This Week at The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

Apr 27, 2017 at 11:00 AM - SCHOLARS and SCONES:  The Steel Rails That Opened the High Country. Join Johnny Graybeal as he tells the story of the ET and WNC and the little engine known as "Tweetsie"; The railroad that transformed the High Country of Western North Carolina.

One hundred years ago the Lost Provinces of northwestern North Carolina were somewhat isolated from the rest of the country. It took steel rails coming from East Tennessee to open up the area to the outside world. The narrow gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad and its sister company, the Linville River Railway, eventually connected Johnson City, TN, with the North Carolina towns of Elk Park, Newland, Linville, Foscoe, Shulls Mills, and Boone. Best known by its nickname "Tweetsie", this little train wound its way along rivers and ridges, and into the hearts of the people it served.

Economics and floodwater closed the railroad, but it came back as a theme park tourist attraction. Come hear the story of how a little train changed the destiny of the High Country forever The talk will be accompanied by locally-baked goods and coffee from Boone-based Hatchet Coffee Company.

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum is located at 159 Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock NC.

Blowing Rock Art and History Museum Announces 2017 Movies at the Museum Film Series

March 13, 2017 - Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM), 159 Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock NC, introduces the 2017 Movies at the Museum film series.  Movies at the Museum features films by North Carolina filmmakers, films about the arts and films about the history and culture of the Appalachian region. Complimentary popcorn will be provided, and the film will be followed by a discussion facilitated by a special guest speaker.

March 23 at 7 PM:  America's First Forest: Carl Schenck and the Asheville Experiment. America's First Forest tells the story of how Carl Schenck, a German forester, came to America in 1895 to manage the forests at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. He not only helped restore the land there, he established the country’s first forestry school and helped launch the American conservation movement. The documentary film is produced for the Forest History Society by Bonesteel Films. The speaker for the movie is Bill Alexander, Landscape and Forest Historian at the Biltmore Estate. GET MORE INFORMATION HERE.

Enjoy a Thursday night in Blowing Rock with dinner and a movie. Here’s how it works: pick up your ticket anytime during museum hours on the day of the film, and present it at Bistro Roca for a 10% discount on your meal (offer only valid the day of the film). Then, come on over to BRAHM for a film and discussion.

 Additional March Events at BRAHM:

March 21 at 11 AM - Coffee with the Curator, featuring Selections from the Collection



March 20 at 11 AM -  Family, Food, and Place: The Winebarger Mill and Agricultural History in Watauga County, North Carolina.

This Week at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum 
Christmas Sing-Along at  (BRAHM)

Come sing in Christmas at BRAHM with the wintertime sing-along. Enjoy cider while sharing carols and other Christmastime tunes. Host Saro Lynch-Thomason will teach a few songs from English wassailing traditions, a practice going back to medieval times in which peasants would sing for cider, gifts and food at the homes of nobles. Participants are welcome to bring seasonal songs good for singing in groups.

Exhibits now open at BRAHM:

 

EVERYMAN JACK: STORIES and ILLUSTRATIONS BY GAIL E. HALEY - December 3, 2016 - March 25, 2017

Image Credit: Gail Haley. Original illustration from Jack and the Bean Tree. Mixed media on wood panel. Private collection.

“Everyman Jack” takes a detailed look at over one hundred original prints and illustrations created by Gail E. Haley for several of her books, including “My Kingdom for a Dragon,” “Mountain Jack Tales,” “Birdsong,” “The Green Man,” and “A Story, A Story.” Haley is best known today as an artist, illustrator, and writer of children’s books. She has written and illustrated close to 50 books throughout her career. She is the only person to have received both the Caldecott Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal for art. Haley’s original prints and illustrations from 10 of her books make up this exhibition. Many more of her books are available to read within the gallery. 

