TOUR: A Closer Look at the Collection
2025-08-09 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 a small handful of artworks. These engaging conversational tours offer a closer look at and new perspectives on works on view at the Museum. This is a free event; no registration required.

TOUR: A Closer Look at “Radical Clay”
2025-08-10 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-17 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-22 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-23 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-24 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-27 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-28 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-29 13:00 - 13:30 and 2 more dates | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Join Ackland educators for a lively half-hour look at small handful of artworks in Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan. These engaging conversational tours offer a closer look at and new perspectives on works on view at the Museum. This is a free event; no registration required.

TOUR: A Closer Look at the Collection
2025-08-15 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 a handful of artworks. These engaging conversational tours offer a closer look at, and new perspectives on, works on view at the Museum. This is a free event; no registration required.

TOUR: A Closer Look at Radical Clay
2025-08-16 13:00 - 13:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States

Artist Conversation: Radical Ceramicists in North Carolina
2025-08-27 18:00 - 19:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
This program is now FULL. To be added to our WAITLIST, please email acklandRSVP@unc.edu.

Join us for a lively artist conversation exploring themes of experimentation, materiality, and process in the work of North Carolina-based ceramic artists Jessica Dupuis (UNC-Pembroke; MFA ’10), Hitomi Shibata (Studio Touya, Seagrove, NC), and Isys Hennigar (BFA ’17) in the context of the innovative works by contemporary Japanese women artists on view in Radical Clay. The conversation will be moderated by the Ackland’s Head of Interpretive Resources Lillian Rodriguez, part of the Museum’s Education and Interpretation Team.

Space is limited; please register for a free ticket below!

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About Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan

Radical Clay celebrates thirty-six contemporary ceramic artists — all women — represented by works selected from the private collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz. All have explored the technical and conceptual possibilities of clay. The works in this exhibition are inventive and expressive, at times mysterious or even shocking. The artists who created them are among the most technically accomplished contemporary ceramists. Some began their careers several decades ago while others started more recently — and over the past fifty years they have, each in her distinctive way, produced sculpture that pushes the physical limits of the medium. More about Radical Clay: https://ackland.org/exhibition/radical-clay-contemporary-women-artists-from-japan/.

About the Artists

Jessica Dupuis received her MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her BFA with a concentration in ceramics and print media from Alfred University. Dupuis exhibits her work regionally and nationally. She has been a resident artist at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Women’s Studio Workshop as well as a recipient of the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award and an Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Grant from the Durham Arts Council. She is an Associate Professor of Art – Ceramics & A.D. Gallery Director at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. More about Dupuis: https://www.jessicadupuis.com/.

Isys Hennigar‘s work explores myth and narrative surrounding the body and the natural world. Referencing agricultural practice, mythology, and medicine, the work considers systems of sustenance and healing, cultural and ecological legacies of land cultivation, and dualities of the body. In dialogue with clay’s metaphorical relationship to the body, as well as with histories of metal adornment and objects of protection, her work invokes real and reimagined ecological encounters that underscore transformation and hybridity as tools of renewal. Hennigar received her BFA from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and her MFA from the University of Georgia. Exhibitions of her work include Signature Contemporary Craft (Atlanta, GA), Sow & Tailor Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), The American Museum of Ceramics (Pomona, CA), and the North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh, NC). She is currently in residence as the 2025 Brightwork Fellow at Anchorlight in Raleigh, NC. More about Hennigar: https://www.isyshennigar.com/.

Hitomi Shibata creates ceramic works from natural clays, using wood firing in her process, giving them a sustainable energy and life. Shibata started learning ceramic art in Okayama, Japan as a college student, and after graduation moved to Shigaraki which is one of the oldest Japanese pottery towns. She lived and established her skill and knowledge as a professional potter in Shigaraki. Shibata received a scholarship by Rotary International to come to the USA to learn American ceramics in 2001. Now living in Seagrove, North Carolina, which is the most active pottery communities in USA, she enjoys making pots in her studio. Shibata does wood firings with her husband, Takuro Shibata by their Anagama plus chamber kiln that they built in 2009. More about Shibata: https://www.studiotouya.com/hitomi-shibata.

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Extended Museum Hours
2025-09-12 17:00 - 21:00 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
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!

Curator's Tour of "Color Triumphant: Modern Art from the Collection of Julian and Josie Robertson"
2025-09-19 13:00 - 14:00 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
A guided look at Color Triumphant: Modern Art from the Collection of Julian and Josie Robertson led by exhibition curator Peter Nisbet, deputy director for curatorial affairs.

Please register below for a free ticket, as space is limited.

Drawing in the Galleries
2025-09-20 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-10-11 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.
This is a free public program. No registration required; all skill levels are welcome.

Art Adventures (Morning Session)
2025-09-20 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 artwork inspired by the art on view in Color Triumphant: Modern Art from the Collection of Julian and Josie Robertson.
Space is limited; registration required. Free for Ackland Members at the Household Level and above; $5 per child for all others.

