Ackland Art Museum, on the University of North Carolina campus, at 101 South Columbia Street, is always free to visit.
Its permanent collection consists of more than 17,000 works of art, featuring North Carolina’s premier collections of Asian art and works of art on paper (drawings, prints, and photographs), as well as significant collections of European masterworks, twentieth-century and contemporary art, and North Carolina pottery. The Ackland organizes more than a dozen special exhibitions a year.
Please read on to learn about Ackland’s safety plan, current exhibits, how to get a timed ticket, and the upcoming virtual events, both for adults and kids.
Ackland Art Museum has been closed through the pandemic, but is re-opening to the public starting January 27th, 2021, with timed ticketing and limited capacity.
The museum will be open from Wednesday to Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Timed tickets will be for 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4 p.m. They will be very limited.
There will also be days specifically for members. Learn more about membership.
Safety Information from Ackland Art Museum
Mask Policy
- We require all staff and visitors to wear masks while visiting the Museum. We are wearing masks to protect you, so we ask you to wear a mask to protect us.
- Please wear a fitted mask. Gaiters, vented masks, and bandanas are not currently accepted.
- Face masks will be available free of charge for those who arrive without one.
- We ask that you delay your visit if you or anyone in your party cannot wear a mask for any reason.
Health & Safety
- We prescreen the health of our employees, requiring them to stay home if they feel sick, and we ask our visitors to do the same. If you or anyone in your party are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, we ask that you reschedule your visit to the Ackland.
- Hand sanitizer stations are located throughout the Museum. We encourage visitors and staff to use them and to wash your hands often.
- We have enhanced our cleaning procedures and frequently disinfect regularly touched surfaces. Cleaning is happening continuously throughout the day and deeper cleaning will take place between scheduled visitor time slots.
- Overall capacity is limited to 25% for each one-hour timed entry to allow for more physical distancing throughout the building. All galleries will be monitored by staff and have capacities posted. We ask that you help us by spreading out at least 6 feet from other individuals and groups.
- Plexiglass shields have been installed in our lobby check-in desk and museum store.
- An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is extremely contagious.
What Will Be Different?
- Access to the lockers and coat room is currently unavailable. Please help us keep each other and the art safe by planning to leave large bags, food, and drinks at home.
- Our Museum Store is open with limited capacity. Please be especially mindful of other patrons and staff when in this space.
- All shared surfaces and furniture have been removed from galleries and common areas, including ART&. Gallery stools are available in the lobby to those who need them; they will be cleaned by staff after each use.
- The second-floor gallery space is currently closed. The study gallery (renamed Object Lessons) has moved into Gallery 6 on the main level.
- Visitors are encouraged to access our About the Art Guides and Gallery Maps digitally with QR codes located throughout the Museum if possible. Disposable physical self-guided tours and gallery maps will be available in the lobby.
- Public tours, on-site programs, and other in-person events are currently suspended. We will continue to offer high-quality online programming for all on our website so that at-home visitors can remain connected with the Ackland while our pandemic protocols are in effect.
Current Exhibits at Ackland Art Museum
holding space for nobility: a memorial for Breonna Taylor
October 30th, 2020 to July 4th, 2021
Clouding: Shape and Sign in Asian Art
September 11th, 2020 to September 12th, 2021
Yayoi Kusama: Open the Shape Called Love
January 31st, 2020 to March 28th, 2021
Permanent Collection Galleries
Upcoming Events with Ackland Art Museum
Virtual Family & Friends Sunday: Dance into Kusama’s World
Sunday, January 24th, 2021
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Free (follow above link to register for the workshops)
Virtual
Explore the world of Yayoi Kusama with a storytime video, polka-dot dance, and a closer look at her works on display at the Ackland for our first Virtual Family & Friends Sunday of 2021!
Each month, the Ackland hosts a free program for families, kids, and the young at heart featuring hands-on art activities, live performances, tours, and more. Although the museum’s doors are closed for our community’s safety, you can still explore the art virtually!
A mix of D.I.Y. and live interactive activities await you, all inspired by the Ackland’s current exhibition, Yayoi Kusama: Open the Shape Called Love.
Activities include:
- Movement workshops for kids and adults
- Storytimes
- Art-making
- Artist spotlight videos
Ackland Film Forum: “Filibus” Watch Party and Panel
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021
7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Free (follow above link to register)
Virtual
This spring, in collaboration with the Film Studies Programs in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at UNC-Chapel Hill, the Ackland Film Forum continues its all virtual series on Queer Cinema, now expanding to a selection of four international films for a look at Global Queer Cinema. View the selected films on your own or join us for a watch party. Watch parties will be followed by a live post-film panel discussion with scholars from around the globe.
