The Gregg Museum of Art & Design at NC State is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is free to the public. Although the programs are currently virtual, people can visit the museum and view exhibitions in person.
The “Frank Lee Craig – Near Distance” exhibition is on display from Feb. 11 to Aug. 20 and features work from the late artist, architect and NC State College of Design graduate Frank Lee Craig. The exhibition was co-curated by his wife, Margret Kentgens-Craig, and Gregg Museum director Roger Manley.
“This is an exhibition of a lot of collage, some painting, some assemblage, which is like the sculpture version of collage,” said Christina Wytko Marchington, the Gregg Museum educational programs and communications coordinator.
From Mar. 31 to Nov. 12, “Across the Threshold of India – Photographs by Martha Strawn” will be on display at the Gregg. The exhibition will also feature some objects from the museum’s permanent collection.
“It’ll feature her photographs — some are in black and white with some beautiful contrasts — and then some have some amazing great colors,” Marchington said. “A lot of the photographs focus on women and their domestic life, and these were taken across a few decades. … A lot of them were taken in the ‘80s and ‘90s in India.”
Many of the photographs focus on rangoli, which is an art form that is placed at the threshold of the home during celebrations.
“Oftentimes they are made with flour or flour that has been dyed with other spices like turmeric, sometimes rice,” Marchington said. “And they drop the materials on the ground to create these really intricate patterns.”
The Gregg Museum will display work from Chapel Hill artist Eric Serritella in “Eric Serritella – Trompe l’Oeil Ceramics” from April 14 to Dec. 3. The French term Trompe l’Oeil translates to “trick of the eye.”
“He creates really intricate ceramic sculptures that look just like tree bark, and they are really amazing,” Marchington said. “I am really excited to see them in person.”
In early June, there will be an exhibition based on Egyptian-inspired objects from the museum’s permanent collection.
“It will feature a very large tent — I want to say it’s 16 feet in diameter,” Marchington said. “So that will kind of be the main focus of the exhibition.”
The Gregg Museum has a permanent collection of almost 40,000 objects, which is the largest collection of artifacts in North Carolina.
“Sometimes a lot of what we do is getting people to think outside the box,” Marchington said. “And push their expectations of what art or design means, rather than just a very traditional ‘This is a painting, so that must be art’ kind of thing.”
According to Manley, the Gregg’s primary goal is to support NC State’s academics.
“Our major aim is to make this a resource for professors and students to be able to work with real objects or investigate subjects that can be told through objects,” Manley said.
Although the Gregg Museum strives to serve both the NC State and Raleigh communities, the staff especially encourages NC State students to visit and enjoy the museum.
“I want people to come to this museum, particularly students, to feel inspired,” Manley said. “To come out of there thinking … ‘This gives me an idea for something I could make. It’s within my reach.’”
The Gregg Museum of Art & Design also sells catalogues based on exhibitions and offers virtual tours of some current and past exhibitions. For more information about the Gregg Museum, visit its website.
