Main Entrance View Looking West
ACKLAND ART MUSEUM
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Polshek Partnership Architects LLP

"...the Ackland Art Museum brings distinction to Carolina by providing original works of art for superb learning experiences for students, as resources for scholarly research, and as enrichment for our community. To serve best the Carolina family and our vision for the future, the Ackland must grow. Now is the time."

James Moeser, Chancellor
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Expansion of Excellence

Now is the time for a New Ackland, a state-of-the-art museum at Carolina with exhibition, studio, research, and public spaces capable of serving diverse constituencies on-site and, with the aid of technology, around the world.

The planned expansion more than doubles our current 36,000 square foot capacity. The new wing will extend out behind the existing building and open onto Porthole Alley, one of the most heavily traveled pedestrian entries to the campus. In this way, as envisioned by the Chancellor in the Campus Master Plan, the Ackland becomes the front door to a new Arts Common, linking the visual and performing arts on the northwest corner of the main campus.

Understanding the Need

The distinguished collection of the Ackland Art Museum, ambitious exhibitions, myriad educational programs, and special social events fill and frequently exceed the capacity of our existing facility. The Eggers and Higgins' half-century old building has served the community well, but as the collection and programming at the Ackland grow, gallery and storage space are increasingly scarce. With the magnificent large post-war paintings and sculptures promised by Mary and Jim Patton and the recent gift of Chinese ceramics from the collections of Eunice and Herbert Shatzman, among others, the Ackland is nearing capacity. At peak periods of the academic year, the Museum is like a busy airport unable to accept any more arrivals—all available space is in use.

The planned expansion gives the Museum larger, more contemporary galleries for presenting both the Ackland's growing collection and significant traveling exhibitions. The new spaces are flexible and interconnected to adapt installations easily and quickly for experiential and educational possibilities. Adjacent to the galleries, the educational resource center, new studio space, enlarged print study room, and community room facilitate on-going investigation of the collection and the resources of the University at large.

New spaces for gatherings of people include an outdoor sculpture courtyard and community room. Visitors will also find a museum store stocked with art-related publications, as well as items to remind them and others of the Ackland.

The design for the new building expresses the spirit of inquiry that characterizes the culture of the University, fostering engaging and memorable encounters with works of art.