While finals for UNC undergraduates are still just around the corner, eight graduating Masters of Fine Arts students now have their final work on display.

With a $10 million donation to the University made official Thursday, Dr. Hugh A. McAllister Jr. provided not only a boost to two campus institutions, but a timely example for future donors.

Dial, previously known for his mixed-media sculptures, produced a collection of drawings between 1990 and 1991. These drawings make up one of the Ackland Art Museum’s latest exhibits, “Thoughts on Paper.”

The fruits of Kimberly Kutz’s seven-plus months of labor will open today. “Piece by Piece: Quilts, Collages, and Constructions” — one of the Ackland Art Museum’s most recent exhibitions — has been the curatorial intern’s project since August.

“Chords of Memory” which opened March 9 and runs until May 13, will showcase lithographs by Thomas Hart Benton, a regionalist American artist whose art was popular in the 1930s and 1940s.

Tonight in the Ackland Art Museum’s galleries, actors will perform a series of one-act plays inspired by the museum’s artwork.

Becca Albee never met her grandfather. But he and his work have inspired Albee’s latest art exhibition, “E.A.R. To the Ground.” It opened Tuesday in the John and June Allcott Gallery at the Hanes Art Center.

Shawn Rocco is an award-winning photojournalist — but that doesn’t mean he won’t whip out his camera phone.

The Ackland Art Museum has successfully presented the beauty behind contemporary themes in its most recent exhibition, “The Spectacular of Vernacular.”

“The Spectacular of Vernacular” opens today, as the Ackland celebrates the transformation of commonplace, regional items into whimsically creative contemporary art.

As funding for the University’s major arts organizations dwindles, the value of student support has grown.

In a tough economy, it’s difficult to market art. But the Ackland Museum Store — which opened in May after much delay — has continued to bring in enough profits to cover operation costs, said Alice Southwick, store manager.

The Ackland Art Museum’s store has partnered with local designer Jennifer Collins-Mancour in re-purposing museum event banners to create a line of tote, messenger and accessory bags.

In the about 20 square miles that make up Chapel Hill sit three nationally acclaimed organizations dedicated to the arts, which act as three windows to the world of performance and art. The Ackland Art Museum, Carolina Performing Arts and PlayMakers Repertory Company have each received millions less in funding from the University as the system has cut its budget.

The 23rd annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibit, which will run through Nov. 19, is the first to include artists by invitation only.

The Varsity Theatre, one of Franklin Street’s many staples, has frequently partnered with UNC organizations. The Ackland Art Museum has been partnering with the theater for years, playing films that run parallel to its exhibitions.

When it comes to university budgets in a struggling economy, the arts are among the first to go. And the Ackland Art Museum is no exception. Since 2008, the University’s financial support for the museum has decreased by about $250,000, making it one of the hardest-hit institutions at UNC.

To the untrained eye, Ackland Art Museum’s “Carolina Collects” exhibition appears to be a hodgepodge of eclectic paintings, drawings and sculptures.

At LIGHT Art Design, Lucky Strike cigarettes and red Bibles embossed with gold crosses decorate the walls.

The Ackland Art Museum is home to the sarcophagus in which William Hayes Ackland, the original benefactor of the museum, is entombed.