TOUR: A Closer Look at the Collection
2023-10-07 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-10-14 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-11-04 13:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Join Ackland educators for a lively half-hour look at two works of art. These engaging conversational tours offer a closer look at and new perspectives on works on view from the Ackland’s collection.

Last Look Tour for "Reform to Restoration"
2023-10-08 15:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
A final look at the fabulous French drawings of the Horvitz collection, led by Reform to Restoration curator and Sheldon Peck Curator for European and American Art before 1950 Dana Cowen.
Space is limited; free tickets required.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Reform to Restoration: French Drawings from Louis XVI to Louis XVIII (1770-1830) presents over eighty master drawings from The Horvitz Collection, the preeminent private collection of French art in the United States, and showcases some of the most well-known artists of the period, including Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and Pierre-Paul Prud’hon. Working in a time of tremendous political and social upheaval in France, artists looked to the art, architecture, and literature of ancient Greece and Rome for inspiration and used stories from antique history and mythology as well as current events and contemporary theater to convey moral and civic values during a period of great uncertainty. Arranged in thematic groupings devoted to the concepts of patriotism, love, honor, conflict, and despair, the works on display demonstrate the intellectual curiosity of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century French artists as well as the expressive versatility and powerful immediacy of drawings.
Image credit: Antoine-Charles-Horace Vernet, called CARLE VERNET (1758-1836), Scene of Combat in Egypt, ND, Black chalk, stumped, and brush with brown and gray wash, heightened with white gouache on three joined sheets of off-white wove paper, 718 x 970 mm. (Framed: 48 ¼ x 37 ¼ x 1 ¾ ), L2023.6.22

Ackland Film Forum: "Misery" (Rob Reiner, 1990)
2023-10-10 19:30 | Varsity Theatre, 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Misery
Dir. Rob Reiner, 1990
Co-sponsored by Playmakers Repertory Company in connection with their stage production of Stephen King’s Misery, October 11-31 (https://playmakersrep.org/show/misery/)
Introduced by Henry Veggian, English & Comparative Literature
Adapted from Stephen King’s novel, Misery is a tongue-in-cheek psychological horror film that explores the relationship between a bestselling romance novelist (played by James Caan) and his most devoted fan (played by Kathy Bates). Not unlike The Shining, this film imparts a vivid feeling of confinement in a single, snowy, remote setting that dominates the narrative. Bates’ performance earned her Best Actress at that year’s Academy Awards. This film will frighten you but will also inspire grins and laughter. King has called it one of the best adaptations of his work, which suggests that it captures his intended tone. See the film and then be sure to catch the stage adaptation by William Goldman over at Playmakers this October!

Register for a FREE ticket below!
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This Fall’s Ackland Film Forum series, Nineties Flashback, is presented by the Ackland Art Museum and the UNC Film Studies Program, part of the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of English and Comparative Literature.
All Ackland Film Forum screenings are part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Campus Life Experience program. Scan the QR code at the event for CLE credit.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Acktoberfest
2023-10-13 18:00 - 21:00 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
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.

A Closer Look at the Ackland Collection
2023-10-15 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-10-27 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-11-05 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-11-12 13:00 - 13:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States

TOUR: A Closer Look at the Collection
2023-10-20 13:00 - 13:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Join Ackland educators for a lively half-hour look at two works of art. These engaging conversational tours offer a closer look at and new perspectives on works on view from the Ackland’s collection.
Free. No ticket needed!

Drawing in the Galleries
2023-10-21 10:00 - 12:00 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Join us for our popular Drawing in the Galleries program this month during Studio Saturday! Amanda Hughes leads participants in a creative exploration of a particular object in the Ackland’s collection. Participants all draw from one object using their own gallery-safe materials (paper/notebooks and dry media like crayons and pencils), then discuss what they’ve noticed through the process of drawing. All levels are welcome.

Art Adventures (Morning Session)
2023-10-21 10:30 - 12:00 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
In this art-inspired, hands-on art-making class for six- to nine-year-olds, participants will create their own masterpieces inspired by works of art at the Ackland. Classes are led by instructor Allison Tierney.
Cost: $5; Free for Ackland Members at the Household Level and above. Register below. Each session limited to ten participants.

Drawing for Tweens
2023-10-21 10:30 - 12:00 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
This program invites ten- to thirteen-year-olds to look at selected works in the Ackland’s collection and identify techniques that the artists used to make them. Gallery teacher Daniel Hammer demonstrates and teaches participants technical skills, which they can then apply to their own artistic creations. A mix of drawing from works on display and creating one’s own original works is offered in each session. Materials are provided.
Cost: $5; free to Ackland Members at the Household Level and above. Register below. Class sessions will be limited to 10 participants.

