MW2003 featured many chances to build a personal network

Throughout Museums and the Web there were many different opportunities to meet – and learn from – our peers.

Pre-Conference Tours

On March 18 - the day before the pre-conference Workshops - Charlotte's cultural institutions and multimedia developers teamed up to provide attendees at MW2003 with behind-the-scenes tours of some of the most interesting new media programs in Charlotte. Tours were a great chance to share experiences with other delegates in an informal environment. A variety of tours will be offered.

The pre-conference tour, on March 18 2003, visited an art museum, a history museum and an experimental gallery in Charlotte. The focus of the visit at each site was on the multimedia programs of the museums and was conducted by their new media staffs.

Charlotte Museum of History
3500 Shamrock Drive
Charlotte, NC 28215
www.charlottemuseum.org

The Light Factory
809 W. Hill St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
www.lightfactory.org

Mint Museum of Art
2730 Randolph Road
Charlotte, NC 28207
www.mintmuseum.org

Workshops

Pre-Conference Workshops on March 19 offered a more structured learning environment.

Social Events

Each night during the MW2003 conference there was a social event, to make sure that everyone connected with other attendees.

Welcome Reception

On March 19, after the pre-conference workshops and before the first full day of sessions, Museums and the Web 2003 kicked off with a Welcome Reception.We all found an opportunity to meet new people and renew old acquaintances at the opening event of the conference.

Exhibitor's Reception

On March 20, the Exhibitors' Reception took place in the conference hotel. Attendees previewed of the Exhibit Hall from 5:30 - 8:00 pm. They enjoyed the hospitality of the exhibitors and got an idea of the productson display all day March 21.

Birds of a Feather Breakfasts, March 21, 2003

Colleagues got together over coffee to discuss issues of interest. Each table at the breakfast was devoted to discussion on a theme proposed in advance by attendees.

Charlotte Gallery Crawl, March 21, 2003

On March 21, following the Best of the Web awards ceremony, the conference 'took to the streets'. The Conference Reception was a movable feast for the mind and body in the half-mile square downtown Charlotte area that houses galleries, museums, and performing arts centers. We joined locals participating in the Charlotte Gallery Crawl, and held some special events just for MW2003 attendeest.

Among the galleries that participated in the Gallery Crawl on Friday, March 21, 2003 were:

McColl Center For Visual Art
(the Starting and Ending Point of the evening)
721 N. Tryon St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: (704) 332-5535
Fax: (704) 377-9808
www.mccollcenter.org
The McColl Center resident artists for the winter of 2003 will be holding an exhibit of their works for MW2003 and community visitors. There will be light food, drinks and lots of opportunities to talk one on one with the artists.

Within a few blocks in each direction, many galleries will open 6:30-9:00pm. Friday evening for MW2003 guests, including:

Bank of America Gallery
214 N. Tryon St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: 704-388-3104
Visit the Bank of American Gallery in its new location and see the inaugural exhibition, A Century of Landscape Exploration:1845-1945. This exhibit launches a two-year program entitled Images of America and Americans. It explores the American landscape and the characteristics of its people. Drawn extensively from the Bank of America Art Collection, this series highlights the important role of the artist as observer and interpreter of America's values, diverse cultures and identity.

Farvan International Gallery
119 E. 7th St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: (704) 375-1424
Fax: (704) 375-1488
Email: farvan@bellsouth.net
www.farvangallery.com,

Farvan is an international gallery that features art and craft, private collections, textiles, and jewelry, both antique and contemporary, from all over the world. "Where the Unique is Commonplace."

Hodges Taylor Gallery
401 N. Tryon St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: (704) 334-3799
Fax: (704) 334-9586
Email: htg@carolina.rr.com
www.hodgestaylor.com

Joie Lassiter Gallery
318 E. Ninth St. and 525 North Tryon
Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: (704) 373-1464
Fax: (704) 373-1463
Email: artjlg@aol.com

The Light Factory
809 W. Hill St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: (704) 333-9755
Fax: (704) 333-5910
The Light Factory regularly exhibits stylistically diverse works which often address aspects of race, ethnicity, gender and place. As a result, The National Endowment for the Arts has praised The Light Factory for its high quality, culturally diverse programming, describing it as a "catalyst for art in the Southeast."

The Mint Museum of Craft and Design
220 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
Tel 704.337.2000
Fax 704.337.2101
Since its inception in 1999, the Mint Museum of Craft and Design’s growing collections have earned international recognition for quality, range and innovation. The current exhibition, Coming of Age, illustrates the vitality and innovation of craft worldwide through pieces that have entered the Mint collection since its opening. Works include a tour de force desk made of steel, slate, bronze and glass by American Albert Paley, a haunting and technically complex glass and furniture installation by Czechoslovakia’s Dana Zamecnikova, a complicated spiral-woven basket by Japan’s Torii Ippo and an exquisitely sculpted and embellished ceramic figure by Cochiti Native American Virgil Ortiz.

gallery W.D.O.
Rob Williams, Director
Hearst Plaza Suite No. 1
214 North Tryon Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
704.333.9123
www.gallerywdo.com
info@gallery.com