Our main program is the self-guided museum tour that we give every day, but we also have other programs, activities, and special events from time to time. Please join our email subscription list, to make sure you always know what’s happening at the Museum.

Special Exhibits

The Most Photographed Woman in the World

May 2010 - October 2010

In May 2010, the Ava Gardner Museum unveiled a new exhibit, The Most Photographed Woman in the World. At the height of her film career, Ava Gardner was the most photographed woman in the world with MGM sending out over 3,000 photos of her weekly.

To prepare for this exhibit, Museum staff digitalized the photography collection of the Ava Gardner Collection. Once the photos were in digital format, a "slide show" presentation was created. This presentation plays continuously on a flat panel television installed in the Museum, along with interpretive panels detailing Ava’s life in front of the camera. This exhibit marks the first time the Museum has presented a multi-media exhibit.

"Based on the learning needs of future generations, this exhibit is a positive first step toward integrating technology into the Museum with the eventual goal of presenting interactive exhibits. By digitalizing the photography collection, the Museum is better able to help scholars, authors, journalists, filmmakers and others in their research for biographies, films, papers, and articles," stated Executive Director Jessica Meadows Hammett.

Hemingway and Ava

October 9, 2009 - October 8, 2010

Ava called Ernest Hemingway "Papa," and he called her "Daughter."  Hemingway admired Ava's work in the films based on his works, and considered her "the most exciting woman of her generation."

During her career, Ava Gardner did three films based on Hemingway works: The Killers, The Sun Also Rises, and The Snows of Kilimanjaro.  To celebrate their special relationship, a special exhibit called Ava and Hemingway was unveiled at the Ava Gardner Festival Gala, Friday, October 9 and will run through October 2010. 

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a pocket watch given by Ava to Hemingway for his 55th birthday in 1954. Also included in the new exhibit are costumes used in the film The Sun Also Rises, a dress and necklace worn to the premieres of The Snows of Kilimanjaro, movie posters and scripts, and books from Ava’s personal collection.  Brownie Futrell, president and publisher of the Washington Daily News in Washington, NC, loaned the Museum the Hemingway watch for the exhibit

"This is the first time the Hemingway watch has been on display and the Museum is thrilled to share this and so many other pieces of the collection in an effort to educate the public about the special friendship between Ava and Hemingway. The exhibit also utilizes for the first time a special display system that will allow the Museum to include more textual interpretation in future exhibits," stated Jessica Meadows Hammett, Executive Director of the Ava Gardner Museum.

Special Events

Each year the Ava Gardner Museum celebrates Ava's life and career by hosting the Ava Gardner Festival.  This annual event includes heritage tours, screenings of classic Ava Gardner films, and special exhibits. 　

This year’s festival will kickoff during the Ava Gardner Festival Gala on Friday evening, October 8th and will continue Saturday, October 9th from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.  The 2010 Ava Gardner Festival marks the 10th anniversary of the Ava Gardner Museum.

In August of 1999, the Museum’s board made an investment in downtown Smithfield by purchasing and renovating a 6,400 square foot building that became the permanent home for the Museum’s vast collection.  In October 2000, the new Ava Gardner Museum opened its doors and has continued to draw national and even worldwide attention with approximately 12,000 visitors each year. The Sixth Annual Ava Gardner Festival will celebrate the many years of hard work to bring the Ava Gardner Collection to a permanent location

During the Festival, classic Ava Gardner films The Barefoot Contessa, Mogambo, and The Night of the Iguana will be screened at the Howell Theater on Saturday, October 9th. Also, a special retrospective exhibit will be unveiled at the Ava Gardner Festival Gala, Friday, October 8 and will run through the end of May 2011.　

On Saturday, October 9th, heritage tours will be scheduled throughout the day.  These tours will be hosted by Doris Rollins Cannon, Johnston County native and Ava Gardner biographer, and Rick Lotz, Chair of the Museum's Board of Directors.  Visitors will be shown points of interest in Ava's hometown, including Ava's birthplace, the Teacherage where she grew up, the Howell Theater where Ava first went to the movies, and will end with a visit to her gravesite at Sunset Memorial Park.　

For more information about the festival, including Festival Package rates, please call the museum at 919-934-5830.