Ups & Downs of 2021

By Lori Meads, Educator

Despite the ups and downs of 2021 due to COVID-19, educational programming ended on a high note for the Museum of the Albemarle. It all started in October with the opening of the Nell Cropsey and Jim Wilcox exhibit Nell Cropsey: 120 Years of Mystery, along with guest speaker William Dunstan. Then came BOO at the Museum!! with a much larger turnout than the museum could have imagined. December brought families out for the return of the Annual Gingerbread Workshop and the Annual Holiday Open House . The museum also welcomed back school groups for in-person educational programming. If you ask anyone at the museum, we would all agree it felt something like normal. It was great seeing familiar faces, hearing laughter and excitement fill the museum, and watching everyone enjoying the holiday season. Even though we could not see smiles, we knew they were hiding behind the masks.

RITA THE PONY AND MEG PUCKETT, HERD MANAGER FROM COROLLA WILD HORSE FUND READ " HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS " TO SCHOOL GROUPS

Courtesy Museum of the Albemarle

SCHOOL GROUPS RETURN FOR CHRISTMAS PROGRAMMING

Courtesy Museum of the Albemarle

Education is hard at work, with the assistance of volunteers, preparing for current and future educational programs. Educational programming around the newest children’s exhibit, Guardians of the Land: Discovering Indigenous Americans, which is geared toward school-age students, will be a focal point for the next two years. Education is upbeat to offer families and organized groups educational programming that will allow them to explore how Indigenous peoples have lived in North Carolina for over 15,000 years, how land has played an important part in the living history of the Indigenous people of coastal northeastern North Carolina, and to discover the four tribes—Meherrin Indian Tribe, Chowanoke Indian Nation, Roanoke-Hatteras, and Yeopim— that built this history and continue to do so today.

OUR FIRST FAMILY TO ENJOY GUARDIANS OF THE LAND: DISCOVERING INDIGENOUS AMERICANS

Courtesy Museum of the Albemarle

Many fun and educational programs for all ages are planned, and we hope that everyone will take a little time to visit and enjoy the programs that focus on the exhibit.