Ackland Art Museum, on the University of North Carolina campus, at 101 South Columbia Street, is always free to visit.
The Ackland’s permanent collection features more than 19,000 works of art, including Asian art, North Carolina pottery, collections of European masterworks, and more.
Visiting Ackland Art Museum
Hours
Ackland Art Museum is free to visit. Hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
In addition, they’re open the 2nd Friday of the month from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum is closed on dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Find the holiday closure dates here.
Parking
There are several nearby parking decks, and over 400 metered spaces within a short walk of the Ackland Art Museum. Use Park on the Hill to learn about all the parking options.
Weeknight parking in the Ackland Porthole Alley lot requires a $1 permit. Evening parking Friday to Sunday does not require a permit. Learn about UNC’s parking permits.
Cost
The Ackland is free to visit, but some of the events have a ticket price. Often these events are free for members.
Accessibility
Some things to know about accessibility:
- The front entrance is ramped, but there is not an automatic opener.
- There are two accessible parking spots in the Porthole Alley lot. When you arrive pull up to the gate and ring the security desk from the call box.
- An elevator serves all floors of the Ackland.
- The Ackland has one single-stall, wheelchair-accessible restroom.
- Large-print interpretive materials are available.
Learn about The Ackland’s accessibility.
Current and Upcoming Exhibits at Ackland Art Museum
More than half of the gallery space contains special and traveling exhibitions. Here’s what is on view now:
Ackland Upstairs Spring 2025 Install 2
March 12 to May 11, 2025
Focus on the Peck Collection: A little Goes a Long Way: Small-Scale Prints and Drawings
February 14 to May 4, 2025
Triple Take: Dialogues with the Terra Collection-in-Residence
January 31 to May 11, 2025
Processing Systems: Bonding by Sherril Roland
August 9, 2024, to July 13, 2025
Permanent Collection Galleries
Permanent
Learn more about each of these exhibits.
Upcoming Events with Ackland Art Museum
Here are some of the upcoming events at the Ackland. Most events require registration.
Public Opening of “Phantom Limb: Selected Works by the MFA Class of 2025”
Thursday, March 27, 2025
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Free (registration required and includes a drink)
Join the Ackland in celebrating the opening of Phantom Limb: Selected Works by the MFA Class of 2025!
A phantom limb is the sensation of a part of one’s body still being present when it has been removed. In science and philosophy, the phenomenon has been used to understand how we link the mind and body, localize pain, and exhibit the lasting effects of trauma. In this exhibition, the artists of the graduating Master of Fine Arts in studio art class of 2025 examine the ways in which something can be missing, through erasure, force, trickery, chance, or misfortune; nevertheless, a legacy, aura, or presence can still be felt. Rebecca Pempek depicts fantastical images of the body in an effort to make sense of pain. John Felix Arnold reimagines landscapes of the American South to consider the ways they hold onto legacies of labor and violence. Dominique Muñoz’s installation uses personal family archives to simultaneously conjure and erase the presence of loved and lost ones. Carson Whitmore builds on utilitarian objects that are rendered useless, lead to nowhere, and are missing parts. Together, all four artists address loss, whether personal or environmental, and how we cope with its lingering effects.
The museum will be celebrating the opening with light refreshments. Brief remarks will be made at 6:15 p.m. and the MFA students will be onsite to meet and greet throughout the course of the event.
RSVP is required. Each person RSVPing may claim a drink ticket (non-alcoholic or alcoholic); ID will be checked at the bar.
Find all upcoming events and registration links here.
Becoming a Member of Ackland Art Museum
Becoming a member of the Ackland is a way to support the museum, and it also affords you some benefits.
Current UNC at Chapel Hill students get free membership.
A basic membership is $60 for individuals and $100 for households, and provides these benefits:
- 10% discount in the Museum Store
- Subscription to member e-newsletter
- Notices and announcements of Museum events, programs and activities
- Enrollment in the University and College Art Museum Reciprocal Program
- Free or reduced amission to public programs
- Invitations to member-only exhibition previews, events and local travel committee trips
- Member pricing for special events
Double-Check Before You Head Out!
We make every effort to make sure that everything on Triangle on the Cheap is 100% accurate.
However, sometimes things change without notice, and it’s also possible that we can make a mistake.
Please verify all deals and events with the venue or organizer before you go.
More Events
Check out our list of free and cheap events in Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle this weekend, or our full event calendar in the Triangle, or just look at few upcoming events here:
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