Front Burner: Highlights in Contemporary North Carolina Painting: Throughout modern art history, painting has been declared dead and later resuscitated so many times that the issue now tends to largely be ignored. Despite any debate over painting’s viability, artists continue to persevere in keeping the medium fresh and new. Currently painting is enjoying a revival in the art world, and innovative North Carolina artists are helping to maintain its vibrant place on the front burner.

March 7, 2020–February 14, 2021 

Christopher Holt: Contemporary Frescoes/Faith and Community: This exhibition features monumental drawings, intimate portraits, and studies by Asheville artist Christopher Holt  for the Haywood Street Beatitudes fresco completed in September 2019. The fresco is the result of a two-year community project led by Holt with the Rev. Brian Combs, founder of the Haywood Street congregation in Asheville. 

March 7, 2020–February 7, 2021 

Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women: The first major exhibition of Senegalese gold jewelry to date that focuses on the history of Senegal’s gold, from past to present, and the beauty and complexity of the way Senegalese women use ornament and fashion to present themselves. A key theme of the exhibition is the Senegalese concept of sañse (a Wolof word for dressing up or looking and feeling good). Good as Gold explores how a woman in a city like Dakar might use a piece of gold jewelry to build a carefully tailored, elegant fashion ensemble.

September 9, 2020–January 3, 2021 

Leonardo Drew: Making Chaos Legible: This two-part project by contemporary artist Leonardo Drew features a monumental outdoor sculpture, City in the Grass, along with a gallery exhibition that provides a more in-depth look at his diverse body of work. Using a variety of materials—wood, cotton, canvas, paper, steel, aluminum, sand—Drew makes dynamic sculptures that explode and expand into their spaces. These gravity-defying sculptures convey a feeling of barely contained or restrained energy and chaos.

September 9, 2020–January 3, 2021 

Exhibition credits

Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women is organized by Kevin D. Dumouchelle of the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. It is curated by Amanda Maples of the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Leonardo Drew: Making Chaos Legible is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the Hartfield Foundation and Libby and Lee Buck.

Front Burner: Highlights in North Carolina Contemporary Painting is organized by guest curator Ashlynn Browning in collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Art. This exhibition was made possible, in part, by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc.; and the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment for Educational Exhibitions.

All exhibitions are made possible, in part, by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc.; and the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment for Educational Exhibitions. Research for these exhibitions is made possible by Ann and Jim Goodnight/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fund for Curatorial and Conservation Research and Travel.

Tickets 

Ticket prices with taxes and fees:

• $20.38 Adults
• $17.16 Seniors, military, and college students with ID
• $13.94 Youth 7–18
• FREE for children 6 and under
• FREE for member’s first visit; subsequent visits 50% off

In addition to our general Museum accessibility, we are including additional accommodations for exhibition visitors.

For visitors with low vision:

• Wall labels throughout the exhibition use large-size text.

Become a member today to enjoy special savings!

Become a Member 

Enhance your experience of all special exhibitions and our world-class collection with these exclusive benefits:

• Free admission for all special ticketed exhibitions (plus 50% off any subsequent visits)
• Exclusive Member Mondays during select ticketed exhibitions
• Invitations to exhibition openings and other celebrations
• Discount on summer concerts in the Joseph M. Bryan, Jr., Theater in the Museum Park
• Discount on NCMA Cinema tickets
• Free admission to summer movies
• 10% off purchases in the Museum Store
• 10% off member's meals in Iris restaurant
• FREE subscription to Preview calendar, a members-only publication
• Members e-newsletter

Location

2110 Blue Ridge Road 
Raleigh, NC 27607-6494 

Hours
Wednesday–Friday 10 am–5 pm
Saturday–Sunday, 10 am–5 pm
Monday and Tuesday Closed

Parking
Visitor parking is free and available in the Blue Ridge lot, on the right after entering the Museum drive. Overflow parking is behind West Building, on the left after entering the Museum drive. Visitor drop-off is located between West and East buildings and can be reached by turning left after entering the Museum drive and following the signs.

Policies

• Nonflash photography for personal use is permitted, except where noted otherwise.
• Sketching with pencil/graphite only is allowed at the discretion of security staff.