Art Adventures (Afternoon Session)
2025-09-20 13:00 - 14:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States

Ackland Film Forum: "Le Bonheur" (Agnès Varda, 1965)
2025-09-23 19:30 | Chelsea Theater, 1129 Weaver Dairy Road, Suite AB, Chapel Hill, 27514, United States
One of the leading directors of the French New Wave, Agnès Varda made her reputation with Cléo From 5 to 7 (1962), which tells the story of a singer who is waiting to receive test results that may indicate that she has cancer. But it’s Varda’s follow-up film, Le Bonheur, that actually creates a sense of foreboding, as we watch a happily married young couple come unraveled through a series of events that are highly predictable until they aren’t. The bright, overly saturated color in this film, inspired by French impressionism, accentuates the film’s eerie sensibility.
The film will be introduced by Martin Johnson, associate professor of English and Comparative Literature and associate director of Film Studies.

This film will be screened at 7:30 p.m. at the Chelsea Theater (1129 Weaver Dairy Rd Suite AB, Chapel Hill, NC).
Click here for more information on theater pricing; tickets are free for UNC-Chapel Hill students. UNC-Chapel Hill students can receive CLE credit for attending by scanning the QR code at the event.

About the Series:
Join the Ackland Film Forum on selected Tuesday evenings this fall for Color Triumphant in Film, a series that accompanies the Ackland exhibition Color Triumphant: Modern Art from Collection of Julian and Josie Robertson. While the natural world is full of color, for filmmakers color is a choice. Recreating color in the cinema required expensive technologies, careful attention to costumes and set design, and an openness to experimentation. In this series, we highlight how filmmakers have used color from the beginnings of the movies to tell stories.
The Ackland Film Forum is co-organized by the Ackland Art Museum and UNC Film Studies, housed in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of English and Comparative Literature.

Ackland Film Forum: Color Triumphant in Silent Film
2025-09-30 19:30 | Chelsea Theater, 1129 Weaver Dairy Road, Suite AB, Chapel Hill, 27514, United States
Contrary to popular myth, color didn’t arrive to the movies when Dorothy landed in Oz. While Hollywood studios embraced black and white cinematography in the sound era, reserving the use of the complex, and expensive, Technicolor for only its biggest productions, filmmakers in the silent era embraced the use of color. Films were tinted using a range of colors, with reds, yellows, blues, greens, and pinks used to signal the time of day, the mood of the scene, or highlight a special effect, like a fierce fire. In some cases, film makers hand-colored individual frames, a labor-intensive process that could create a sense of natural color or underscore the unreality of early film. This program highlights color films made in the silent era (approx. 1895-1930).
The film will be introduced by Martin Johnson, associate professor of English and Comparative Literature and associate director of Film Studies.

This film will be screened at 7:30 p.m. at the Chelsea Theater (1129 Weaver Dairy Rd Suite AB, Chapel Hill, NC).
Visit the Chelsea Theater’s website linked above for pricing information; tickets are free for UNC-Chapel Hill students. UNC-Chapel Hill students can receive CLE credit for attending by scanning the QR code at the event. Please note that this screening will be held at the Chelsea Theater, which is not the usual film forum venue.

About the Series:
Join the Ackland Film Forum on selected Tuesdays evenings this fall for Color Triumphant in Film, a series that accompanies the Ackland exhibition Color Triumphant: Modern Art from Collection of Julian and Josie Robertson. While the natural world is full of color, for filmmakers color is a choice. Recreating color in the cinema required expensive technologies, careful attention to costumes and set design, and an openness to experimentation. In this series, we highlight how filmmakers have used color from the beginnings of the movies to tell stories.
The Ackland Film Forum is co-organized by the Ackland Art Museum and UNC Film Studies, housed in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of English and Comparative Literature.

TOUR: A Closer Look at "Color Triumphant"
2025-10-03 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-10-10 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 a small handful of artworks. These engaging conversational tours offer a closer look at and new perspectives on works on view at the Museum. Today’s tour looks at Color Triumphant: Modern Art from the Collection of Julian and Josie Robertson.
This is a free, walk-in event – no RSVP required.

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.

TOUR: A Closer Look at the Collection
2025-10-04 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-10-05 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-10-11 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 look at a small handful of artworks. These engaging conversational tours offer a closer look at and new perspectives on works on view at the Museum.
This is a free, walk-in event – no RSVP required.

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: Acktoberfest
2025-10-10 17:00 - 21:00 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
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.

Art Adventures (Morning Session)
2025-10-11 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 artwork inspired by the art on view in Jen Clay: Soft Night, Watching.
Space is limited; registration required. Free for Ackland Members at the Household Level and above; $5 per child for all others.

Art Adventures (Afternoon Session)
2025-10-11 13:00 - 14:30 | Ackland Art Museum, 101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
