Ackland Events

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Student Edition!
2023-09-08 17:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Curious about what your campus art museum offers? Join the Ackland for an evening highlighting the ways students at UNC-Chapel Hill can get involved at the Museum.
The Ackland will be open until 9 p.m. for tonight’s 2nd Friday ArtWalk. With information on the various resources available to students at the Ackland, an opportunity to sign up for our free student membership, a button-making station, and guided gallery tours led by the Ackland Student Guides, there are many ways to engage! Visitors are also encouraged to explore the Ackland’s special exhibition, Reform to Restoration: French Drawings from Louis XVI to Louis XVIII (1770-1830).

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Acktoberfest
2023-10-13 18:00 - 21:00
Join us for a special Friday the 13th edition of Acktoberfest, our second annual celebration of the arts and tastes of the season. Spend a lighthearted evening kicking off spooky season with friends — look for “haunting” art, take part in mini writing workshops, and sample a selection of ciders and specialty cheeses from local makers.
Food and Drinks
Cheese and art pairings from The Cheese Shop (Carrboro, NC) and ciders on tap from Bull City Ciderworks (Durham, NC), both priced a la carte.
Experimental Writing
Visiting Writer A. Kendra Greene leads three mini writing workshops exploring ideas of shadow texts and erasure at 6, 6:30, and 7 p.m. Drop in to explore ideas of invisibility and the unknown during these interactive sessions. Read an excerpt aloud — if you dare?? — at our outdoor open mic at 7:30 p.m.
Art Exploration
Explore the galleries with guided looking prompts for the spooky season and a chance to see what’s new on view at the Ackland.
Library Pop-Up
How do authors represent the invisible? Leaf through a collection of books from UNC Libraries that explore ideas of invisibility, erasure, and ephemerality.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: "Step This Way" Interactive Performance
2023-11-10 19:00
“Step This Way” is a site-specific performance featuring live music and dance by Mark Gabriel Little and Maura García. The performance takes place on and around the pARC, an interactive playful installation designed and created by The Urban Conga on the Ackland’s Terrace. Throughout the performance, elements of the composition and choreography will shift based on a predetermined pattern and depending on how audience members interact with the space. The performance will loop and restart throughout the evening, with new sets beginning at 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., and 8:30 p.m.
“Step This Way” transforms the seemingly unrelated elements of the Museum and the surrounding areas into a unifying performance experience, with music and choreography that change as the environment and the people within it change throughout the duration of the piece. “Step This Way” celebrates place, the arts, and the capacity that we have to listen to, relate to, and beautifully respond to one another.
Free and open to the public. No tickets needed.
“Step This Way” is supported by a Grassroots grant from the Orange County Arts Commission and a gift from Allen Anderson and Tama Hochbaum. Technical support has been given by PlayMakers Repertory Company. The program is presented as part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro 2nd Friday ArtWalk.
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UNC-Chapel Hill Students can receive CLE credit for attending this performance. Scan the QR code at the event.
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Maura García (non-enrolled Cherokee/Mattamuskeet) is a dancer, dancemaker, entertainer, facilitator, thought leader and artistic director. From theater stages, to nightclubs, to museums, to conferences, to universities, to private events, to site-specific outdoor performances, Maura’s powerful work transforms time and space. At the root of all of her endeavors is the desire to heal and create more space for joy in the world.
As an artistic director, Maura collaborates with Indigenous and POC artists to realize multi-media performances, interactive dance experiences and community arts projects. Her narrative driven work uncovers stories hidden by colonialism and reflects the power they have to change our realities. As a human and as a creator, Maura works to uplift Indigenous cultural values, perpetuate ancestral knowledge and actively respect the living earth.
Maura is an international touring artist and shares her work with the world via specially-designed commissions, repertoire performances, multi-day residencies and longer-term community programs. Her performances have been presented throughout North America. Learn more on her website.
Mark Gabriel Little is a composer, singer, and musician based in Chapel Hill, NC. His work builds on a deep foundation in Negro musical traditions and incorporates elements from many other musical traditions including Indigenous southeastern woodlands of North America, Caribbean, West Africa, Classical European, and East Asia. Throughout his career, he has balanced producing boundary-breaking compositions with live performances as a solo act, in a band, or accompanying other performing artists. Commissions include a choral piece for the Maura Garcia Dance Company (Charleston, South Carolina) and an experimental symphony, “Fracking Music!” for the Ackland Art Museum (Chapel Hill, North Carolina). In his collaborations, MGL bridges visual and performing arts with an unconventional sound and music vocabulary. In addition to his portfolio of commissioned work, MGL writes and performs electric soul songs as MGL & The Rev. Hear some of Mark’s music on his website.

