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Levine Museum Of The New South

Levine Museum Of The New South

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Levine Museum of the New South

Established
7th Street

The Levine Museum of the New South, is a history museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina whose exhibits focus on life in the North CarolinaPiedmont after the American Civil War. The museum includes temporary and permanent exhibits on a range of Southern-related topics. Founded in 1991 as the Museum of the New South, it was renamed after museum patron and Family Dollar founder Leon Levine in 2001, also the year the current facility at 7th and College Streets downtown opened.

The Levine Museum Of The New South Will Open In A New Location In Uptown On South Tryon Street This Fall The Museum Said In A Press Release Thursday

Driving the news: The Levine Museum will reopen in a 6,000 square-foot, ground-floor space of the Three Wells Fargo Center, initially for three years at no cost, as they and Wells Fargo evaluate long-term space needs, per the statement.

  • The new space will host field trips, community dialogues and gatherings, feature a retail shop, and be a launching point for the augmented reality walking tour of Brooklyn, the museum said.

State of play:

  • The museums longtime location closed on May 15.

Why it matters:

  • But the move marks a new chapter for the museum as it transitions to digital content and non-traditional spaces.

The Brooklyn exhibit in the old Levine Museum space. Photo: Danielle Chemtob/Axios

Between the lines: The Levine Museum joins a number of other cultural institutions in that part of Uptown. The Uptown stretch of Tryon Street is bookended by the arts, with VAPA and the McColl Center to the north and Harvey B. Gantt Center, Mint Museum, Knight Theater, the Bechtler Museum and now the Levine Museum to the south.

What theyre saying: This arrangement helps ensure Levine Museum can continue the award-winning exhibits and programming were known for while also expanding our offerings to new audiences and locations, Kathryn Hill, President and CEO of Levine Museum, said in the release.

Early History Through American Revolution

The Native Americans were the first known historic tribe to settle Mecklenburg County and were first recorded around 1567 in Spanish records. By 1759 half the Catawba tribe had died from , which was endemic among European colonists, because the Catawba had not acquired to the new disease. At the time of their largest population, Catawba people numbered 10,000, but by 1826 their total population had dropped to 110.

The city of Charlotte was developed first by a wave of migration of Presbyterians, or settlers from Northern Ireland, who dominated the culture of the Southern Piedmont Region. They made up the principal founding population in the backcountry. also settled the area before the , but in much smaller numbers. They still contributed greatly to the early foundations of the region.

Mecklenburg County was initially part of of New Hanover Precinct, which became in 1729. The western portion of New Hanover split into in 1734, its western portion splitting into in 1750. Mecklenburg County formed from Anson County in 1762. Further apportionment was made in 1792, after the American Revolutionary War, with formed from Mecklenburg.

In 1842, formed from Mecklenburg’s southeastern portion and a western portion of Anson County. These areas were all part of one of the original six judicial/military districts of North Carolina known as the .

While surveying the boundary between the Carolinas in 1772, stopped in Charlotte, whose five or six houses were “very ordinary built of logs”.

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Early 20th Century To Present

In 1910, Charlotte surpassed to become North Carolina’s largest city with 34,014 residents.

The population grew again during , when the U.S. government established , north of present-day Wilkinson Boulevard. The camp supported 40,000 soldiers, with many troops and suppliers staying after the war, launching urbanization that eventually overtook older cities along the . In the 1920 census, Charlotte fell to being the state’s second largest city, with 48,395 people, had two thousand more people than Charlotte. Charlotte would pass Winston-Salem in population by the 1930 census, and has remained North Carolina’s largest city since.

Until 1958, the operated a daily passenger train from its to .

The city’s modern-day banking industry achieved prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, largely under the leadership of . McColl transformed into a formidable national bank that through aggressive acquisitions eventually merged with BankAmerica to become . , later in 2001, experienced similar growth before it was acquired by -based in 2008. Measured by control of assets, Charlotte became the second largest banking headquarters in the United States after .

In December 2002, Charlotte and much of central North Carolina were hit by an ice storm that resulted in more than 1.3 million people losing power. During an abnormally cold December, many were without power for weeks. Many of the city’s trees split apart under the weight of the ice.

