Ackland Art Museum, UNC-Chapel Hill

09/01/2026

Got a free afternoon? Join us on Friday, September 4 from 1–1:30 p.m. for a guided look at a selection of artworks from "Continental Shift: Recent Acquisitions of African Art." Led by Ackland educators, this conversational tour invites you to ask questions and explore the themes that emerge from a small group of artworks! FREE, but space is limited. UNC students can scan the QR code at the event for CLE credit! ✅ Learn more about the tour here 👉 https://loom.ly/1ANCuKI or tap the link in our bio!

08/27/2026

Congratulations to vanessa german, one of 15 artists selected for a 2026 Joan Mitchell Fellowship! 🎉 The five-year Fellowship provides artists with $60,000 in unrestricted support, along with opportunities for peer engagement and community building. Based in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, german creates sculptural "power figures" from wood, plaster, found objects, and other materials she calls "ingredients." One of those works, "cup runneth" (2023), is currently on view at the Ackland! Its materials range from german’s own braid, beads, rhinestones, punch cups, and Astro turf to "heart, Soul stamp, and the edge of hope." Congratulations, vanessa!

08/21/2026

👀 What happens when you slow down and really look at one artwork? On Wednesday, August 26 from 1–1:30 p.m., join Lillian Rodriguez, head of interpretive resources at the Ackland, for a focused conversation on a single work of art from "Care and Concern: Recent Acquisitions of Modern and Contemporary Art." FREE, but space is limited to 20 participants; first come, first served. UNC students can earn CLE credit by scanning the QR code at the event! ✅ Learn more about the tour here 👉 https://loom.ly/vxucA3U or tap the link in our bio.

08/17/2026

Happy FDOC, Tar Heels! 🩵🐏 There's a lot happening at the Ackland this fall. Stop by between classes to see our two current exhibitions, "Continental Shift: Recent Acquisitions of African Art" and "Care and Concern: Recent Acquisitions of Modern and Contemporary Art." Want to take a closer look? Throughout the semester, join Ackland educators for conversational tours of the art on view, and get CLE credit for attending! ✅ You can also visit us after hours on the second Friday of most months, or join us for Studio Saturdays beginning on October 3, when artists of all ages are invited to draw with us in the galleries. Learn more about what's happening at the Ackland this fall 👉 https://loom.ly/xxlmBHk

07/02/2026

The second exhibition opening at the Ackland on July 10 is "Continental Shift: Recent Acquisitions of African Art." The exhibition presents a selection of African art added to the permanent collection over the last five years, including metalwork, textiles, beadwork, and ceramics. This diverse range of media complements our traditional emphasis on figurative woodcarving from West and Central Africa. Along with "Care and Concern," the exhibition will be on view until November 15! Learn more here 👉 https://loom.ly/B_Mt_TM or tap the link in our bio.

An exhibition of metalwork, textiles, beadwork and ceramics added to the Ackland's collection in the past five years

07/01/2026

Happy 4th, y'all! Come and visit us over Independence Day weekend, just not on Saturday! The Ackland will be *open* on Friday, July 3 from 10-5 (holiday observed), *closed* on Saturday, July 4 for the holiday itself, and *open* again on Sunday, July 5 from 1-5.

07/01/2026

Two new exhibitions open at the Ackland on July 10! Today, we're introducing "Care and Concern: Recent Acquisitions of Modern and Contemporary Art." Featuring modern and contemporary artworks acquired by the Ackland since 2020, the exhibition investigates what it means for art to express care — and what kinds of concerns demand our attention now. Through diverse media, including painting, sculpture, and works on paper, the artists reflect on their own experiences and the emotions they hope to inspire in viewers. Learn more about the exhibition here 👉 https://loom.ly/CTRddnI

06/29/2026

🌈 We're closing out our Pride Month series with "A Couple Meets Through Tall Grasses," a cabinet card photograph by Kennedy & Wallace. Two women are posed face to face in a staged setting of tall grasses, with one dressed in a light gown and the other in a tailored suit and hat. We don't know much about the identity of the women or the context of the photograph. Even so, the image invites closer attention to gender performance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

06/22/2026

🌈 What makes a portrait more than a portrait? In Paul Mpagi Sepuya's "Solidarity Print II: Studio (0X5A7744)," the answer lies in the studio. Known for work that highlights q***r networks of collaboration and intimacy, Sepuya treats image-making as something shared instead of solitary. Here, photographs overlap and lean into one another, partially obscuring a portrait of the artist himself — the camera never quite disappears, and neither does Sepuya. What we see is less a single portrait and more an artistic exchange.