Holiday Arts Market
2023-12-08 17:00 - 21:00, 2023-12-09 10:00 - 16:00
The Ackland’s Holiday Arts Market, presented in partnership with Downtown Chapel Hill, will be held Friday, December 8 from 5-9 p.m. during the 2nd Friday ArtWalk and Saturday, December 9 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Purchase handmade holiday gifts both Friday and Saturday. Come for the gifts and enjoy music from Chapel Hill School of Musical Arts at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.
Handmade gifts from local artists include statement jewelry from Bold Standard (shown in bottom left of image); upcycled bags and jewelry from Calico Creates; jewelry from Pflora Metal Arts (shown in top right of image); prints, cards, and calendars from Ellie Snow (shown in bottom right of image); gemstone and wire jewelry from Creations by Guido; cyanotype nature prints on paper and textiles from Legacy Prints and Paper (shown in top left of image); colorful jewelry from Suijin Li, and fused art glass from Jennifer Strickland. While you’re here, explore The Outwin: American Portraiture Today.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Student Edition!
2024-01-12 17:00 - 21:00
Stop by the Ackland for January’s 2nd Friday ArtWalk to learn about the Museum’s resources and student membership program!
We will have a crafting activity with materials to respond to Stuart Robertson’s Self-Portrait of the Artist, which is on view in the special exhibition, The Outwin: American Portraiture Today closing on January 21! By looking close at this work of art, you’ll be prompted to respond and create your own self-portrait.
Have a friend that is not a student member? Bring them along for an evening of crafting and have them sign up to become a member!

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Sustainable Strut
2024-02-09 18:00 - 21:00
The UNC Undergraduate Student Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs is bringing the Sustainable Strut to the Ackland Art Museum this year!
The Sustainable Strut is a student-based fashion show that showcases clothing that has been cultivated sustainably and ethically. The show will feature a large group of student fashion organizations and designers. The mission is to bring awareness to the environmental degradation that textile pollution brings about by means of a diverse and inclusive fashion show.
Bringing together students of different perspectives and backgrounds, the Sustainable Strut was first launched in March 2023 and served as an epicenter of creativity and community. Student Government is pleased to be revamping the show this year and bringing it to life in the Ackland’s galleries during the 2nd Friday ArtWalk.
TICKETS
There will be two show times for the Sustainable Strut: 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Please reserve your ticket for the specific show time. Seating will begin 30 minutes before each show time and close 10 minutes before the start of the show. Seats that remain unfilled 10 minutes before the show risk being released to stand-by guests.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Game Night!
2024-03-08 17:00 - 21:00
Kick off spring break (and the evening before the UNC-Duke game) with a game night at the Ackland for 2nd Friday ArtWalk!
With prompts to help you draw, move, and think about art, questions to help you learn more about yourself and your friends, and a quiz to help you decide which gallery to visit first, there will be many ways to engage. For a little friendly competition, challenge your friends in gallery bingo to win Ackland swag.
Bring your friends and family, and be sure to explore Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum on view at the Ackland through April 28, 2024.
UNC-Chapel Hill students can receive Campus Life Experience credit for participating in this event. Look for and scan the QR code at the event to receive CLE credit.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Caldwell Artists in Conversation
2024-04-12 18:00 - 21:00
This program is now FULL. To be added to our WAITLIST, please email acklandRSVP@unc.edu.
Join us for a lively conversation entitled “We Work and Make Beautiful Things” featuring artists Teri Greeves (Kiowa) and Keri Ataumbi (Kiowa), who will discuss their artistic practices, influences that have shaped their work, and recent projects. Curator Jami Powell (Osage) will join the artists for a moderated conversation around themes of intergenerational knowledge transfer and women’s roles in arts and leadership as well as their connections to their own mothers, aunts, and grandmothers.
The talk begins at 6 p.m. and a reception for participants will follow. Registration is required — reserved your free ticket below!
The Ackland will be open before the talk and until 9 p.m. this evening.
This talk has been made possible by the generous support of the Caldwell Family Fund and has been co-organized with UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of American Studies in honor of Jenny Tone-Pah-Hote (Kiowa).

Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and Gilcrease Museum.
The Ackland’s presentation of this exhibition has been made possible by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation, and Jeff and Liesl Wilke ’92 (JD).
Exhibition-related public programs are supported by a Spark the Arts Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Additional support for the Ackland’s presentation of Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum is provided by Kerry D. Bird & Ken Gahagan.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Twilights on the Terrace
2024-06-14 18:00 - 21:00
Spend a summer evening making art at the Ackland’s 2nd Friday ArtWalk: Twilights on the Terrace.
Drop in to create pen and watercolor paintings inspired by Charlotte-based artist Georgie Nakima, whose installation Pantheress is on view through July 21 in the Ackland’s ART& space. This event is free, all ages, and all materials will be provided. NOTE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Georgie will no longer be able to attend the event.
Throughout the evening, Thirsty Skull Brewing (Siler City and Pittsboro, NC) will sell their local craft beer and a selection of snacks. The Museum galleries will remain open until 9 p.m.
This event is part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro 2nd Friday ArtWalk.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Twilights on the Terrace
2024-07-12 18:00 - 21:00
Spend a summer evening making art at the Ackland’s 2nd Friday ArtWalk: Twilights on the Terrace.
Relax on the Ackland’s front Terrace with a drop-in project inspired by Philip Taaffe’s painting Granada, making geometric wax-resist watercolors – free, all ages, and all materials provided. Taaffe’s painting is featured in our current exhibition Arranged: Recent Acquisitions of Modern and Contemporary Paintings on view through September 1.
The Museum will be open until 9 p.m.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: "Processing Systems: Bonding by Sherrill Roland" Opening Reception
2024-08-09 18:00 - 21:00
Join the Ackland in celebrating the newest installation in our ART& space, Processing Systems: Bonding by Sherrill Roland, on view from August 9, 2024, through July 13, 2025.
Sherrill Roland (born 1984) is a North Carolina-based interdisciplinary artist whose practice deals with ideas of innocence, identity, and community; his works reimagine those notions’ social and political implications in the context of the American criminal justice system. In Processing Systems: Bonding by Sherrill Roland, he repurposes the United States Federal and State Correctional Identification Numbers into a set of artmaking parameters through drawing with system-based materials, including sudoku puzzles and number place games. By combining groups of correctional IDs of individuals and their family members, he presents conceptual numerical portraits and family trees.
During the 2nd Friday ArtWalk, we will be celebrating with drinks and snacks. Roland will be onsite to talk with attendees, as well as make some informal remarks and answer the crowd’s questions about his artwork around 7PM.
Join us for an evening honoring Sherrill Roland and welcoming the installation to our community.
RSVP is required. Each person RSVPing may claim a drink ticket (non-alcoholic or alcoholic); ID will be checked at the bar.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Student Edition!
2024-09-13 17:00 - 21:00
Curious about what your campus art museum offers? Join the Ackland for an evening highlighting the ways students at UNC-Chapel Hill can get involved at the Museum.
The Ackland will be open until 9 p.m. for September’s 2nd Friday ArtWalk. With information on the various resources available to students at the Ackland, an opportunity to sign up for our free student membership, and a coloring station, there are many ways to engage! Student-Made vendors will be selling their wares throughout the evening. Visitors can complete a gallery game for Ackland swag! Light refreshments will be available while supplies last.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Acktoberfest
2024-10-11 18:00 - 20:00
The Ackland’s third annual evening of art-inspired cheese and drink pairings. This year’s Acktoberfest will feature cheese pairings curated by The Cheese Shop, beers by Steel String Brewery, mini tours of Dürer to Matisse, and more.
Art-inspired cheese plates and paired craft beers available to purchase on site at the event. Admission and mini-tours are free to attend.
Public programs for Dürer to Matisse: 400 Years of European Prints are supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Focus on American Indian Art on Paper
2024-11-08 18:00 - 18:45, 2025-03-14 18:00 - 18:45
Join Peter Nisbet (Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs) and Carolyn Allmendinger (Interim Director and Director of Education and Interpretation) for an intimate and conversational close looking session with the Ackland’s small but growing collection of American Indian art on paper, works that are light-sensitive and therefore not exhibited often. They will share insights about a selection of drawings, prints, and photographs, including a number of recent acquisitions.
Space is very limited; please register for a free ticket below. A second session will be held at 7 p.m.