The Daily Opening Times Of Levine Museum Of The New South In Charlotte

Levine Museum of the New South  Wagner Murray Architects

The following overview lists the visiting hours for Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte. The hours of the current day are highlighted. Please note that opening hours on special days or holidays may differ from what is displayed here. We therefore recommend you to always check the opening hours with Levine Museum of the New South before your visit.

Want to know when Levine Museum of the New South is open? These are the opening hours:

Monday

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Late 18th Century Through 19th Century

Charlotte is traditionally considered the home of Southern , but in the 19th century, numerous churches, including Presbyterian, , , , , and formed, eventually giving Charlotte the nickname, “The City of Churches”.

In 1799, in nearby Cabarrus County, 12-year-old found a 17- pound rock, which his family used as a doorstop. Three years later, a jeweler determined it was nearly solid gold, paying the family a paltry $3.50. The first documented gold find in the United States of any consequence set off the nation’s first . Many veins of gold were found in the area throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, leading to the 1837 founding of the . North Carolina was the chief producer of gold in the United States, until the Sierra Nevada find in 1848, although the volume mined in the Charlotte area was dwarfed by subsequent rushes.

Some groups still occasionally in local streams and creeks. The operated until 1912. The Charlotte Mint was active until 1861, when forces seized it at the outbreak of the . The mint was not reopened at the war’s end, but the building, albeit in a different location, now houses the .

Charlotte’s city population at the grew to 11,557.

Looking Back On The Legacy

Levine Museum has been ahead of the curve on conversations concerning social justice, confronting difficult issues not just in Charlotte but also on a national level. Hill said staff began creating authentic dialogue two decades prior to George Floyds death, which sparked national conversations on race.

She noted the February 2017 installation of KW Justice, KW Peace, for instance, was a rapid response exhibit following the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by a Charlotte police officer months earlier.

Image activist Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. had spent a decade curating the exhibit. He traveled to various cities and instances of social injustice around the country that garnered national attention, taking photos of the protests, movements and memorials. His original plan was to have an exhibition within a year. However, he received a call from the Levine Museum within a week after Scotts murder asking if he was ready to showcase his work. The exhibit was slated to run for six months it was extended twice due to positive community feedback.

The conversation was necessary, and we werent done, Jacobs said. It was an uncomfortable conversation that was just so well done, so well-polished. It was fresh and the first one in the country at the time.

Museum staff invited guest speakers to lead conversations on racism and social injustice and showed documentaries to extend the exhibit beyond the photographs.

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Men Of Change: Power Triumph Truth

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and Levine Museum of the New South are proud to collaborate and bring the dynamic exhibition Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. to our Charlotte community.

Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. profiles the revolutionary menincluding Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, W.E.B Du Bois, and Kendrick Lamarwhose journeys have altered the history and culture of the country. The achievements of the men are woven within the legacy and traditions of the African American journeyachievements of excellence in spite of societys barriers.

Through literary and historic quotes, poetry, original works of art, dramatic photographs, and a dynamic space that encourages self-reflection, this innovative exhibition weaves together the historical and the contemporary to illuminate the importance of these men within the context of rich community traditions. It invites visitors to consider predominant narratives and engage in the authentic stories of history, politics, art, culture, and activism.

While these men made their mark in a variety of disciplinespolitics, sports, science, entertainment, business, religion, and moreall understood the value of asserting their own agency by owning their own stories.

Alfred Conteh, Home Team, 2018 | Courtesy of the artist and Amath Gomis

Alfred Conteh, Home Team, 2018 | Courtesy of the artist and Amath Gomis

Levine Museum Of The New South Looks Back As It Prepares For Change

Augmented reality brings history of historic Uptown Charlotte neighborhood to life

Levine Museum of the New South is known for connecting the past to the future and speaking on current issues. But whats the future of the museum itself?

Museum officials announced plans last month to sell the 0.7-acre property located at 200 E. 7th Street in uptown Charlotte. CEO and President Kathryn Hill said Levine Museum is not closing but focusing on creating an experience thats digital-first and community-centered.

We are committed to deepening our impact by diversifying the ways that we deliver broadly accessible, highly compelling content that we develop with the communities we serve, she said.

The museum will remain in the building it has occupied since 1996 over the next year while implementing its digitally focused vision. Many of Levine Museums current exhibits already have a virtual component, but Hill believes there could be more accessibility.

