Past Events - Ella Sharp Museum

Art, Beer, & Wine Festival

THANK YOU for making our 17th Annual Art, Beer & Wine Festival presented by County National Bank a huge success. Together, we all make the UNITY in CommUNITY. Our Jackson, MI museum is grateful for:

Dedicated sponsors and supporters who believe in us – they are the backbone for making this tradition possible
Amazing Michigan beer, wine and art vendors – the Festival’s shining stars needed to celebrate year-after-year
Hundreds of volunteers who selflessly help with setup, takedown and drink pouring and more
Enticing eats from food trucks and savvy food vendors
Great music that kept the crowds energized to party and shop
Our guests enjoying the Festival and supporting the Ella Sharp Museum

Art Beer & Stein – Mug Making Workshop

Get ready for Jackson’s Art, Beer & Wine Festival by crafting a mug or stein of your own! Come explore your creativity with clay and remember your experience at Ella Sharp with a functional vessel that’s yours to keep. In this 1.5 hour workshop you will create a custom vessel using clay and various hand tools. One drink ticket is included in the price of this workshop.

The Science of Star Wars

From ice planets and ion cannons to binary star systems and bizarre beasts – “Star Wars” is packed with strange worlds and even stranger science. Anything is possible in a galaxy far, far away – but is the science of Star Wars possible in our universe? Join the Hurst Planetarium on May 4th at 6:00 PM as we explore the truth behind the science of Star Wars.

Jackson County Museum Day

Join us in participating in Jackson County Museum Day on May 7, 2022 from 10 am – 4 pm! Visitors to Ella Sharp Museum can enjoy the museum galleries, historic farm lane, a show in the Hurst Planetarium, enjoy a Hillside Farmhouse tour and freshly popped popcorn from our historic popcorn wagon, Popcorn Charlie. Planetarium shows and Farmhouse tours will be offered every hour on the hour.

Public Planetarium Show: Chasing the Ghost Particle

Deep in the ice at the heart of Antarctica, IceCube, the biggest and strangest detector in the world waits for mysterious messengers from the cosmos. In this 30-minute planetarium show, learn how scientists are using tiny and elusive particles called neutrinos to explore the most extreme places in the universe – from exploding stars to black holes!

Public Planetarium Show: Back to the Moon, For Good

In honor of Black History Month, join Ella Sharp Museum for a planetarium show celebrating African American contributions to space exploration, past and present. Then, enjoy our feature show, “Back to the Moon, for Good”. Learn the history of humanities previous visits to our lunar neighbor and experience current efforts to get back to the moon – this time, for good.

Toddler Tour: Clocks!

It’s never too early to start visiting museums! Join us for a toddler tour exploring our collection and gallery of clocks from all around the world!

Romance in the Stars

The world of science contains many stories of forbidden love and romance. Join the Hurst Planetarium for a one of a kind Valentine’s Day experience, as we tour Earth, our galaxy, and beyond in search of romantic tales.

Public Planetarium Show: Back to the Moon, For Good

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day, join Ella Sharp Museum for a FREE planetarium show celebrating African American contributions to space exploration, past and present. Then, enjoy our feature show, “Back to the Moon, for Good”. Learn the history of humanities previous visits to our lunar neighbor and experience current efforts to get back to the moon – this time, for good.

Winter Break Planetarium Shows: Let It Snow

Ella Sharp Museum and Hurst Planetarium are celebrating the holidays with daily showings of Let It Snow, an animated musical of Christmas and holiday songs for the whole family. Featured music from Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, the Trans Siberian Orchestra, and more! Open to all ages. Includes a night sky tour of the Jackson winter night sky.

Wings of Winter

Fly on over to Ella Sharp Museum this December for the return of the Michigan Avian Experience and their amazing birds. This drop-in program is the perfect opportunity to meet some of Michigan’s birds up close and personal.

Holiday Candlelight Tour

Celebrate the Holiday and traditions during a historical candlelit tour of the Ella Sharp Museum’s grounds. The evening includes a tour of the decorated Hillside Farmhouse.

Toddler Tours: Let it Snow in the Planetarium

It’s never too early to start visiting museums! Join us this holiday season for a showing of “Let It Snow” in the Hurst Planetarium. “Let it Snow” features classic Christmas songs set along 3d animations. This experience includes a hands-on craft and is specially designed for ages 2-5. The program is approximately 45 minutes in duration and is limited to approximately 30 participants.