Focus on American Indian Art on Paper
2024-11-08 19:00 - 19:45, 2025-03-14 19:00 - 19:45
Join Peter Nisbet (Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs) and Carolyn Allmendinger (Interim Director and Director of Education and Interpretation) for an intimate and conversational close looking session with the Ackland’s small but growing collection of American Indian art on paper, works that are light-sensitive and therefore not exhibited often. They will share insights about a selection of drawings, prints, and photographs, including a number of recent acquisitions.
Space is very limited; please register for a free ticket below. An additional session will be held at 6 p.m.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Ackland Print Sale
2024-12-13 17:00 - 21:00
During the evening of December 13, the Ackland Art Museum will be open until 9 p.m. for the 2nd Friday ArtWalk. Mingle with local printmakers and buy original work at reasonable prices. This event is being held in conjunction with the exhibition Dürer to Matisse: 400 Years of European Prints. Printmakers Katie Hayes (New South Pattern House), Shady Kimzey, Jason DuPertuis, Eileen Hammond, Tyler Green, Antoinette Vogt, Mort O’Sullivan and Robby Poore will be in attendance.
There’s still time to apply to attend as a printmaker and sell your prints! Please apply here by December 6: https://ackland.org/ackland-print-sale-2024-application-form/.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Sustainable Strut
2025-02-14 18:00 - 21:00
Both performances are now SOLD OUT. To have your name added to the waitlist, please email acklandRSVP@unc.edu and indicate whether you prefer the 6 p.m. show, the 7:30 p.m. show, or could attend either.
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The UNC Undergraduate Student Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs is returning to the Ackland for the Sustainable Strut!
The Sustainable Strut is a student-based fashion show that showcases clothing that has been cultivated sustainably and ethically. The show will feature a large group of student fashion organizations and designers. The mission is to bring awareness to the environmental degradation that textile pollution brings about by means of a diverse and inclusive fashion show.
TICKETS
There will be two show times for the Sustainable Strut: 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Please reserve your ticket for the specific show time. Seating will begin 30 minutes before each show time and close 10 minutes before the start of the show. Seats that remain unfilled 10 minutes before the show risk being released to stand-by guests. A limited number of Standing Room Only spaces will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis at each show.
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Both performances are now SOLD OUT. To have your name added to the waitlist, please email acklandRSVP@unc.edu and indicate whether you prefer the 6 p.m. show, the 7:30 p.m. show, or could attend either.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: "Phantom Limb" Artist Workshops and Tours
2025-04-11 17:00 - 21:00
Join us for a special 2nd Friday ArtWalk focused on the newly-opened exhibition Phantom Limb: Selected Works by the MFA Class of 2025! Drop in throughout the night for hands-on workshops with two of the artists whose work is on view or hop on a mini tour of the exhibition by its curator.
The Museum is open until 9 p.m. tonight and, as always, offers free admission.

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About 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.

Phantom Limb: Selected Works by the MFA Class of 2025 is curated by Julianne Miao, curatorial associate at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.

This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of Carol Cole Levin, Vincent Joseph Kopp and Katherine Craft Kopp, and Maryanna and Will Johnson.

https://ackland.org/exhibition/phantom-limb-selected-works-by-the-mfa-class-of-2025/

