Chris Vitiello, a writer for Indy Week and an independent curator, said he believes the Ackland, which was last renovated in the late '80s, is in need of an update. He published these opinions in a Sept. 9 commentary on the Ackland’s newest exhibition, “Testing Testing: Painting and Sculpture since 1960 from the Permanent Collection,” which debuted in July.
Vitiello, a guest judge of “The Land of No Things: Selected Works by the MFA Class of 2015,” worked directly with the Ackland this summer designing exhibits and said the building looks more like an academic building than an art museum.
“They have to put a sign in the window that says, “Yes, we’re open!” in order to let people know that they can come in,” Vitiello said. “It’s just not a building that is welcoming to the public.”
Of all of the Triangle-area universities, the Ackland is one of the only museums that has not had an update in recent years. The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University debuted their reconfigured space on Aug. 27, and the Gregg Museum of Art and Design at N.C. State University built entirely new facilities starting April 14.
But the Ackland has no intentions of updating its facilities anytime soon.
“(A new museum) is not at the top of our list right now,” said Peter Nisbet, the interim director of the Ackland. “The initiative we have been taking is to make the Ackland more welcoming, both aesthetically and intellectually.”
In the past year, more than 55,000 patrons visited the Ackland. Of those 55,000, more than 10,000 of those were students.
Because of the location on campus and because of the high attendance of students, Nisbet said he hopes to make the museum a more open space in which students and other visitors can find intellectual stimulation and beautiful art.