Art Adventures (Afternoon Session)
2023-10-21 13:00 - 14:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States

Ackland Film Forum: "Eve's Bayou" (Kasi Lemmons, 1997)
2023-10-24 19:30 | Varsity Theatre, 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Eve’s Bayou
Dir. Kasi Lemmons, 1997
Introduced by new faculty member Prof. Daelena Tinnin-Gadson, English & Comparative Literature
A Southern Gothic thriller/coming-of-age drama set in 1960s Louisiana, Kasi Lemmons’ first feature film follows a young girl (Jurnee Smollett) as she grapples with new knowledge of her charismatic father’s (Samuel L. Jackson) philandering. With its layered performances from a predominantly Black cast, the film offers a portrait of a family unraveling internally, within an environment marked by Creole folklore. In a decade that saw the renaissance of Black popular cinema, Eve’s Bayou, as an independent feature, undertakes a subtler, quieter exploration of African American subjectivity and memory through the eyes of a child whose sense of reality is thrown into crisis. Despite its modest budget, the film found favor with both critics and audiences, and was the most commercially successful independent film of 1997. Its reputation has only improved with age.
This Fall’s Ackland Film Forum series, Nineties Flashback, is presented by the Ackland Art Museum and the UNC Film Studies Program, part of the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of English and Comparative Literature.
All Ackland Film Forum screenings are part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Campus Life Experience program. Scan the QR code at the event for CLE credit.

Student-Led Tour: Explore the Ackland's World-Class Art Collection
2023-10-27 16:00 - 16:30, 2023-10-28 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-10-29 13:00 - 13:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Join an interactive, thematic tour of artworks on view at the Ackland led by a Carolina student during Carolina Family Weekend! Ackland Student Guides craft and deliver lively conversational tours of the collection based on themes they’ve chosen, from tragic love stories to copycats in art. After the tour, stick around to explore the incredible collection, as well as self-guided offerings like our Art & Music playlist and interactive ArtBot.
The Ackland Art Museum’s hours during Family Weekend are: Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m. Admission is always free! Visit ackland.org to learn more.

Ackland Film Forum: "Ring" (Hideo Nakata, 1998)
2023-10-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Nelson Mandela Auditorium, FedEx Global Ed Center, 301 Pittsboro St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Ring
Dir. Hideo Nakata, 1998
Co-sponsored by Carolina Asia Center and presented at the Nelson Mandela Auditorium, FedEx Global Education Center, 301 Pittsboro St, Chapel Hill
Introduced by Chapel Hill Film Society
This small, modestly budgeted Japanese film caused an international sensation and inspired countless sequels, remakes, and rip-offs. Produced before “viral video” was a concept in our digital era, Ring concerns a VHS tape that enchants and curses anyone who watches it, marking them for death. As a spectator, one feels almost physically exposed to the contagious media within the film by virtue of our perceptual relationship to the screen. Far more interesting than its over-the-top American remakes, Ring makes use of low-key atmospheric stimuli, slowing the pace and thinning out the expressive field so that the mere sound of wind or the crack of a doorway from offscreen raises the hair on your neck. Taking inspiration not only from Japanese ghost story traditions but also from Western films such as The Innocents, The Haunting, and Poltergeist, this film is one of the standouts of the decade, a must-see that launched “J-horror” as a global phenomenon.
This Fall’s Ackland Film Forum series, Nineties Flashback, is presented by the Ackland Art Museum and the UNC Film Studies Program, part of the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of English and Comparative Literature. Tonight’s screening is sponsored by the Carolina Asia Center.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m.
All Ackland Film Forum screenings are part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Campus Life Experience program. Scan the QR code at the event for CLE credit.

TOUR: A Closer Look at "The Outwin"
2023-11-03 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-11-10 13:00 - 13:30, 2023-11-17 13:00 - 13:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Join Ackland educators for a lively half-hour look at two works of art. These engaging conversational tours offer a closer look at and new perspectives on works on view from The Outwin: American Portraiture Today.
Free. No ticket needed!
The Outwin: American Portraiture Today has been organized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The competition and exhibition are made possible by the Virginia Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition Endowment, established by Virginia Outwin Boochever and sustained by her family. The Ackland’s presentation is supported in part by Caroline and Arthur Rogers.
Organized by:

Curator-Led Tour of "The Outwin: American Portraiture Today"
2023-11-03 15:30 - 16:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Join Lauren Turner, Associate Curator for Contemporary Art and Special Projects, for a first look at The Outwin: American Portraiture Today. Explore how the 2022 winners of the triennial competition held at the National Portrait Gallery have pushed the boundaries of contemporary portraiture, producing moving works that engage with the social and political landscape of our time.
Space is limited. Register for a free ticket below!
The Outwin: American Portraiture Today has been organized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The competition and exhibition are made possible by the Virginia Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition Endowment, established by Virginia Outwin Boochever and sustained by her family. The Ackland’s presentation is supported in part by Caroline and Arthur Rogers.
Organized by:

Ackland Film Forum: "The Double Life of Veronique" (K. Kieślowski, 1991)
2023-11-07 19:30, 2023-11-07 21:30 | Varsity Theatre, 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
The Double Life of Véronique
Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1991
Introduced by Prof. Gregory Flaxman, English & Comparative Literature
The most visually stunning film in our series this semester, The Double Life of Véronique concerns the intersecting lives of two women who are unknown to one another: a French music teacher and a Polish singer who are both played by the same actress, Irène Jacob. Kieślowski’s metaphysical style conveys their links through a system of doublings that never spells things out for us. Not unlike the protagonists, we feel profundity without exactly knowing why. Prepare for an emotionally rapturous, strangely suspenseful experience that the greatest art cinema provides. This film’s use of music and ambient sound makes it a feast for the ears no less than the eyes.
Register for a FREE Ticket below!
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This Fall’s Ackland Film Forum series, Nineties Flashback, is presented by the Ackland Art Museum and the UNC Film Studies Program, part of the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of English and Comparative Literature.
All Ackland Film Forum screenings are part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Campus Life Experience program. Scan the QR code at the event for CLE credit.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: "Step This Way" Interactive Performance
2023-11-10 19:00 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
“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.

A Closer Look at the Ackland Collection
2023-11-11 13:00 - 13:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Join Ackland educators for a lively half-hour at two works of art. These engaging conversational tours offer a closer look at and new perspectives on works on view from the Ackland’s collection.

Lecture-Demonstration with Maura García and Mark Gabriel Little
2023-11-12 14:00 - 15:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Join choreographer/dancer Maura García and composer/musician Mark Gabriel Little for an interactive lecture-demonstration that extends the creative experience of their commissioned immersive performance Step This Way, which will be performed on Friday, November 10, 2023 from 7-9 p.m. during the 2nd Friday ArtWalk. On Sunday, November 12, Dancer-musician duo García and Little will return to the Ackland to lead an interactive event that looks at their creative process, discusses their artistic practices, and encourages participants to ask questions and try out elements of their techniques.
Free and open to all ages. No experience necessary. Space is limited, so please register for a free ticket.
“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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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.

Ackland Film Forum: "The Legend of Drunken Master" (Lau Kar-leung, 1994)
2023-11-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Nelson Mandela Auditorium, FedEx Global Ed Center, 301 Pittsboro St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
The Legend of Drunken Master (also known as Drunken Master II)
Dir. Lau Kar-leung, 1994
Co-sponsored by Carolina Asia Center and presented at the Nelson Mandela Auditorium, FedEx Global Education Center, 301 Pittsboro St, Chapel Hill
Introduced by Prof. Rick Warner, English & Comparative Literature, Director of Film Studies
Jackie Chan, the most highly skilled and daring combiner of comedy and martial arts in the history of cinema, plays the historical figure Wong Fei-hong in this exuberant action showcase that Time magazine calls one of the 100 greatest films ever made. Set in early 20th century China, the plot hinges on family conflicts and a national confrontation with British colonial rule. Will Wong Fei-hong be able to harness his remarkable command of the “drunken boxing” style of hand to hand combat, despite the fact that this very style brings his family public embarrassment? A long-delayed sequel to a 1978 production that also starred Chan, this anticolonial action comedy from Hong Kong elicits laughter and awe in equal measure as it sets out to reclaim for onscreen martial arts a sense of physical veracity and grace that had gotten lost on account of wirework and other special effects for which Chan and legendary director/action choreographer Lau Kar-leung have little use.
This Fall’s Ackland Film Forum series, Nineties Flashback, is presented by the Ackland Art Museum and the UNC Film Studies Program, part of the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of English and Comparative Literature. Tonight’s screening is co-sponsored by the Carolina Asia Center.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m.
All Ackland Film Forum screenings are part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Campus Life Experience program. Scan the QR code at the event for CLE credit.
