Hundreds of photos poured in to Flickr, and a 10-foot-by-10-foot cube was born. Open at the top and tied around the middle with an oversize bow, the installation became the centerpiece for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of the Museum’s new West Building on April 23.

Wayne Henderson of Chapel Hill, a graphic artist and blacksmith, crafted the project and managed its installation on the Museum lawn. He worked with a team of students at N.C. State’s College of Design to create the bow. Under the leadership of professor Vita Plume, the students–Jessica Odom, Veronica Tibbitts, and Jenna Bost–designed and fabricated the large cloth bow and added it to the gift.

After the ceremony, Linda Carlisle, secretary of the Department of Cultural Resources, asked what would be done with the cube. Upon hearing it would go into storage, she said, “Oh, no, this is much too wonderful to put into storage. It should be in the lobby at DCR.”  Thus began another art movement project for the Museum’s art handlers.

The piece has been installed in the State Archives and History Building at 109 E. Jones St. in Raleigh, in numerous locations. A very pleased Wayne Henderson says, “While I had designed the panels for some flexibility, your creative triangular towers in the lobby were not something I had even considered. Great job! It’s wonderful that the faces and places of this great state will live on for a while.”

As staff members of the NCMA, we have seen West Building go from a mass of red piedmont clay to a concrete slab to golden oak floors and luminous glass walls. We stood witness to cart after cart rolling by with precious cargo as the collection moved to her new home. And with all hands on deck the walls were touched up, floors scrubbed, cases polished, and plans finalized for the Grand Opening celebration.

And what a remarkable celebration it was. Over the three day weekend, members and visitors by the thousands strolled through the new galleries, enjoyed the Museum campus, and basked in the glow of returning to their beloved museum.

But visitors have the opportunity to experience one thing that the NCMA staff will never know–walking into the new gallery building for the first time, seeing the completed space filled with art all at once, and having that overwhelming moment of wonder and excitement over the glorious light, the stunning expanse, the sheer beauty of it all.

We know it happens because we’ve been watching you take it in for a few weeks now and we are just as happy that you have returned to the galleries as you are to be here.

By the numbers:

22,006 Visitors toured the new building during the opening weekend

690 artists, dancers, vocalists, and musicians participated in the Opening Festival

1,014 NCMA branded items sold over opening weekend

14,479 NCMA membership as of opening weekend

Visitors came from all over North Carolina, the US, and even from around the world including California, Alaska, Colorado, South Dakota, Vermont, Venezuela, Norway, Australia, India, and China.

11 am: Meet your friends at Rodin’s The Thinker in the middle of the Plaza, and move toward the new building, where you’ll see Mark Dendy’s Dendy DanceTheater performing an outdoor site-specific work that celebrates the connection of art and nature and includes more than 40 guest dancers from the N.C. School of the Arts. No worries if you arrive late; Dendy DanceTheater will be performing throughout the day.

11:45 am: Enter East Building (the “old” building), and take a left into the Museum Auditorium to see the world premiere of Robert Weiss’s Moving Life, presented by the Carolina Ballet. Stick around for an insightful conversation with Weiss after the performance.

Lunch: light and vegetarian options are provided by the Whole Foods vendor.

After lunch: Hit a few highlights in this Dance Lover’s Tour of West Building:

Contemporary Galleries

Tfila
As you enter West Building, look straight ahead, and you can’t miss El Anatsui’s monumental hanging metal sculpture. Take a peek behind it, where you’ll find a quieter but no less intriguing work by Michal Rovner called Tfila (Prayer, in Hebrew). From a distance what at first looks like an ancient stone tablet inscribed with mysterious calligraphy gets even more mystifying as you approach the case: the glyphs or “letters” on the stone are actually moving (via DVD projection): each character dances, and the dancer is the artist herself, dressed in black robe, curling up and bowing down in supplication to, we’re not sure what. The effect of all the “letters” moving at once but not in unison is mesmerizing.

“Dance Gallery”
From Tfila anyone can point you in the direction of the NCMA’s first Picasso painting. Seated Woman, Red and Yellow Background portrays a psychologically charged figure “in repose,” while the rest of this gallery features strong images of the body in motion. The ecstatic rites performed in Maurice Sterne’s Dance of the Elements, Bali contrast sharply with the high-stepping cakewalkers in Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Panama Dancers on the opposite wall, but the stars of this gallery might be the neighboring illustrations by American artist Aaron Douglas. You be the judge.