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Levine Museum Of The New South Selling Uptown Charlotte Facility Embarking On Digital Transformation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Levine Museum of the New South, a museum with exhibits that explore Charlottes post-Civil War history and the changing neighborhoods that define the current day city, is selling its uptown property as they embark on a new, digitally-focused vision.

The news comes as the museum celebrates its 30th anniversary.

President and CEO Kathryn Hill says this decision to sell the uptown property comes as part of the calling to reach new audiences and deliver non-traditional programming to fully embrace the museums next chapter.

Wednesdays news doesnt mean any immediate changes and Hill says they will continue to deliver the same programming expected from Levine Museum.

For several years, Levine Museum has engaged in a deep exploration of the future of museums and of our own beloved Levine Museum. The Museums mission has never been more important, and if we are to reach broadly across the community, we must imagine new ways to create and deliver content in the digital age. We recognize, too, that we need to work more closely with and in the communities we serve, to ensure all Charlotteans are heard and known, Hill wrote in a letter.

The museum recently got an endorsement of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which gave them a three-year, $600,000 grant to support its community-centered, digital-first transformation.

The museum currently continues to welcoming visitors now and is planning for on-site programs, events and Family Days later in 2021.

Men Of Change Exhibit

Levine Museum and The Gantt Center of African-American Arts + Culture are jointly hosting the touring exhibition Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.

Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. profiles the revolutionary menincluding Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, W.E.B Du Bois, and Kendrick Lamarwhose journeys have altered the history and culture of the country. The achievements of the men are woven within the legacy and traditions of the African American journeyachievements of excellence in spite of societys barriers.

Through literary and historic quotes, poetry, original works of art, dramatic photographs, and a dynamic space that encourages self-reflection, this innovative exhibition weaves together the historical and the contemporary to illuminate the importance of these men within the context of rich community traditions. It invites visitors to consider predominant narratives and engage in the authentic stories of history, politics, art, culture, and activism.

Men of Change Exhibition

Together, Levine Museum and The Gantt will share the stories of these revolutionary men. Told across seven themes, Levine Museum will display Catalysts, Myth-Breakers, and Community and The Gantt will display Storytellers, Fathering, and Imagining both museums will display Loving.

It will be FREE to visit the exhibition at both locations. It will be there through March 12th, 2023.

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We Connect The Past To The Future To Realize The Promises Of A New South

  • 2020

    COVID-19 closes the Museum to the public from March through August. But through digital programs that include #ShapingCLT, New South for the New Southerner, CataLysT, and a new program, Whats It Going to Take, the Museum attracts more than 40,000 views and reaches a national audience.

  • 2019

    The exhibit Brooklyn: Once a City Within a City, which explores the rise and demise of Charlottes largest African American neighborhood, wins the Best Multimedia Project of 2019 from QC Nerve.

  • 2018

    Dr. Willie J. Griffin joins the Museum as Staff Historian. The Museum introduces augmented reality as way to understand the origins of Charlottes mobility gap through the lens of its neighborhoods in the exhibit #HomeCLT: People. Places. Promises. The Museum also opens It Happened Here, which builds on the Equal Justice Initiatives research into the history of lynching across America, situating Mecklenburg Countys two recorded lynchings and the local effort to memorialize the victims within the national conversation.

Who We Are

Charlotte, NC

Thirty years ago, Levine Museum of the New South was founded as a history museum that would tell everyones story a radical idea at the time and a radical idea still. We were founded as a place that would use exhibits and programs to confront some of the most difficult issues facing us today in the historical context that deepens understanding, fosters empathy, and inspires action toward a better future.

Long before the practice was commonplace, Levine Museum created exhibits and programs with, for and about the diverse communities we serve. Thirty years ago, Levine Museum re-defined the role of the history museum in community.

Within our new exhibition gallery, we offer rotating exhibits that explore issues relevant to the history of the greater Charlotte metro area and spark curiosity about our world today. Our exhibits and public programs welcome all participants to engage deeply with the diversity of our regions communities through stories of the past that encourage productive dialogue and deepen understanding of critical contemporary issues.

We celebrate history and culture through annual Family Days that honor Dia de Muertos, Three Kings Day, Martin Luther King Day, Juneteenth, and Herstory. Free to the public, these festivals invite thousands of local families to dance, sing, create, eat and learn about Charlottes diverse community.

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