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Create Your Own "Radical" Clay Sculpture
2025-06-13 17:30 - 21:00, 2025-07-11 17:30 - 21:00
Spend a summer evening creating your own “radical” clay sculpture during this month’s 2nd Friday ArtWalk inspired by the Ackland’s new exhibition Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan.
Relax on the Ackland’s front Terrace during this drop-in experimental clay workshop led by local ceramic artist Betsy Vaden. The event is free, all ages, and all materials will be provided. The Museum will be open until 9 p.m. to see the exhibition and more.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Opening Reception for “Jen Clay: Soft Night, Watching”
2025-08-08 17:00 - 21:00
Join the Ackland in celebrating the newest installation in our ART& space, Jen Clay: Soft Night, Watching, on view from August 8, 2025, through July 12, 2026.
Soft Night, Watching, is an interactive quilted installation that invites viewers to experience an evening forest scene filled with uncanny forms and figures. Artist Jen Clay (American, born 1985) utilizes the tactile properties of her hand-dyed cotton, satin, velvet, and polyester minky fabric to create art that welcomes physical handling. Into these textiles, she constructs flaps that hide ambiguous phrases like “You’ll always be mine,” and “It will never be like this again” – statements that can seem optimistic or menacing. Clay combines the soft textures, the text, and the not-quite-familiar forms to inspire both comfort and unease.
Clay uses the strangeness of an archetypal forest as a metaphor for the sense of unfamiliarity and disorientation that can accompany mental health experiences such as hallucinations. She writes, “I aim to confront and understand fear and anxiety, both for myself and others. My work allows individuals to touch, hear, and immerse themselves in a safe space to experience uncertainty.”
During the 2nd Friday ArtWalk, we will be celebrating with drinks and snacks. Clay will be onsite to talk with attendees, as well as make some informal remarks and answer the crowd’s questions about her artwork around 7PM.
Join us for an evening honoring Jen Clay and welcoming the installation to our community.
RSVP is required. Each person RSVPing may claim a drink ticket (non-alcoholic or alcoholic); ID will be checked at the bar.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Extended Museum Hours
2025-09-12 17:00 - 21:00, 2026-01-09 17:00 - 21:00
Join us for extended hours at the Ackland Art Museum during the Carrboro-Chapel Hill 2nd Friday ArtWalk! Each month, we stay open from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. to give visitors more time to explore.
Stroll through our galleries featuring highlights from a collection of over 21,000 works of art, browse the Museum Store, and sketch in the galleries using art supplies from our lobby’s art cart.
Admission to the Ackland is always free; no prior registration needed. Whether you’re stopping by solo or bringing friends, come be inspired during our extended open hours!

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Acktoberfest
2025-10-10 17:00 - 21:00
Join us for the Ackland Art Museum’s fourth annual Acktoberfest – an evening of art-inspired cheese and drink pairings, plus a floral arranging craft station inspired by the special exhibition Color Triumphant: Modern Art from the Collection of Julian and Josie Robertson.
Cheese and alcoholic beverage pairings curated by Wedgewood Cheese Bar will be available to purchase on site. Moved by the beauty and nature featured in Color Triumphant, visitors can create their own work of art to take home at a hands-on floral arrangement station.
As always, admission to the Ackland is free; no registration required to attend or craft.

Focus on American Indian Art on Paper
2025-11-14 18:00 - 18:45
This session is now FULL.

Join Peter Nisbet (deputy director for curatorial affairs) and Carolyn Allmendinger (director of education and interpretation) for an intimate and conversational close looking session with the Ackland’s small but growing collection of American Indian art on paper, works that are light-sensitive and therefore not exhibited often. They will share insights about two recent acquisitions.
Space is very limited; please register for a free ticket below. An additional session will be held at 7 p.m.

This event is part of UNC–Chapel Hill’s Campus Life Experience (CLE) program. Students who attend can scan the QR code provided at the event to receive CLE credit.

Focus on American Indian Art on Paper
2025-11-14 19:00 - 19:45
Join Peter Nisbet (deputy director for curatorial affairs) and Carolyn Allmendinger (director of education and interpretation) for an intimate and conversational close looking session with the Ackland’s small but growing collection of American Indian art on paper, works that are light-sensitive and therefore not exhibited often. They will share insights about two recent acquisitions.
Space is very limited; please register for a free ticket below. An additional session will be held at 6 p.m.

This event is part of UNC–Chapel Hill’s Campus Life Experience (CLE) program. Students who attend can scan the QR code provided at the event to receive CLE credit.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Holiday Market
2025-12-12 17:00 - 21:00
Looking for some artsy holiday gifts? Stop by the Ackland Art Museum on Friday, December 12 from 5-9 p.m. for a holiday art and craft market featuring local artists. Browse handmade goods, support local creativity, and explore the exhibition Color Triumphant: Modern Art from the Collection of Julian and Josie Robertson before it closes on January 4th!
As always, admission to the Ackland is a free. No RSVP required.