African Gallery

Communal Dance
“There was no tribal box office,” remarks choreographer Mark Dendy. “You didn’t get up in the morning and go down to the box office and get your tickets for the rain dance.” Dendy says he’s drawn to creating site-specific works because “it gets back to the original function of dance, which is public ritual.” Perhaps no better evidence of the purpose of communal dance can be found in the NCMA’s collection than the gorgeous Yoruba Egungun Masquerade Costume at the front of the African Gallery. Curator Kinsey Katchka tells us the masquerade dancer, in a ceremony venerating his ancestors, is hidden from the onlooker but can see out through the net face panel, adorned with cowrie shells, beads, and coins. When dancer-priests perform this ceremony that continues today, they spin rapidly so the fabric panels fly out, “revealing the colorful layers of the costume.”

European Galleries

Not-So-Still Lifes
Choreographer and former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, Robert Weiss says he loves still lifes for their “juxtaposition of shapes,” “arrangement of objects,” and interesting sources of light. To Weiss still lifes are “like a frozen moment of choreography.” Wander through these galleries and find a few new favorites. Ballet fans should not miss the small Raphael in the first European Gallery: nearly every foot in St. Jerome Saving Sylvanus and Punishing the Heretic Sabinianus is properly turned out, even the executioner’s!

American Galleries

Black Mountain Connections
Modern dance pioneer Merce Cunningham’s name is often associated with the adventurous Black Mountain College near Asheville, N.C., where he formed his first company. In the American Galleries, you’ll find work by two of Cunningham’s fellow Black Mountain colleagues, Josef Albers (Homage to the Square) and Jacob Lawrence, whose Migration series has inspired several modern choreographers, including Rennie Harris and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. (On your next visit, view the work of more Black Mountain artists in the Contemporary Galleries: Robert Motherwell, Kenneth Noland, Lyonel Feininger, and Franz Kline.)

Rodin Court And Garden

Masterful Technique
Like Rodin, she influenced everyone who came after her. You may see the choreography of Martha Graham in some of the dramatic angles of Rodin’s bronze figures. Both artists claimed their work expressed the language of the soul. Strike a similar or contrasting pose at the Picture Yourself station in the garden, and take home a souvenir photo of your trip to the new NCMA.

Before you leave: be sure to drop off your donated art supplies at the upper lawn of the Museum Park Theater, and thanks for your contribution!

Grand Opening Program (pdf)

From music, dance, and performance art to discussions, craft demonstrations, and hands-on workshops, there is so much to see and do during the Grand Opening Festival. Do as much or as little as you like, after all everything is free! We encourage you to use the Grand Opening program, with the complete schedule of festivities, to help make the most of this jam-packed weekend.

Not sure where to start? Here are some sample itineraries to inspire your Festival visit:

A North Carolina Experience
Date Night
Digital Guru
Kids in Tow
Culture Lover

A North Carolina Experience

Our state is about more than basketball and barbecue (though both of those are great!). Whether you’re a native or newcomer, you’ll feel right at home.

Reserve a timed-ticket to the Museum Sunday, April 25 at noon. You don’t need to pack anything special, but if you hum James Taylor or Nnenna Freelon tunes as you’re driving to the Museum, you’ll be in the right frame of mind.

10–11:30 am: Start the morning with great gospel sounds: the MLK All Children’s Choir from Raleigh and Durham’s own Gospel Jubilators.

11:30 am: Make your way to the canopy of West Building and watch potters Pam and Travis Owen make examples of classic and contemporary Jugtown ware.

Noon: Enter the new galleries, West Building. Chapel Hill artist Patrick Dougherty’s work is immediately to your right as you enter. NC artists are indicated on the wall labels, among them, Kenneth Noland, John Biggers, Daisy Youngblood, and John Beerman.

Lunchtime: Whether it’s barbecue, veggies, or tacos that say North Carolina to you, there’s something to suit your taste with a variety of food vendors.

Afternoon: Head across the Plaza to East Building and enjoy film shorts—Tar Heel Shorties and enjoy exhibitions from several NC universities.

As you head back to your car, look to your left toward the Museum Park. The three large rings and the whirlgig are by NC artists Thomas Sayre and Vollis Simpson.  You’ve had a North Carolina visit from start to finish!

Date Night

The new Museum is enchanting under the nighttime sky. Galleries at twilight and illuminated gardens and courtyards set the stage for a romantic evening rendezvous.
Reserve a timed-ticket for Saturday, April 24, at 7 pm. Bring your special someone and a blanket for relaxing under the stars.

7 pm: Take in the new building hand-in-hand, and experience the light-filled galleries against a sunset backdrop. Be sure to step outside and enjoy the Rodin Court together. Soak up the romantic surroundings on one of the stone benches: watch the evening sky reflected in the shimmering pool while the bamboo rustles in the breeze.

