Ackland Events

TOUR: A Closer Look at “Radical Clay”
2025-08-10 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-08 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-01 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-27 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-26 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-25 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-13 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-12 13:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) and 7 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
2025-08-09 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-03 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-02 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-20 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-19 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-18 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-06-21 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-06-20 13:00 - 13:30
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.

Drawing in the Galleries
2025-08-09 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-07-12 10:00 - 12:00
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.

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.

Art Adventures (Afternoon Session)
2025-07-12 13:00 - 14:30
This event is SOLD OUT.

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 in the Ackland’s collection.
Space is limited; registration required. Free for Ackland Members at the Household Level and above; $5 per child for all others.

Art Adventures (Morning Session)
2025-07-12 10:30 - 12:00

2nd Friday ArtWalk: Create Your Own "Radical" Clay Sculpture
2025-07-11 17:30 - 21:00, 2025-06-13 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.
