N.C. Museum of Art lines up family events for new Porsche exhibit

The N.C. Museum of Art will open a major new exhibit this weekend that is certain to draw traffic of all kinds.

Posted 12:16 a.m. Oct 10, 2013 — Updated 6:38 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

The N.C. Museum of Art will open a major new exhibit this weekend that is certain to draw traffic of all kinds.

Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 20. The exhibit, the museum's first design exhibition, focuses on the history of the Porsche from 1930s to today. About two dozen Porsche, starting with a 1938 racer, will be on view.

It features cars owned by Ralph Lauren, Steve McQueen, and Janis Joplin, as well as the one-of-a-kind Panamericana concept car on loan from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, according to the art museum's website.

I'm certain this exhibit will pull in lots of people who haven't set foot in the museum, including many families with car-loving kids.

To bring them in, the art museum will host a series of car shows over the next two months, along with some family-friendly programs.

Here's what's scheduled with descriptions courtesy of the art museum:

8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 12: Exhibit opening day and Porsche Car Meetup. The museum will present a Porsche meet up featuring cars from local Porsche owners and others from around the country. They'll also have music, food trucks with breakfast and snacks for sale, a kids play zone and health screenings by UNC-Rex. Then you can head into the museum to see Porsche by Design and have lunch in the Porsche Biergarten, opened especially for the exhibit. The meet up is free. Future car meet ups are scheduled at 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 19, featuring European cars; 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 9, featuring American cars and hot rods; and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 30, featuring art cars.

Porsche Type 356C Cabriolet, 1965, Collection of the Joplin Family, Courtesy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland, Ohio, Photograph (c) 2013 Peter Harholdt

Noon, Oct. 12: Porsche Drop-In Studio. Celebrate the opening with hands-on activities for all ages from noon to 3 p.m. Free.

1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 20: Fall Family Day Design-a-Thon. Bring your family and friends to an action-packed day to celebrate the museum’s first design exhibition, Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed. From cell phones to vacuum cleaners, playgrounds to zoos, designers build the products and spaces we use in our day-to-day activities. Explore the world of design through on-going demonstrations, family tours, art workshops, and design labs. Meet local artists and designers, and experiment with materials as you consider form, function, and fabulous design. Free.

Tickets to see the Porsche exhibit are $18 for adults; $15 for seniors; $12 for kids ages 7 to 18; and free for kids ages 6 and under. In the first few weeks, it's likely best to buy your tickets online now to avoid any delays. You choose tickets based on the hour you'd like to enter the exhibit.

The museum also will host some more adult events as part of the exhibit, including Classic Cars, Classic Cocktails on Nov., 20 (date night or girls' night out option). Worth exploring if you're looking for something to do.

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