ANDY WARHOL: SIX SILKSCREEN PRINTS - November 19, 2016 - April 8, 2017 

 American artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was the leading figure in the Pop Art movement during the 1960s. He launched his career with his well-known Campbell’s Soup can paintings. He is recognized for the work he and his assistants developed in his Warhol Factory in New York City, where printmaking, painting, photography, and film were employed to churn out thousands of works of art. Warhol redefined the artist’s role in the creation of artwork, the art market, and the recycling of popular imagery as high art. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, established in 1987, completed years of planned giving through the donation of his unsold work to educational institutions around the world, including the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Boone, NC. This exhibition features six original silkscreen prints from the Turchin’s permanent collection that are out-of-edition. This means that they were created during the original print run, but did not make the cut when Warhol decided what would be included in the final print release. 

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum  is located at 159 Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock NC.

Blowing Rock Art and History Museum Upcoming September Special Events

September 15, 2016 at 6 PM -  Thursday Arts & Culture Talk: Going Outside: Reflections on my life as a painter, a country woman, and a backpacker. Artist Elizabeth Bradford discusses how she uses her adventures in the outdoors to fuel her work in Elizabeth Bradford: Time + Terrain. The talk will be followed by a Q &  A session and light refreshments. The artist will also be available to sign the exhibit catalogue, available for purchase at BRAHM's front desk.


September 22, 2016 at 11 AM - Scholars and Scones, Connecting with Nature: Vitamin N. Elizabeth Denton Baird, the Chief of School and Lifelong Education at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, will present a program about exploring the outdoors. This program will complement BRAHM’s exhibition Time + Terrain, an outstanding collection of paintings by Elizabeth Bradford that focus on wild places outside.


September 29 at 11 AM - Coffee with the Curator. Take a walk through the galleries with guest curator, Carla Hanzal and get a behind-the-scenes look into Elizabeth Bradford: Time + Terrain. Afterwards, guests are invited to converse and pose questions while enjoying complimentary coffee (courtesy of Hatchet Coffee Co.) with the Curator at the Museum. Free for Members, Regular admission for Non-members.

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) is located at 159 Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock NC.

This Week at The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM)

March 15, 2016 from 11 AM - 12 PM - COFFEE WITH THE CURATOR FEATURING WARD NICHOLS. Guests are invited to converse and pose questions while enjoying complimentary coffee.

Ward Nichols: Look Again

March 16, 2016 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM - GONE FISHIN', Art for the Trout Derby with instructor Carol Childers

Gone Fishin' art for the Trout Derby

March 17, 2016 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM - SCHOLARS & SCONES FEATURING ALICE WRIGHT. Two-thousand Years of Mica Mining in Western North Carolina With Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Appalachian State university Alice Wright

Scholars and Scones with Alice Wright

March 19, 2016 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM - HOME MOVIE DAY.  First Annual Home Movie Day of the High Country. Bring your family films (super 8, 8 mm and 16 mm) to BRAHM where the films, and those of others, will be projected onto a large screen. Spend a Saturday afternoon walking down memory lane with us! You do not have to bring film to enjoy Home Movie Day - please feel free to come and enjoy the films of others. Archivists who specialize in film preservation and conversion will be on hand, as will snacks, bingo, and door prizes.

First Annual Home Movie Day at BRAHM

March 20, 2016 at 2:00 PM - MINI-MATINEE. A Baroque Adventure featuring a delightful collection of dance music from the Baroque era. This performance will encourage audience participation and movement — a great way to get children excited about music.

Mini-Matinee with Baroque Dance Music

Regularly scheduled Museum programs:
Afternoon Art Club - Every Tuesday 3:30 - 4:30 pm Registration required. This week featuring Architecture.
Doodlebug Club - Every Thursday 1 - 2 pm & 3:30 - 4:30 pm Registration required. This week features St. Patrick's Day

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum is located at 159 Chestnut St in Blowing Rock NC. 

Upcoming Events at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

August 19, 2015 from 10 AM to 3 PM - Nature Journaling Workshopwith Sue McBean   The goal for this workshop is not to have a perfect end product, but to learn from and enjoy the journey. The workshop will begin inside with short, simple pen and paper exercises to spur creativity, and will then venture outdoors and experiment with different methods of opening the senses to hear and see what is presently around more clearly.

