Ackland Events

Art Adventures (Afternoon Session)
2023-12-16 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | 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.

TOUR: A Closer Look at "The Outwin"
2023-12-17 13:00 - 13:30, 2024-01-19 13:00 - 13:30
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:

Artist Talk: Alison Elizabeth Taylor
2024-01-11 18:00 - 19:00
Join us as we welcome Outwin first-prize-winning artist Alison Elizabeth Taylor to the Ackland for an artist talk about her fascinating body of work, which uses a technique she describes as “marquetry hybrid” and can be seen in her prize-winning portrait titled Anthony Cuts under the Williamsburg Bridge, Morning (2020) (right).
Alison Elizabeth Taylor depicted hair groomer Anthony Payne after encountering him in their Brooklyn neighborhood. Taylor used her marquetry hybrid technique to create the piece, combining vivid paints, inkjet prints and the natural grains of over 100 wood veneers. Her multilayered portrait began as sketches she made of Payne from life as well as photographs. With his workplace shuttered as a result of the pandemic, Payne was offering donation-based haircuts to support Black Lives Matter, and Taylor was struck by the way he embodied perseverance and solidarity.
This program is presented in connection with The Outwin: American Portraiture Today. Tickets are free, but space is limited. Please register 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:

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!

Drawing in the Galleries
2024-01-13 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-02-10 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.

Art Adventures (Morning Session)
2024-01-13 10:30 - 12:00
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. This month’s class we will look at a portrait by Khánh H. Lê whose work is featured in The Outwin: American Portraiture Today.
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:

Drawing for Tweens
2024-01-13 10:30 - 12:00
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)
2024-01-13 13:00 - 14:30

WAITLIST ONLY: Defining a "We": Parsing the Potentialities of Poetry and Portraiture
2024-01-21 13:00 - 15:00
This program is now FULL. To be added to our WAITLIST, please email acklandRSVP@unc.edu!
—
Join us for a special ekphrastic poetry and portraiture discourse event curated by Chapel Hill Poet Laureate Cortland Gilliam and inspired by The Outwin: American Portraiture Today. Hear readings of ekphrastic poems written in response to The Outwin, as well as poems representative of the portraiture, from Gilliam and local poets. This reading will be followed by a panel bringing together poets, visual artists, and literary/art scholars for a multidisciplinary conversation about the potential of poetry and portraiture to convey personal and collective stories and help us define a “we” today.
—
This program is now FULL. To be added to our WAITLIST, please email acklandRSVP@unc.edu!
—
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:

Last Look Tour for "The Outwin: American Portraiture Today"
2024-01-21 15:30 - 16:30
Join Lauren Turner, Associate Curator for Contemporary Art and Special Projects, for a final tour of The Outwin: American Portraiture Today on the closing afternoon of the exhibition.
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:

A Closer Look at the Collection
2024-01-26 13:00 - 13:30, 2024-01-27 13:00 - 13:30, 2024-01-28 13:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-03 13:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-09 13:00 - 13:30
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.

A Closer Look at the Ackland Collection
2024-02-02 13:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-04 13:00 - 13:30, 2024-02-18 13:00 - 13:30

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.

Art Adventures (Morning Session)
2024-02-10 10:30 - 12:00
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.
Space is limited to twelve participants; please register below!

Art Adventures (Afternoon Session)
2024-02-10 13:00 - 14:30

A Closer Look at The Collection
2024-02-16 13:00 - 13:30
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 in the Ackland’s collection.
Free. No RSVP needed!

Curator's Introduction to "Past Forward"
2024-02-16 15:30 - 16:30
Join us for an introductory guided tour of Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum led by Peter Nisbet, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and on-site curator for Past Forward. We’ll get an up-close look at the highlights of this expansive exhibition of Native American Art and the four thought-provoking themes that they are presented within: ceremony, sovereignty, visual abstraction, and identity.
This program is now FULL. To be added to our WAITLIST, please email acklandRSVP@unc.edu!
—
Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum [https://ackland.org/exhibition/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.

Guest Lecture: W. Richard West, Jr., Elder-in-Residence
2024-02-21 16:00 - 18:00
This talk is now FULL. To be added to the waitlist, please email acklandRSVP@unc.edu.
—
A free public talk presented by the American Indian Center at the Ackland as part of their Elder-in-Residence program. Dr. W. Richard West, Jr. (Southern Cheyenne) has served as the founding director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian and the president and CEO of the Autry Museum of the American West. The talk will be followed by a reception. Space is limited and registration is required.
This talk is sponsored by the American Indian Center at UNC-Chapel Hill as part of their weeklong Elder-in-Residence program and presented in connection with Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum.

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.

A Closer Look at "Past Forward"
2024-02-23 13:00 - 13:30
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 in Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum.

A Closer Look at the Ackland's Collection
2024-02-24 13:00 - 13:30
Join 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.

A Closer Look at the Ackland's Collection
2024-02-25 13:00 - 13:30

F.A.M. Fun in the Galleries: Exploring "Past Forward"
2024-02-25 13:00 - 17:00
Spend an art-filled afternoon at the Ackland with family-friendly events and self-guided activities inspired by our current exhibition Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum. Local storyteller Ryan Dial (Lumbee; American Indian Center) will lead a storytime session for kids and their families at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. A special close-looking activity sheet will be available for young art-lovers to explore Past Forward. Be sure to take home a F.A.M. kit with everything you need to make a woven artwork inspired by a Split Rivercane Basket featured in Past Forward.
This program is made possible by a Spark the Arts Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
—
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.
