Artful Gift Ideas
Show your creativity this holiday season with artful gifts ranging from a rustic weekend of photography classes in the mountains to a membership to the Mint Museum. These artful gift ideas will create memorable experiences for loved ones and friends alike. And there’s the added bonus of supporting artists and organizations from your own community.
Here is the list:
For grandparents and their beloved grandchildren, less than $100 will get you four orchestra section tickets at the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte located at ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center. These are tickets within the first nine rows of the McColl Theatre inside ImaginOn. For $96, seniors and little ones can see a professional adult cast perform family theater on a Broadway scale. The shows included for this price are: How I Became a Pirate starting Friday, Jan. 21, through Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, for ages 5 and up; And Then They Came For Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank starting Friday, March 4, through Sunday, March 13, for ages 10 and up; and Lyle The Crocodile starting Friday, April 1, through Sunday, April 17, for ages 5 and up. To order tickets or check out other shows, visit www.ctcharlotte.org.
For the music lover or stressed-out mom, relax as you listen to Chinese pianist Lang Lang as he joins the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra. The world noticed when the charismatic superstar Lang Lang took his dynamic musicality from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies. He’s now coming to Raleigh for an unforgettable performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 on Monday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m. at Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. Splurge. Tickets range from $50 to $125. To order tickets, visit http://www.ncsymphony.org/events/index.cfm?view=details&viewref=calendar&detailid=831&eid=1369&sdate=1/1/2011.
For the urban dweller, indulge. Invest in a $100 family membership or a $60 individual membership to the Mint Museum. Give the gift that lasts all year. Member benefits include unlimited free admission to both Mint Museum facilities, priority registration on art classes and summer camps, invitations to special events and discounts in the Museum Shops and restaurant. Little ones will enjoy playing and creating in the Lewis Family Gallery, an interactive art space designed for children ages 2 to 10.
The Mint Museum Shops are a N.C. lover’s dream. Specializing in crafts of the Carolinas, the shops carry beautiful and unique pottery, glass, wood and jewelry handcrafted by local artists. Choose from Romare Bearden art posters, books on N.C. pottery, Queen Charlotte ornaments or stunning blown-glass balls perfect for holiday decorating.
Stroll through the museum and check out the inaugural exhibitions New Visions: Contemporary Masterworks from the Bank of America Collection and Contemporary British Studio Ceramics: The Grainer Collection at the Mint Museum Uptown. New acquisitions in the galleries, such as Danny Lane’s glass sculpture Threshold or Elizabeth Turk’s marble creation Collar 21, will enthrall visitors.
To purchase a membership, visit http://www.mintmuseum.org/membership.html. (By the way, $80 of the $100 family membership is tax deductible as is the entire amount of an individual membership.)
The aspiring photographer will appreciate a fun weekend experience in the mountains at the historic John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. They can capture the beauty of nature, while gaining a better understanding of what it takes to make a great photo. The weekend package starts at $480 per person and includes lodging, meals and tuition for Friday arrival and Sunday departure.
Treat your husband, dad or son to a mountain getaway at the John C. Campbell Folk School, discovering the craft of woodturning. He will learn how to “turn” a green log into a decorative and functional bowl. The weekend package starts at $480 per person and includes lodging, meals and tuition for Friday arrival and Sunday departure.
Give your parents a weekend at the John C. Campbell Folk School, where they can select from a dozen or so classes ranging from basketry to woodworking. They will stay on the school’s scenic 300-acre campus in comfortable housing and enjoy three fresh, family-style meals each day. The weekend package starts at $480 per person and includes lodging, meals and tuition for Friday arrival and Sunday departure.
To learn more, visit https://www.folkschool.org/.
For the dancer, Charlotte’s North Carolina Dance Theatre School of Dance is offering an unlimited pass for open division classes. Take as many classes as you want in a month for $99. With the holidays fast approaching, why not buy one for yourself and one for a friend. Buy one unlimited pass for January 2011 and get the second at half price. Unlimited class passes are on sale now and eligible for use beginning January 2011, just in time for New Year’s resolutions. The classes include ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip hop, power dance, barre none, dance to be fit and power yoga. The classes are ideal for beginners, former dancers wanting to return to their passion and those looking to use dance-based fitness as a way to achieve a healthy lifestyle. To buy a pass, call (704)372-3900 or visit www.ncdance.org.
For the dance observer, stay warm and cozy this holiday season with an $85 gift basket from the American Dance Festival. Experiment with favorite recipes shared by ADF’s most seasoned choreographers in Dinner & Dancing: The ADF Guide to Culinary Choreography while sipping the perfect coffee blend from Joe Van Gogh in your new ADF coffee mug. This holiday gift package also includes two tickets to any ADF 2011 performance. To order your basket, call ADF at (919) 684-6402 or email Corin Kane at ckane@americandancefestival.org.
For the person who loves a special ornament every year, check out the Penland School of Crafts. Penland instituted a new tradition last year: limited-edition holiday ornaments handmade by artists associated with the school. The first was a tiny glass hammer commemorating 2009. A limited number of the 2009 ornaments are still available. The 2010 ornament is a teapot created by Jenny Lou Sherburne, a Bakersville artist and former Penland instructor. The tiny pot is thrown and hand-built out of white stoneware, measures approximately 3 1/2 inches high and includes a hanging ribbon and gift box. Retail price is $50 and supplies are limited. To order, call the Penland Gallery at (828) 765-6211 or e-mail penlandgallery@penland.org.
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