Ackland Art Museum

Featuring free admission to the public and a year-round calendar of special exhibitions and art-related activities for all ages, the Ackland Art Museum is a hub of dynamic activity at UNC-Chapel Hill. 

Give Now Contact Us
Three students smile during a group discussion in front of a large circular mural.

Your support of the Ackland matters.

The heart of the Ackland is its global collection of over 22,000 artworks spanning cultures and time periods. The Museum actively commissions and teaches with new works, many of them from artists with ties to the American South. With your support, the Ackland can continue to inspire the thousands of students and community members who visit every year.

Cards
Aerial view of white and gray buildings along a street.

Building spaces: Carolina Arts & Culture District

Help expand the new arts and culture district connecting town and campus.

Students look at while one student points to a colorful painting on a purple gallery wall.

Thinking farther: Teaching and research

Offer opportunities for top-tier staff through endowed positions.

Three children sit at a table drawing with colored pencils.

Engaging broadly: Service to the community

Support community service through programs and exhibitions.

A parent smiles while a child holds up a colorful drawing.

Belonging forever: Art for everyone

Promote access to all through necessary funding.

Two people hug and smile at an event.

Membership

Membership is an ideal way to support exhibitions and programs and participate in the rich offerings of the Ackland. Member events are an excellent way to meet new and long-standing friends of the Museum who share your commitment to arts in our community.

MORE ABOUT ACKLAND MEMBERSHIP (Opens in new tab)

Making meaningful and enduring connections with art

Since 1958, the Ackland Art Museum has provided access to world-class exhibitions, rich community programming and innovative educational opportunities — all free of charge. 

Research shows…

the Ackland has seen a 62.8% increase in membership income over the past five years.

11,000

University students engaged through classes annually

22,236

works of art

10

surrounding counties impacted by K-12 field trips

Support the Ackland

University funding covers only a portion of our annual operating costs. The rest comes from people like you who understand the importance of preserving our culture through interpretation of great works of art and providing teaching, research and public service to the University community and beyond.

See Related Funds

Ackland Art Museum

Provide support for the Ackland's core services: exhibitions, educational outreach, collection conservation, research and free admission.

Ackland Art Museum Exhibitions and Special Projects Fund

Provide support for the Ackland's exhibitions, which spark insight into ourselves, each other and the world.

Ackland Art Museum Conservation Fund

Provide conservation support for the Ackland's permanent collection of over 22,000 objects.

Art Museum Educational Program Gift Fund

Provide support for the Ackland's educational programs, which use art to facilitate understanding across all its audiences.

Your support in action

See Related Stories
People convene in front of an art exhibit.
Arts, Culture & Humanities
3 min read

‘Boys Will Be Men’ shows teens entering manhood

The photo exhibition at the Ackland Art Museum is the latest installment of a longtime project by Bill Bamberger ’79.

Professor Flavio Frohlich faces the camera seated at a desk wearing tACS head-gear
Arts, Culture & Humanities
4 min read

Top 12 Carolina Stories 2025

The top stories of 2025 decided by you, our readers!

Painting sits in a glass box on display with person passing in the background.
Arts, Culture & Humanities
3 min read

Exhibit adds splash of 'Color'

“Color Triumphant” invites visitors to explore the vibrancy of modern art from Robertson collection.

Contact us

We empower you to get close to art — the familiar, the unexpected, the challenging — and connect with the beauty and complexity of the wider world. We provide experiences that spark insight into ourselves, each other and the world. Learn how you can get involved.

Portrait of man with short brown hair wearing a yellow suit jacket and a pink and navy striped bow tie.

Andrew Parrish

Chief Development Officer

Secures philanthropic resources for the Museum.

andrew.parrish@unc.edu (919) 962-3118
Portrait of person with short auburn hair wearing black blouse with white grid pattern

Anna Matthews

Membership Manager

Cultivates a vibrant member community through shared experiences.

anna.matthews@unc.edu (919) 843-5637