8-10 pm: Split a delectable dessert—or two from Hereghty’s Heavenly Delicious, and make your way back to the Plaza, where you’ll overhear music from the park theater concert. Find a spot and linger awhile, because the night also holds a special finale—a fabulous fireworks display set to music.

Digital Guru

Some may call you an early adopter. Tech-savvy and social media obsessed, you tweet and blog. You’re into contemporary art and design, so the new @ncartmuseum definitely suits your style.

Reserve a timed ticket for Saturday, April 24, at 6 pm. Download the Museum’s new audio tour (121Mb) and Sound Track (21Mb) tour from home. When you arrive, check in via Foursquare (or Gowalla, or TriOut), and add #ncmaOPEN to your tweets to join in the  conversation all weekend on Twitter.

2 pm: Grab a seat in the auditorium for the Art and Architecture Creative Conversation to learn about the design of the new building.

4 pm: Take a coffee break, and then head to the Plaza Music Stage to witness the The Beast, a Durham-based quartet reimagining hip-hop with their musical eclecticism.

5 pm: Check out the new media exhibition in the Museum’s East Building. Many of North Carolina’s most  talented digital artists, filmmakers, and designers are teaming up to present an innovative mix of light and sound projections, experimental performances, short films, and imaginative fashion creations.

6 pm: Finally, it’s your time to see the new building. Pop in your headphones and tour the new galleries guided by the new Sound Track experience. You’ll want to spend extra time with the many new contemporary acquisitions, including a video installation by Jennifer Steinkamp. You’ll want your camera handy–yes, you can now take snaps in the galleries!–and be sure to add them to our Flickr group to share with everyone.

Kids in Tow

Introduce the whole family to the transformed Museum. The spectacular new building and our many family–friendly activities are sure to delight everyone in the bunch, including little ones.

Reserve a timed-ticket to the new building Sunday, April 25, at 11 am. Pack a snack, a package of markers for our art supply drive, and a camera—there’ll be lots of great photo opportunities indoors and out.

10 am: Let the kids clap, dance, and sing along with the Martin Luther King All Children’s Choir at the Plaza music stage.

11 am: Next, while everyone’s energy is riding high, stroll through the new galleries. There’s enough art to fill many visits, so pick a few highlights: El Anatsui’s huge metal tapestry, the Sawfish Headdress in the African Gallery, and the animal-themed gallery among the European collection.

11:30 am: Step outside into the Rodin Garden, and strike a pose among our famous new sculptures. We’ll capture you in a souvenir photo to take home. While you’re outside, stop to check out the temporary sculpture box featuring images of North Carolina’s people and places.

Noon: “I’m hungry!” Head over to the food vendors, where you’ll find a variety of lunch options from Whole Foods, Only Burger, Neomonde, and more to satisfy everyone in the group.

Afternoon: A stop by Creation Stations in the Park Theater completes your family adventure. Create your own mini-metal tree to take with you, or a portable art collection, experiment with paper designs, and decorate a frame for your commemorative photo.

Culture Lover

Plan to arrive at the Museum by noon on Sunday, April 25 to partake in a cultural treat for the senses.

Reserve your timed ticket to the Museum at 1 pm; remember to pack your binoculars if you enjoy getting to see dancers and musicians up close.

Noon: Enjoy the premiere of a new work by the Carolina Ballet followed by a conversation with Robert Weiss in the Museum Auditorium, East Building.

1 pm: Make your way into West Building; you’ll notice the Dendy Dance Theater performers and NC potters along the way. Take a stroll through the building and be sure to see the Picasso in the modern and contemporary galleries, the expansive European collection, and of course, the two Monet paintings in the Impressionist gallery. Finish your tour in the Rodin Court.

2 pm: You’ll hear the sounds of Charanga Carolina from the Plaza and if you like contemporary art, head back to the auditorium for a talk about SECCA in Winston-Salem. Or take a break and enjoy a snack from Hereghty Heavenly Delicious or Tea Gschwender.

3 pm: It’s time for the Festival Finale, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, The Resurrection, in the Park Theater—a grand finish to the day!

Check back Monday for two more itineraries: “All Natural” and “Movers and Shakers.”

Give Colors to Classrooms is one way the NCMA is trying to raise awareness about this situation and increase support for students and teachers across the state. Visitors to our opening festival are encouraged to bring a set of markers, colored pencils and pastels to art and non-art classrooms across North Carolina. You provide the color. We’ll supply the paper. Together, we’ll make sure these riches get into the hands of our neediest students.