Travel into RDU has just gotten better!

By the time you arrive for NGS 2009, Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) will have unveiled Terminal 2 -- a brand new state-of-the-art terminal!

If your plans including flying in on Air Canada, American, Delta, United and select regional carriers, you will get to experience this new terminal first hand!

Some features of the new terminal include:

+ 3 times larger than the old Terminal C.
+ 3 ticketing islands -- each feature 20 traditional ticket counters.
+ 60+ electronic kiosks will be located throughout the airline check-in area.
+ will accommodate up to 11.4 million passengers each year.
+ each concourse features 2 moving walkways.
+ security checkpoint will accommodate up to 10 security checkpoint lanes.
+ baggage claim area will feature 5 baggage carousels.
+ fully automated in line baggage screening system will screen all checked luggage as required by TSA.

What this means for your visit to Raleigh is that all aspects of your arrival and departure should go smoother and faster and may even be pleasurable (we hear that 15% of the waiting seats will have power outlets and USB ports for the tech savvy traveler!).

This article by the N&O gives a nice overview of the new terminal or check out the airport's own web-page to learn more about this exciting new airport experience!

Exciting Art Exhibitions -- May 2009 -- Artspace!

Exciting exhibitions planned for May 2009 at Artspace!

Gallery One will host an exhibition by Michigan artist Sarah Lindley, opening May 1, 2009. Lindley’s exhibition will present recent porcelain work reminiscent of roll top desks, trunks, chests of drawers, and cabinets. While normally these items are designed to protect, organize, and display their contents, Lindley reduces the forms to systems and structure – essentially skeletal forms – incapable of function. The function is defied further by the fragile nature of the material (porcelain) from which they have been created.

Gallery Two will present the work of our Artspace Summer Arts Program instructors. This exhibition, opening May 16, 2009, will feature works for sale by the many talented professional artists who join us each summer to teach visual arts to children and adults. Proceeds from art sales benefit the Artspace Summer Arts Program scholarship fund.

Additional exhibitions will be located in the Upfront Gallery, lobby, and hallways throughout the building.

Always check the Artspace web-site for information about all current exhibitions and special events.

Come be inspired at Artspace!

Artspace is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit visual art center dedicated to providing inspiring and engaging arts education and community outreach programs, creating a dynamic open studio environment of professional artists, and presenting nationally acclaimed exhibitions. Since 1986, Artspace has been Raleigh’s visual art center providing the community with the opportunity to interact with working artists and participate in hands-on arts education.

The building is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 10am-6pm and 10am-10pm on the first Friday of each month. Admission is free and donations are appreciated.

A Historic Space
Located just blocks away from the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh’s City Market, the Artspace facility was built in 1911 to serve as the city’s livery for the downtown City Market area. In the 1960’s, the building was transformed into the Sanders Ford Car Dealership. Today this 30,000 square foot facility is home to 35 artists working in a variety of media, along with three exhibition spaces, education space, and a gift shop. Artspace is one of the largest open studio environments in the country and the premier organization of its kind in North Carolina.

What is an “open studio environment?”
Unlike other gallery or studio settings, Artspace artists invite the public to watch them work in their studios, discuss the creative process, learn about new techniques and tips, and purchase a work of art direct from the artist. The Artspace Artists Association boasts 100 professional members, with 35 of these artists working in open studios at Artspace. Artists within the building represent a wide variety of mediums, including watercolor, landscapes, portraiture, mixed media, clay, printmaking, sculpture, jewelry-making, and felt making.

Artspace is conveniently located 2 blocks from the Raleigh Convention Center at 201 E Davie St.

Come by today and immerse yourself in the creative process!

Immerse Yourself in History at the North Carolina Museum of History

Just a few blocks from NGS 2009, you can be immersed in North Carolina's history at the North Carolina Museum of History.

