Continental Shift: Recent Acquisitions of African Art

Date: Thu, Jul 9, 2026

Time:

Venue: Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill

Price: Free

Category: Arts

This exhibition will present selected works of African art added to the collection over the past five years, with a special emphasis on metalwork, textiles, beadwork, and ceramics, from across the African continent, including eastern and southern regions. This focus reflects the Museum’s recent efforts to pay special attention to materials and geographic areas that complement our traditional emphasis on figurative woodcarving from West and Central Africa.Continental Shift is part of a long-running series of shows focused on newly acquired works across the Ackland’s collecting areas, reflecting our dynamic and expansive project of collection-building.This exhibition is made possible by support from Laura and Walter Elcock.Image credit:Unidentified artist, Cameroonian, Bamileke culture, Display Cloth (ndop), n.d., cotton, 77 × 51 1/4 in. (195.6 × 130.2 cm). Ackland Fund, 2024.58.14.