Planetarium Show: The Sun, Our Living Star

As we head in to winter, let’s heat up with our stellar, the Sun! It is our nearest star and our planet’s powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life. The passage of the Sun’s fiery disc across the sky — day by day, month by month — was the only way to keep track of time for countless past civilizations. This show includes a live night sky tour of the Winter Jackson night sky.

Planetarium Show: Mayan Archaeoastronomy

In a feast of colours and sounds, Mayan Archaeoastronomy: Observers of the Universe makes a tour of 6 Mayan temples: San Gervasio, Chichen Itzá, Uxmal, Edzná, Palenque and Bonampak where the spectator dives into a Mayan world of knowledge about the importance of the orientations of its temples in relation to the movement of some stars like the Sun, the Moon and Venus. Includes a live tour of the Fall Jackson night sky.

Explore the Night: Night Hike & Guided Telescope Observing

Let’s explore and use our night senses! Join Ella Sharp Museum and the Dahlem Center for a wonderful night under the stars.

A Walk Through Jackson’s Past

Please join us for a guided tour through Jackson’s oldest cemetery, Mt. Evergreen Cemetery. You will hear about some of Jackson’s famous families and their stories including Ella Merriman Sharp, Austin Blair, William Sparks and families such as Col. Christian Rath, Dr. Ira C. Backus and Lucy Thurman.

Toddler Tour: Wildlife

It’s never too early to start visiting museums! Andy Andrews has been fascinated with wildlife since a young age. Celebrate the 15th Anniversary exhibit by bringing the little ones for a tour of our “Andrews Gallery of Wildlife Art” and accompanying activities and art project. This experience is specially designed for ages 2-5. The program is approximately 45 minutes in duration and is limited to approximately 30 participants.

Astrophotography Basics Workshop

Have you every tried to take a picture of the Moon, but you keep getting a bright splotch? Are you interested in taking photos of the planets or the Milky Way galaxy? All of this is within your reach! We will familiarize beginners with observing the Michigan night sky, photographing the night sky with digital cameras, and working with both cameras and telescopes at night.

Planetarium Show: From Earth To the Universe

The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious, has inspired awe and been the subject of campfire stories, and ancient myths for as long as there have been people. A desire to comprehend the Universe may well be humanity’s oldest shared intellectual experience. Yet only recently have we truly begun to grasp our place in the vast cosmos. To learn about this journey of celestial discovery, from the theories of the ancient Greek astronomers to today’s grandest telescopes, we invite you to experience From Earth to the Universe.

Farm to Table

September 10 from 5-10pm

Ella Sharp Museum invites you to attend our first annual Farm to Table event. This evening will feature small plates from local farmers and businesses. We will honor Ella and John Sharp successful farm and our local farmers. Special features will include cheese, Ella Beer, local breads, meats and produce. Stroll up and down our historic Farm Lane and meet the people behind the food while hearing tales of the Sharp farm. In the event of inclement weather, this event will be held inside the Ella Sharp Museum. Presented by Lammers Heating & Air Conditioning.

Collections & Exhibits Volunteer Orientation

Interested in volunteering for the museum’s collections and exhibitions department? This orientation will introduce new and returning volunteers to opportunities to assist in a variety of “behind-the-scenes” roles at the Ella Sharp Museum.

The event will consist of a short presentation, hands-on training, and tours through behind-the-scenes work areas. No pre-registration necessary.

Annual Art, Beer, & Wine Festival

Join Ella Sharp Museum for the annual Art, Beer, & Wine Festival presented by County National Bank.

This year’s festival will feature Michigan wineries, breweries, cider mills, and artists. The museum will also host food vendors and live music on the grounds and within the courtyard of the museum’s historic Hillside Farm Lane.

Patio Parties

Live music, food, and beverages on Farm Lane. Come and celebrate the LAST Patio Party with us for only $5/person. We appreciate reservations, so we ensure we have enough food for everyone. FREE for Sustainer Museum Members & above.

Toddler Tour: Planetarium

It’s never too early to start bringing your future astronaut to planetariums! Inspired by the Apollo Missions, this tour is all about the moon! This experience is specially designed for ages 2-5. The program is approximately 45 minutes in duration and capacity is limited.

Wildlife Wednesdays

Join Ella Sharp Museum and Michigan Avian Experience as we explore birds native to our region. Utilizing live birds and pieces from our collection of wildlife art, visitors will have an opportunity for a personal encounter with a different species of bird each week.

Tour of the Universe

Our Universe contains mind-boggling amounts of space and matter! Everything you see in the night sky has a place in space. This program takes you on a journey through thousands of stars and galaxies, where you’ll see some of the oldest light in the Universe. Includes a night sky tour.