The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton Street in downtown Raleigh. Admission is FREE, and parking is free on weekends. The museum’s hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The Museum Shop, featuring North Carolina crafts, is open daily. The museum is part of the Office of Archives and History, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Some exhibits that may interest you, include:

A Call to Arms: North Carolina Military History Gallery
See artifacts from 11 wars, from the American Revolution to the war in Iraq. The gallery is filled with weapons, uniforms, home front items, photographs and other objects from wars that have touched thousands of Tar Heel lives. Online Exhibit Preview / Podcast

Carbine Williams
See the original workshop of David Marshall “Carbine” Williams. This self-taught gunsmith from North Carolina helped design the U.S. Carbine, caliber .30, M1, which became a favorite weapon of American forces in World War II, the Korean War and the early years of Vietnam. The one-room workshop includes nearly 3,000 artifacts.

Pleasing to the Eye: The Decorative Arts of North Carolina
This large exhibit overflows with hundreds of items that reveal the craftsmanship and artistic expression of generations of North Carolinians. See paintings, pottery, furniture, needlework, silver, quilts, metalwork, costumes and much, much more.

N.C. Sports Hall of Fame
See more than 200 items representing Tar Heel sports heroes. Items in the exhibit include champion driver Richard Petty’s stock car, Meadowlark Lemon’s Harlem Globetrotters basketball uniform, N.C. State University coach Kay Yow’s Olympic team basketball, Jim Beatty’s running shoes, Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice’s UNC-Chapel Hill football jersey and Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke University warm-up jacket. N.C. Sports Hall of Fame Members, N.C. Sports Hall of Fame Web site

1920s Drugstore
Patent medicines, loose herbs, and turpentine and tar products used in home remedies are just a sampling of artifacts lining the shelves of the 1920s drugstore. A mortar and pestle rest on the workroom counter, where the pharmacist mixed drugs and filled prescriptions. Fixtures from the J.C. Brantley Drugstore in Raleigh, such as mahogany cabinets, massive marble counters and large mirrors, date to the 1890s, when the drugstore (originally the O.G. King Drugstore) first opened its doors.

The North Carolina Museum of History is alive with the past—your past.

Come for the Conference and Stay a While

May is a wonderful month to visit North Carolina. From the mountains to the shore, enjoy the blossoming beauty that comes with spring. With an average daytime temperature around 78 degrees, you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of outdoor activities.

Western North Carolina offers the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the Black Mountains. At the other end of the state are more than 300 miles of sandy beaches dotted with historic lighthouses. Between the mountains and the ocean are many historical and cultural sites that will add to your conference experience. When you come to Raleigh in May 2009, spend some time exploring all that North Carolina has to offer.

Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, take the kids to the North Carolina Zoo, explore the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, climb the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, or learn about early flight at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Raleigh is about equidistant between the mountains and the shore and boasts its own array of historic and cultural spots. Explore the unique outdoor art exhibits at the North Carolina Museum of Art, learn about the state's history at the North Carolina Museum of History, take the kids to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, stroll down historic Fayetteville Street, take a guided or self-guided tour of the State Capitol, enjoy a quiet afternoon at Pullen Park, or hike one of the trails in Raleigh's 54-mile Greenway Trail System.

Visit the following websites for more information about tourism in North Carolina and in Raleigh:

North Carolina Division of Tourism
Greater Raleigh Visitors and Convention Bureau

Local Gem -- Johnston County Heritage Center

The Johnston County Heritage Center is housed in the landmark 1913 building that gave birth to First Citizens Bank & Trust Company. Given to the County of Johnston by the bank’s founding family (the Holdings), the structure was completely renovated and opened to the public in 2000 as a combination local-history and genealogy library and museum. The Heritage Center is open 9-5 Monday-Saturday. Staff and volunteers on duty in our reading room will be glad to assist you with your hands-on research.

The Heritage Center also receives visitors 24/7 through its major portal on the County of Johnston’s Web site. Searchable databases on our Web site include Johnston County Census records, newspaper obituaries, an online catalog that includes our reference materials, and an inventory of our extensive collections of artifacts, photographs, documents, and files on a multitude of subjects. A variety of books about Johnston County history and genealogy may also be purchased through our Web site.

The Heritage Center is located at: 241 E. Market Street, Smithfield, NC -- less than 30 miles from downtown Raleigh.

For more information, phone the Heritage Center at (919) 934-2836, write to P.O. Box 2709, Smithfield, NC 27577, or e-mail [email protected].