Art block party Friday on W. Harrison St.

The pottery of Richerd McGough is on display at Artemesia Artworks and Yoga.

The Momentary Prophets will perform 6-8 p.m. Friday at Artemesia Artworks and Yoga Studio and at 10:30 p.m. at TABU.

Neighboring art venues on West Harrison Street are hosting simultaneous events this Friday night from 6-8 p.m. Both sites will include art exhibits, music, and refreshments.

Artemesia Artworks & Yoga Studio, 323 W. Harrison St. will be showing the pottery of Richerd McGough of Richmond, Va. His innovative combination of mixed media and clay creates a unique form of pottery. McGough's industrial background and Army experience in Vietnam are also evident in his work.

Artemesia will also be the site of a performance by the acoustic folk and world music band, The Momentary Prophets from Manasses, Va.

A few doors down, at 207 W. Harrison St., Center for Faith and the Arts, located in the lower level of Haven Lutheran Church, will be hosting the opening reception for "Converging Mediums" with photography by Jon Lakey and watercolors by Mark Brincefield. Music for the reception will be provided by pianist Will Ballard.

For more information, contact Artemesia at 704-637-7193 or Center for Faith and the Arts, 704-647-0999.

Local poet reads

Robert Abbate, English instructor at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has published a full-length poetry collection titled, "Courage of Straw."

To celebrate, RCCC's English Department will host a book release event and poetry reading on March 17.

The public is invited to attend the 2 p.m. celebration at RCCC's South Campus, room 106 in Building 1000. Abbate will read from his book, and RCCC's campus bookstores will have copies available for purchase.

Call for artists

The Rowan Arts Council has sent out a call for artists, musicians and food vendors who wish to participate in this year's Art on Easy Street taking place in Downtown Salisbury on May 15.

Applications are available Rowan Arts Council Web site, www.rowanarts.org. The deadline is April 17.

Volunteers are also needed to help with Art on Easy Street. If you would like to help, contact Anne Cave at the Rowan Arts Council at 704-638-9887 or rac@rowanarts.org.

Gallery crawl forming

The Rowan Arts Council has announced plans to sponsor an art gallery and studio crawl the second Saturday of each month in Salisbury and Spencer, beginning April 10.

The tour will be open to the public and free of charge, with over 16 studios and galleries taking part. Discounts will be offered at several local restaurants in conjunction with the crawl.

Currently the RAC is in the process of creating a map of participating galleries and studios. Those who wish to have their gallery included and have not been contacted yet are asked to call 704-638-9887, or contact rac@rowanarts.org.

Make a kaleidoscope

SPENCER — Sue Davis will lead a workshop at Green Goat Gallery in Spencer where she will explain how a kaleidoscope works and what creates the ever-changing patterns, then teach an introduction to kaleidoscope making.

The class is March 18, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The cost is $70 which includes all materials and a snack.

To reserve your space call Ann Waters, 704-639-0606 or Sue Davis, 704-640-8347.

MerleFest tickets

The deadline for Early Bird ticket prices to MerleFest 2010, presented by Lowe's, has been extended to April 6 at 5 p.m. That is the last day to purchase four-day and three-day tickets at a discount of 10 percent.

Ticket purchases can be made at www.merlefest.org or 1-800-343-7857.

Discovery Place exhibit

CHARLOTTE – On Saturday, Discovery Place unveils THEM, the latest in a series of new and original exhibitions resulting from the largest renovation in the Museum's history. Also premiering is Science Buzz, a multimedia exploration of science in the news.

THEM gives visitors an inside, microscopic look at the plethora of bacteria, microbes, parasites and other microorganisms that inhabit the human body and helps develop an appreciation for the importance these unseen inhabitants play in our health.

"Ninety percent of the cells in and on our bodies are not our own," said John Mackay, president and CEO of Discovery Place. "It's a startling statistic but it helps illustrate the incredible number of organisms that live within us and the amount of activity they produce. We want to help our guests understand the impact and importance of these almost invisible residents."

Presented by Carolinas Medical Center, THEM provides an opportunity for Museum-goers to explore the vast diversity of microbes that live in and on the human body, to understand the benefits that these microorganisms provide to human health and to understand the delicate balance between us and them. Visitors also are introduced to the ways in which human behavior can impact – positively and negatively – the microbial make-up of their bodies.

Visitors can touch three-dimensional sculptures of microorganisms, view live bacteria samples through a microscope, or use a hand-held microscope to explore their skin, hair and clothes. An original video, produced in partnership with the national Centers for Disease Control, cleverly explores antibacterial resistance while several state-of-the-art Microsoft surface tables let players engage in virtual battles between their native bacteria and invading bacteria, trying to keep the invaders from latching on to their computer-generated intestinal wall.

"We are excited to continue to unveil new experiences that give our guests an in-depth look at contemporary topics in science," said Mackay. "One of our main goals with the complete replacement of the Museum's exhibitions is to increase the relevancy of the experiences at Discovery Place to real-world issues."

For more information about Discovery Place, call 704-372-6261 or visit discoveryplace.org.

Jeff Whittington Presents...

Jeff Whittington's Brand New Opry featuring the Southern Junction Bluegrass Band and the Brand New Bluegrass Boys is coming to the Davis Theatre on Thursday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m.

The theatre operated by the Cabarrus Arts Council is located at 65 Union St. S. in Cabarrus County's historic courthouse. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased in person or via telephone Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Davis Theatre box office, 704-920-2753. Tickets also may be bought online at www.CabarrusArtsCouncil.org. All seats are reserved.

The show is the last in this year's "Jeff Whittington Presents . . ." series, which is organized and hosted by the local bluegrass virtuoso who has been on the Grand Ole Opry and was a staff musician on The Arthur Smith Show. This concert offers a preview of the four-concert series Whittington will host next year at the Davis Theatre.

Whittington is putting together a local version of the Grand Ole Opry. He describes it this way: "I'm signing up musicians, mostly bluegrass but a few country, to be part of my Brand New Opry. I hope to have 50 or more. At each concert, we'll feature just a few of those 50. The Brand New Bluegrass Boys will be our house band, so at least some of its members will be at all shows."

Concord-based Southern Junction is made up of Bob Shue, his sons Terry and Todd, and Jim Sanders. Southern Junction plays both traditional bluegrass and original tunes at festivals and music halls on the east coast.

The Brand New Bluegrass Boys is made up of a group of multi-talented musicians: Whittington on banjo, pedal steel, dobro and guitar; John Culbreath on fiddle, guitar, banjo and mandolin; J.C. Rowland on guitar and mandolin; Mike Lambert on guitar, bass, mandolin and banjo; John McLaughlin on percussion; and Tom Isenhour on mandolin, guitar, bass and banjo.