August 20, 2015 at 4:30 PM - (Third Thursdays)  Vollis Simpson,the Artist Who Rejuvenated a Town with Gerret Warner and Mimi Gredy    Vollis Simpson was a mechanic and house mover who built some ornamental wind mills in a field next to his workshop. They got attention from townspeople and visitors, and then from news organizations and museums worldwide. Mimi Gredy and Gerret Warner, documentary filmmakers from Chapel Hill, filmed Vollis and his work from 2010 until his death at 94 in 2013, and they continue to document the restoration and installation of his work in its new home. Their lecture and film tell the story of this original NC artist and his unique creations.

August 22, 2015 from 1 - 4:30 PM  - Duet Harmony Singing Workshop with Mark Weems and Julee Glaub Weems of Little Windows. Learn some of the specific techniques and nuances of duet singing and how to adapt harmonies to different songs and various genres such as Appalachian, Irish, gospel, and country.

Ongoing Events:

Every Tuesday -  3:30 - 4:30 PM  Afternoon Art Club    Ages 6-10
Every Thursday -  1-2pm and 3-4pm   Doodlebug Club    Ages 3-5
Every Thursday - 4 PM    Docent Tour     Free with a paid admission
Every Saturday -  2 PM    Docent Tour     Free with a paid admission

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) is located at  159 Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock NC. 

8th Annual Art & Antiques Show in Blowing Rock NC

July 31 - August 2, 2015    8th Annual Art & Antiques Show  at The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum.   This sale and show offers heirloom-quality antique silver, furniture, pottery, jewelry, clocks, crystal and more. Vendors from across the East Coast bring a variety of items.  Preview Party 7/31 from 6:30 PM - 8 PM, $40 per person (including wine and hors d'oeurves). 

Tickets are $10 and good for the entire show.

Blowing Rock Art and History Museum Presents Creepy Crafts and Fall Fables: Hainted Yarns from Near and Far

October 25 at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, 159 Chestnut Street,| Blowing Rock NC - Fall Fables: Hainted Yarns from Near and Far bring you Spooky Stories from the mountains, told by Sherry Lovett.  The thing that draws Sherry to storytelling is the magical ability of stories to shine the light on our interrelatedness – the connection of people with people and people with nature – and by this awareness to create more harmony in the world. Sherry Lovett tells a variety of stories including folktales, Native American tales, scary stories, and fairy tales, using precise language, eloquent movement, and dramatic voices to bring the stories to life.

Creepy Crafts - Create some holiday crafts from 2 PM - 3 PM after listening to some spooky stories and before heading out to the Town's Halloween festivities.

Blowing Rock Art and History Museum Hosts Expressive Arts Roundtable Today

March 19   Expressive Arts Roundtable   "Coffee and Conversation" in conjunction with The Painted Song exhibition. BRAHM (Blowing Rock Art and History Museum) is hosting this roundtable 10 AM - 12 PM in the Community Meeting Room in conjunction with the current exhibition, The Painted Song: Art of Wiili Armstrong.

The discussion will be facilitated by Katrina Plato, Jimmy Poplin, Kelly Baruth, Joey Dickson, and Deborah Tallarico through Appalachian State University's Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling. Free and open to the public.

BRAHM and Mountain Home Music Host St. Patrick's Day Benefit Concert

March 16   St. Patrick's Day Benefit Concert   BRAHM (The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum)  and Mountain Home Music will partner to present an all-Celtic St. Patrick's Day benefit concert on Sunday at 4 PM in the atrium at BRAHM.

The concert will feature Strictly Clean and Decent, The Mountain Home Bluegrass Boys, and members of the The Forget-Me-Nots. The concert will benefit Joe Shannon, the founder and "guiding light" of Mountain Home Music for 20 years. He recently retired from his position as executive director due to health concerns. A $20 donation is suggested at the door and all proceeds will go to help Joe with his medical expenses.

Get more information about Blowing Rock NC events and attractions HERE.