North Carolina Museum of Art
The Nature Research Center
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Noted for Excellence
North Carolina Museum of Art
The North Carolina Museum of Art reopened to the public in April 2010, with a new, 127,000-square-foot West Building, designed by New Yorkbased architects Thomas Phifer and Partners. The state-of-the-art building creates a beautiful home for nearly 800 works of art from the permanent collection, with dramatically expanded exhibition space highlighted by day-lit galleries. The expansion dramatically transforms the visitor experience of the museum, which, sited in a 164-acre park, offers a unique blend of art, architecture and nature.
The museum has acquired more than 100 new works of art. Highlights include a gift of 30 + sculptures by Auguste Rodin including a 6-foot cast of“ The Thinker,” a portrait by Pablo Picasso and work by such internationally acclaimed artists as Roxy Paine, Ursula von Rydingsvard and Jaume Plensa.
The Nature Research Center
Chris Adamczyk
Opened in Spring 2012, the Nature Research Center( NRC) at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is an 80,000-square-foot wing that brings research scientists and their work into the public eye, helps demystify what can be an intimidating field of study, better prepares science educators and students and inspires a new generation of young scientists.
The centerpiece of the NRC is the SECU Daily Planet, an immersive, threestory multimedia space that links virtual to real nature and is the site of live programming on breaking science news. At regular intervals during the day, scientists present to NRC visitors using cutting-edge technology and media on a 40 × 40-foot, high-definition screen. Presenters discuss research behind current issues and societal impact. Scientists use the media-rich resources and dynamic images of the SECU Daily Planet to augment programs and to better field questions from the audience, immersing viewers into the presenter’ s field of research and allowing visitors to dig deeper by asking questions of personal interest to them.
Recent accolades
# 2 Among 10 Fastest-Growing U. S. Cities( Raleigh) CNNMoney, April 2012
101 Best Restaurants in America for 2012( The Pit, Raleigh) The Daily Meal, February 2012
# 5 Among Most Frugal U. S. Cities on the 2011 Savings Index Coupons. com, February 2012
Best New Sweet Shops( Videri Chocolate Factory, Raleigh) Travel + Leisure, February 2012
2012 Readers’ Choice Award( Greater Raleigh CVB) SportsEvents Magazine, January 2012
Top 10 Tastiest Towns in the South( Raleigh) Southern Living, January 2012
2011 Platinum Choice Award( Greater Raleigh CVB) Smart Meetings magazine, December 2011
# 41 Among Top 200 Hotels in the United States( The Umstead Hotel and Spa, Cary) Condé Nast Traveler, October 2011
10 Safest Cities in the U. S.( Cary) M & C, October 2011
# 23 Among Smartest Major U. S. Cities with More than 100,000 Residents( Raleigh) American City Business Journals, November 2011
# 4 Among 10 Most Tech-Friendly Terminals for Tech Travelers( Terminal 2, RDU International Airport) PCWorld, December 2011
# 1 Among 10 Best U. S. Airports for Wi-Fi( RDU International Airport) PCWorld, December 2011
# 12 Among 20 Best U. S. Airports for Tech Travelers( RDU International Airport) PCWorld, December 2011
# 2 Among Top Medical Cities( Raleigh-Durham-Cary) MedCity News, December 2011
Nine Beautiful New Airport Terminals( RDU International Airport Terminal 2) The Atlantic Cities, December 2011
America’ s Best City( Raleigh) Businessweek. com, September 2011
# 3 Most Educated City in America( Raleigh) Men’ s Health, September 2011
# 7 Among America’ s 20 Can-Do Capitals( Raleigh) Newsweek, September 2011
2011 Gold Service Award( Greater Raleigh CVB) Meetings & Conventions, August 2011
Most Efficient Small / Medium Airport in North America( RDU International Airport) Air Transport Research Society, August 2011
Best Barbecue Joints( The Pit, Raleigh) AOL Travel News, July 2011
One of the Coolest Small Cities in America( Raleigh) GQ, July 2011
# 10 Among Top Large City Hotels in U. S./ Canada( The Umstead Hotel & Spa, Cary) Travel + Leisure, July 2011
# 21 Among 2011 Top 25 Arts Destinations-Mid-Size Cities( Raleigh) AmericanStyle Magazine, July 2011
Six Best New Museums in North America( N. C. Museum of Art, Raleigh) AirTran GO Magazine, May 2011