The first film in the Global Queer Cinema series will be Filibus (Mario Roncoroni, 1915, Italy). The film will be available to stream January 29-February 4, 2021 with a watch party on Tuesday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. followed by a live panel discussion at 9 p.m. Register below to receive a link to stream the film and a link to attend the panel via Zoom on February 2.
Odd Couples: Objects in Conversations
Friday, February 5th, 2021
12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Free (follow above link to register)
Virtual
Join Ackland Graduate Intern Sarah Farkas and Object Based Teaching Fellow Erin Dickey for a guided look at artwork from opposite corners of the Ackland’s collection. See how unexpected pairings can lead to exciting new insights!
This program will be held virtually, via Zoom. Registered participants will receive a link to join the program in a separate email.
Hanes Visiting Artist Series: Sousveillance
Monday, February 8th, 2021
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Free (follow above link to register)
Virtual
Sousveillance – watching from below, “the monitoring of authorities by informal networks of regular people, equipped with little more than cellphone cameras, video blogs and the desire to remain vigilant against the excesses of the powers that be.”
In this conversation, Whitehead, Gaspar, and Ngô will speak on their respective practices which encompass performance, social practice, and installation, among others. They will draw relationships amongst their research which engage themes of liberation, surveillance, and belonging in the spirit of a collective building of knowledge.
Virtual Art Adventures Morning Session: Paper Relief Sculptures
Saturday, February 13th, 2021
10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Virtual Art Adventures Afternoon Session: Paper Relief Sculptures
1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Free to $5 (pay what you can)
Virtual
Join us as the Ackland takes our popular Art Adventures class online with instructor Allison Tierney! We will be making paper relief sculptures inspired by Gaston Chaissac’s work on view in Object Lessons.
As of January 27, the Ackland will be open to the public. Should your family feel comfortable viewing the piece in person, we would love to see you in the galleries! Please visit our calendar to learn more about Timed Ticketing.
Class sessions will be limited to 15 participants*. A supply list, printable template, and Zoom meeting link will be distributed to registrants prior to the class session. To use Zoom, students will need access to an internet-connected computer, smartphone, or tablet with a built-in microphone; caregiver assistance may be needed. Art Adventures is geared towards children aged 6-9.
*Families with more than one child can participate together and should only register once.
During this time, we want to make sure price isn’t an added burden for families – please select the ticket price that you feel comfortable with ($0.00 or $5.00).
Close Looks at Cocktail Hour: Tennessee Williams’ Midnite Show
Wednesday, February 17th, 2021
5 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Free (follow above link to register)
Virtual
Join the Ackland’s Object Based Teaching Fellow, Erin Dickey, for an informal conversation focused on one work of art from the Ackland’s new Close Looks digital feature. Plan to look closely and think collectively—and bring a drink of your choosing.
On March 17, we’ll look at acclaimed playwright Tennessee William’s artwork, Midnite Show.
Registration is limited.
“Posing Modernity: A Retrospective View” with Denise Murrell
Friday, February 19th, 2021
3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Free (follow above link to register)
Virtual
Join us for a free virtual conversation with Denise Murrell about her exhibition Posing Modernity: The Black Model from Manet and Matisse to Today, which was on view at the Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, in 2018 and 2019. Murrell is a UNC alumna (’76) and she was recently appointed Associate Curator, Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Art, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Virtual Family & Friends Sunday: Year of the Ox
Sunday, February 28th, 2021
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Free (follow above link to register)
Virtual
Celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year (celebrated on February 12, 2021) with a storytime, UNC-Chapel Hill’s very own Flying Silk dance troupe, and a closer look at works on display at the Ackland!
Each month, the Ackland hosts a free program for families, kids, and the young at heart featuring hands-on art activities, live performances, tours, and more. Although the museum’s doors are closed for our community’s safety, you can still explore the art virtually!
A mix of D.I.Y. and live interactive activities await you, with more details to be added soon.
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More upcoming art events
Saturday, April 24, 2021
Friday, April 30, 2021
Saturday, May 1, 2021
Sunday, May 2, 2021
Friday, May 7, 2021
Saturday, May 8, 2021
Sunday, May 9, 2021
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Virtual
