Annual
meeting and groundbreaking ceremony planned for Blowing Rock Art
and History Museum
The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) will make
its own history on Sunday, June 7, when the organization breaks
ground for its long-planned 23,000-square-foot museum on South
Main Street in Blowing Rock. The groundbreaking ceremony will
follow BRAHM’s annual meeting, which begins at 5 p.m. in
the Fellowship Hall of Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church. The
group expects about 200 members and guests to be present for the
meeting and groundbreaking.
Included among the Shovel Brigade (that will help turn the first
spades of dirt on the site) will be J.B. Lawrence, Mayor of Blowing
Rock; Rita Davis, President of the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce;
Kent Tarbutton, Chairman of the Blowing Rock Tourism Development
Authority; Patrick Sukow, Principal of the Blowing Rock Elementary
School; Steven C. Price, original architect; Cullie Tareleton,
NC Congressional District 93 representative and former BRAHM Board
member; Ginny Stevens from the Blowing Rock Historical Society
and Welborn Alexander, president of BRAHM. Five members of the
audience will also be chosen to use specially-decorated miniature
shovels to help with the ceremonial beginning of the site preparation.
The museum building, which is expected to take about twenty four
months to complete, will be located adjacent to the two historic
churches —Rumple Presbyterian and St. Mary of the Hills.
The museum will be built behind Edgewood Cottage, the restored
home of artist Elliott Daingerfield.
Daingerfield’s influence will be strongly felt in the Museum,
as the start of its permanent art collection was a gift of 67
of his works. St. Mary’s is also known for the magnificent
alter painting, “Madonna of the Hills” given by Daingerfield
in the 1920s.
Plans for the building have been under way for six years. The
building was designed by Steven C. Price, AIA, who recently worked
closely with Bonnie and Jamie Schaeffer on the restoration of
Westglow Resort and Spa, another former Daingerfield home, and
architecture firm Calloway, Johnson, Moore and West of Winston-Salem.
Once opened in 2011, the museum will provide diverse cultural
opportunities for the entire region, including educational classes
for children and adults; a vast collection of local historic artifacts
telling the story of those who settled in the area and continue
to contribute to its culture; and a wide-ranging collection of
art from local, regional and nationally recognized artists, including
a significant collection of decorative arts containing many works
in glass and North Carolina pottery.
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