On View
Current Exhibitions
The Spectacular of Vernacular
Inspired by artist Mike Kelley’s observation that “the mass art of today is the folk art of tomorrow,” The Spectacular of Vernacular embraces the rustic, the folkloric, and the humbly homemade as well as the crass clash of street spectacle and commercial culture.
Highlights from the Permanent Collection
The Ackland Art Museum presents a major reinstallation of highlights from its diverse permanent collection of over 16,000 works of art. The first presentations include The Western Tradition, from Ancient art to twentieth-century art; Art from West Africa; and Art from China and Japan. A gallery of South Asian Art will be added in the summer of 2012.
North Carolina Pottery
The Ackland’s collection of North Carolina pottery spans over two centuries. The collection includes traditional wares once used for storing and serving food and twentieth-century wares that demonstrate a response to contemporary needs and tastes. This exhibition features a select group of jars, jugs, pitchers, and vases made by such prominent potters as Nicholas Fox, Benjamin Owen, and Burlon Craig.