tools of the trade and show us why handmade hats tend to be better! History and Highballs is an early-evening, adults-only virtual program designed to explore some of North Carolina’s more fascinating stories, places, and characters.

African American Cultural Celebration Education Day

Friday, Jan. 28, 9:45 a.m.–2:30 p.m. via different platforms

Enjoy programs and performances for you and your students. Registration is limited for all sessions, except for Music and Storytelling Performances. Presentations will be recorded and available as videos on demand, as well. Please note: Registration links for Presentations CANNOT be shared. The presentations may be projected for classroom or other group viewing. All presentations and performances are free to attend. All sessions are subject to change.

21 Annual African American Cultural Celebration

Saturday, Jan. 29, an online experience, 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

The North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission invite you to join us virtually for the 21st Annual African American Cultural Celebration on January 29.

For over 20 years, the AACC has brought together community organizations, authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, scholars, and more, around a central theme to highlight the contributions that African Americans, past and present, have made to North Carolina’s history and culture. The theme for the #AACC2022 is “Black People, Green Planet: Environmental Justice.” Check back soon for registration information. All presentations and performances are free to attend. And Educators and Students, check out the January 28 AACC Education Day events just for you!

IMAGES: Dropbox link, caption and credits

Image: African American Cultural Celebration Education Day

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: African American Cultural Celebration

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: Beach Music

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: Dressing the Abbey

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: History and Highballs: Fashionable Millinery

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: History and Highballs: Heirloom Jewelry

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: History at High Noon: Celebrating Piracy: Really?

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: Jan. programs press release

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: Museum Building

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: NCMOH logo

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: Tar Heel Tales: NC Transport – Things That GO

Credit: NC Museum of History

Image: Textile Preservation Workshop

Credit: NC Museum of History

About the NC Museum of History

The North Carolina Museum of History, a Smithsonian Affiliate, fosters a passion for North Carolina history. This museum collects and preserves artifacts of state history and educates the public on the history of the state and the nation through exhibits and educational programs. Admission is free. Before the COVID public closure, more than 465,000 people visited the museum annually to see some of the 150,000 artifacts in the museum collection. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

About the Smithsonian Affiliations Network

Since 2006, the North Carolina Museum of History has been a Smithsonian Affiliate, part of a select group of museums and cultural, educational, and arts organizations that share Smithsonian resources with the nation. The Smithsonian Affiliations network is a national outreach program that develops long-term collaborative partnerships with museums and other educational and cultural organizations to enrich communities with Smithsonian resources. More information is available at affiliations.si.edu.

About the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational, and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries, and natural assets in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums, and Jennette’s Pier, as well as 39 state parks and recreation areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported symphonic orchestra, the State Library of North Carolina, the State Archives of North Carolina, the North Carolina Arts Council, the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, and the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology, along with the state Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, call 919-814-6800 or visit DNCR.nc.gov.