My 1st Visit to the NC Museum of Art

I am embarrassed to admit that even though I have lived in NC for going on 5 years this was my fisrt visit to the NC Museum of Art. Do not get me wrong I love art it is just that I could never seem to find the time to go.

Growing up I was fortunate to go to a school that had an extensive art program; where in elementary school I would have art class 2 or 3 times a week and there were always extracurricular FREE art programs being offered. Now granted I never had a fieldtrip to an art museum when I was in elementary school but I was exposed to various types of arts through fieldtrips to local galleries, museums, and local artist guest speakers. My family also took initiative and although it was not always pleasant they would take me and my sisters to the various museums, galleries, and collections that NYC is home to. But in that aspect I was lucky....my school was and still is well funded, my parents could afford to take me to the City and I lived relatively close....2 hours but still closer than some.

Not every child is so lucky. Not every school is close enough to a well-established and maintained collection. Going on a fieldtrip to an art museum or gallery might be the only time a student will ever do that...they may not like but they were exposed to it and were given an opportunity that not every student gets. This museum visit was excellent because not only did it make me aware of this resource and its importance but it forced me to actually go and see what was there and how although it may not be the history museum it is still a valuable resource that I am fortunate to have.

My day at the NC Museum of History

It is no secret that I LOVE history. Granted I would prefer to learn about early American colonial history or early 20th century history but really any history fascinates me. Therefore it goes without saying that I love history museums and in my opinion the NC Museum of History is one of the best state run museums I have every seen. In New York most collections are housed at historical sites and a bulk of the state funded archives and collection storages are closed due to lack of funds and curators selling items illegallly underground.
In a majority of states there is no state museum open to the public. In most states artifacts deemed of historical significance are housed together in a state-ran building or archives and loaned out to private museums or collections for public viewing. Funding has been scarce in the historical community prior to the economic crunch we have recently seen so in most instances collections are either closed or privately funded until the funding runs out....this reason alone is why I find the NC Museum of History so impressive. And of course the resources they have made available to educators far exceeding my expectations, especially because a majority are available online FOR FREE.