Museum Offers Fun for All Ages

With college students' younger siblings coming to UNC for Carolina Family Weekend, the Ackland Art Museum offers opportunities for families to enjoy and educate themselves.

On Sunday, the Ackland is offering two events for parents and their younger children. For the first event, beginning at the museum at 2 p.m., the Ackland is holding "Family Fun for 5- to 7-Year-Olds." It is followed by a similar session meant for 8- to 12-year-olds that begins at 3 p.m.

Both events will provide its participants with a guided, interactive tour of the museum's latest exhibit, "Space, Abstraction and Freedom" as well as the Ackland's permanent collection.

"Space, Abstraction and Freedom" is a new exhibition of paintings that was given by Jim Patton, a UNC alumnus, and his wife Mary.

The exhibit is a precursor to a promise the Pattons made to the museum for their art to become a permanent addition to the museum's collection.

The permanent collection is a mixture of European and American paintings, as well as art from Asian, African-American and Islamic cultures.

This eclectic offering is indicative of the museum's past exhibition choices.

Over the summer, the Ackland featured a collection of photography by Linda McCartney that documented famed musicians from the '60s, including pictures of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Aretha Franklin.

The museum also held a ceremony conducted by two monks to dismantle a sand mandala as part of the museum's ongoing Five Faiths project, an exhibition that features various artifacts examining world religions.

In the vein of education, the Ackland is preparing a package of information for educators about the Five Faiths project along with regularly schedules lectures, concerts and films to further enlighten its visitors about the nuances of the exhibits the museum brings to the area.

Jerry Bolas, the museum's director, said since the Ackland's last expansion and renovation in the early '90s, the Ackland's newest exhibits, including the "Family Fun" events, are a result of the museum's primary purpose of educating the populations of the University, Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

He added that the Ackland's mission is to mix new art with ancient or classical art, and that guides any additions to the Ackland's permanent collection.

The Ackland Art Museum is located at the intersection of South Columbia and Franklin streets beside the Carolina Theater.

Call 406-9837 for taped information about the museum's events and programs.

There is no admission, but donations are accepted.