News Release

By MARIA BLEIER
Ackland Art Museum

CHAPEL HILL -- The Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will close for six weeks this summer for maintenance.

From July 18 to Aug. 23, the museum also will re-install galleries to enhance visitor experiences, said Ackland director Jerry Bolas.

"A new look in the galleries, including improved signage and a monthly gallery guide, will support visitors of all ages in their enjoyment of art and ideas," he said. "The new gallery guide will provide insight and context for a one-hour walk-in visit, with notes on particular works of art in focus, new works on display and up-to-date perspectives on the Ackland collection."

Museum offices will remain open during the six weeks, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Works from the Ackland collection can always be enjoyed online at www.ackland.org.

The museum will reopen on Aug. 24 with a new exhibition, "Three Sides to a Sheet of Paper: How Prints Represent, Communicate, and Transform (1482-2002)." The items displayed will highlight works from the Ackland’s extensive print collection of over 8,000 works.

In addition, a new installation of ceramics will draw connections between North Carolina potters and artisans around the world. Recent acquisitions also will be prominently displayed in several galleries.

"The museum is dedicated to bringing people and art together," Bolas said. "The Ackland is the perfect location in which to engage art and ideas."

The more than 14,000 works of art in the museum’s collection are displayed on a rotation that ensures that visitors will find new works of art every month.

The museum offers interpretive materials – brochures, labels, catalogues and programs – and seeks to promote inquiry, critical thinking and careful viewing.

The Ackland, on South Columbia Street near Franklin Street, opens from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Beginning Sept. 9, the museum will be open until 9 p.m. on the second Friday of every month. Admission is free. For more information, call 919-843-1611 (recorded information), 919-966-5736 (museum office), 919-962-0837 (TTY) or visit the Web site www.ackland.org. For program details, call 919-843-3676.

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Ackland contact: Maria Bleier, (919) 843-3675, maria_bleier@unc.edu