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Ackland Art Museum
Rating Details »
S. Columbia Street and Franklin Street Intersection
Suite 102
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
(919) 966-5736
Suite 102
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
(919) 966-5736
- Good for Kids:
- No
8 reviews for Ackland Art Museum
I've been to the Ackland many times in the past seven years or so and it's always been a great experience. You can always expect tons of new exhibits, since they house mostly traveling exhibits. I think the best one
I've ever seen there was on Buddhist Art and mandalas in particular.
The Ackland is a great museum; the only possible fault I can find with it is that it's not big enough! If you haven't been, you need to get yourself some culture and go check it out!
Ackland Art Museum is a wonderful addition to the vibrant arts scene in Chapel Hill. The museum offers a myriad of galleries featuring an impressive and always rotating collection of pieces.
The decor is very stark and plain. This creates a nice clean feeling, but also serves to reinforce the art pieces as the focus.
Their galleries are themed and rotate quickly enough to make frequent trips enjoyable with lots of new stuff to see.
Best of all, Ackland is free. This is a great service to the University and surrounding community.
Each time I've come here its been because a friend (or a friend of a friend, sometimes) has had work featured in a collection here, or had to evaluate something for a class and wanted company, or something like that. Point is, it's never been my idea, but I've enjoyed it anyway.
There's some really interesting stuff here, and even if you don't think so, just wait a couple of weeks, you won't be disappointed. That's the best thing about the place, they keep things rolling. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to an art museum and walked out disappointed not because the artwork was bad, but because it was all so blasted similar. That's never a danger here, they love their variety, so exhibits rotate pretty frequently.
There's a lot of local work (I daresay nearly all of it), so you'll get a good feel for the kind of artistic thought that you're brushing by on the sidewalk, always a nice touch.
The Ackland is an excellent university art museum right off the hubbub of Franklin Street. It's not the largest building, but the pieces are interesting, particularly the Asian collection.
It seems like they always have exhibitions running - sometimes featuring the work of UNC students and faculty. Also, UNC students will occasionally co-curate exhibits with museum staff. Several public programs also take place here - music in the museum, lunch lectures, and drawing workshops. Apparently, they also have yoga in the galleries now - I hate yoga, but that actually sounds like it could be cool.
I have gotten to work with a few of the staff members here, and they're all very nice, interesting people who are excited about sharing their museum with the community.
The Ackland is a great escape from the hustle and bustle that sometimes goes on in the downtown area. If you love art, you'll find something that satisfies your art loving taste buds. There are ancient pieces and contemporary art shown in the museum. They often run a series from some great artist, from mixed media to botanical photographs. The museum is affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill and you can stop in free of charge.
I loved visiting the Ackland when I was a student and still enjoy spending an afternoon there occasionally. They do attract some really cool traveling exhibits, and I'll definitely be checking out the upcoming Circa 1958 collection, which features works from Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol. Even if there's not a traveling exhibit in house, it's worth visiting just to check out their pieces from local artists. Admission is free (donations are encouraged), and the staff is incredibly friendly and personable. The Ackland hosts Yoga in the Galleries twice a month, where you can practice yoga with a certified instructor amongst all the lovely artwork. It's $5 for non-members, but museum membership is free for UNC students. And on the third Sunday of every month, they feature live music (the acts vary), which is free for everyone.
Ackland Art Museum is just a few steps back from Franklin Street, and its best attribute is that it's FREE! They have a continuously changing array of exhibits, allowing everyone to find something that interests them. In my most recent visit, there was an exhibit on contemporary drawings which I found fascinating. You can call ahead to see what's on exhibit, or just drop by, why not? Like I mentioned, it's free, so it's a great place to take a large group, especially those not from the area.
Fantastic free art museum affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill. Every second Friday of the month, the galleries stay open to the public until 9pm with complimentary refreshments and a live jazz band.