2021-621-E-Arts Commission-UNC Chapel Hill-Ackland Art Museum-Restart the Arts

Browse Search

typical year.Orange County residents can benefit from the Museum’s resources. Prov iding intellectually engaging content and wellness programs for audience members of all ages and abilities, the Ackland offers lifelong learning opportunities and contributes to the ov erall health and well-being of our residents. As stated abov e, the Museum offers ov er 200 public programs and more than 200 tours annually in a typical year. At the Ackland, we believ e that art helps us understand the world around us. Children who hav e impactful experiences with art are better equipped to communicate with others and contribute to their communities. The Museum’s education and interpretation staff designs programming to prov ide rich content and interactiv e experiences. Programs for children include art-making activ ities and collaborativ e social experiences, each one designed to engage v aried interests, different dev elopmental needs, and all learning styles. Public programs are a critical component of our plan to enhance the quality of life for the entire local community. The guiding principles of our work are to: encourage people to look closely and carefully at works of art; support material literacy and understanding of artists’ processes; inv ite multiple perspectiv es on the meanings of works of art; and create opportunities for v isitors to respond to works of art in v aried ways – critically, creativ ely, v erbally, v isually, and more. To demonstrate the Museum’s commitment to being accessible to all, the Ackland permanently established ART& in September 2018. A dedicated museum space for campus and community to connect with each other and to create and experience art, ART& hosts artist talks, performances, art-making classes, and much more. In addition to serv ing as a v ibrant gathering and program space, ART& also features a rotating roster of site-specific commissions by contemporary artists. Additionally, the Ackland’s annual exhibitions of work made by graduating Master of Fine Arts students from UNC-Chapel Hill are curated by local poets, v isual artists, critics, and arts administrators. The intentional selection of locally based curators demonstrates for the artists and museum v isitors alike the v iability of a successful arts career in Orange County. In a typical year, the Ackland also collaborates with other local organizations in Orange County, including the Varsity Theater, Chapel Hill Public Library, Chapel Hill/Carrboro and Orange County Schools, Charles House, and the Orange County Department on Aging, to name a few. The Ackland also has a Local Adv isory Board with 37 members who are residents of the Triangle, many from Orange County. This board helps Museum leadership expand and solidify the Ackland’s dedication to the local community by deepening our network of DocuSign Envelope ID: C76FE3AA-6B83-4813-90F1-C0DF2DD97E47