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Where is the Gallery?
South side of the Talley Student Center, 2nd floor.
Exhibition hours are usually Noon to 8:00 pm W F; 2pm 8 pm Sat.
and Sunday, Closed University Holidays, Admission is Free.
When was it built?
Between 1990 1991. Opened officially, Jan. 1992
Who paid for the building. Private individuals, corporations,
university foundations. How much did it cost: $2,200,000.
Why have a museum/gallery/art collection at NCState?
World class universities have art museums/all our
benchmark schools do. Opportunity to collect and exhibit in areas
that support the curricula; and which are not duplicated at other
branches of the university or at other museums in the state or
region. Desire to enrich experience of students through contact
with the arts.. UNCCH has a major museum; so does Greensboro.
Many people on faculty and alums felt it was important to start
the museum. Building a world class university museum takes lots
of time and money and we are really just at the beginning. We’re
only 20 years old.
What does the Gallery collect and why:
Textiles, (college of Textiles); ceramics/ glass
(think materials engineering), furniture, industrial design objects,
metals/jewelry, sculpture, outsider/visionary art, folk art, photography.
Works on paper. Craft objects, craft related objects. Each area
has a different time frame; like textiles survive so rarely from
the 15th century if we got a chance we would take one in good
condition. We have 3 8th century A.D. textiles. But furniture,
mostly after 1830 because of what else is collected in the state
and region. Also the collection range varies in terms of location,
again we collect globally in textiles but regionally in ceramics
(NC major indigenous traditional ceramics in N. Hemisphere) although
the collection has modest examples of ceramics from other countries.
Who actually owns the work?
The University has title to all the work in the
collection.
Where does the art come from?
Gifts, primarily, from private individuals, corporations,
other museums. (Literally dealers, artists, etc.)
How do you choose what gets bought?
Staff studies what is needed for classes, professors,
visits other museums, talks to colleagues, goes to exhibitions,
reads trade magazines, does research, etc.
Friends of the Gallery provides some funds for the director or
curator to use at auctions, shows. Friends of the Gallery makes
a large purchase annually: the staff creates a menu they can choose
from and vote on. Examples of large purchases are the Enrique
Vega commission, major photographs, and major ceramic pieces.
Also cost plays a big role. The Gallery has never bought anything
that cost more than 25,000. And that only once to date.
How can students be involved other than going to
exhibitions?
Become interns, volunteer, come for a visit, encourage
a class to come, ask a professor to visit, ask to be assigned
work in the collection to write about, come to educational programs,
and offer to look after a visiting person.
Can interns get credit for courses?
Yes, through Arts Applications, MDS, or individual
professors can arrange for the internship to be an independent
study.
How many hours a week must an intern work at the
Gallery?
8 hours /week for 3 credit hours
What do interns do?
Individual projects, research and accessioning
the collection, pr and marketing, graphic design, photography,
web page works. Work for an individual staff member. Is it fun?
Ask the interns, I think they will say yes. Many say working here
has changed their lives.
How are exhibits chosen?
Staff, research, suggestions from faculty, individuals
in the community, increasingly from the university collection
because what’s in the collection gives us ideas that can
be expanded, collaborations with neighboring institutions, meeting
the needs of a very diverse campus.
What happens to stuff after it is exhibited?
If the work belongs to the university it goes
back in storage or put on view in some other place; if it is borrowed
from another institution it goes there. Sometimes shows from the
Gallery go to other institutions before being returned to storage.
How much art does the collection have in it?
Roughly 10,000 objects
What does the Gallery need most?
More space; funds to make more suitable places
to exhibit art in other sites on the campus and more staff to
help get that done.
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