4 min read April 2024 — In an interview with Invest:, Valerie Hillings, director and CEO of the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA), discussed major achievements, technological advancements, and community partnerships. She emphasized the museum’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability, while also outlining future priorities and potential legislative impacts on the arts.
What have been some of the major achievements of the North Carolina Museum in the last year?
Since our last conversation, we’ve completed a full reinstallation of our collection, introducing new perspectives on art and history. This has significantly boosted attendance and diversified our audience. We’ve emphasized that visiting our collection is free, which is particularly attractive in the current economic climate as evidenced by our strong visitor numbers in the collection galleries. Feedback has been very positive.
Additionally in 2023, our Jazz series, now in its second year, has been a major success, with 40% of the attendees last season being new to the museum. We also featured exhibitions on Ruth E. Carter and Michael Richards, drawing 30 to 40% of new visitors. Our demographic alignment is closely matching the state’s, and we continue to strive to better serve all of our fellow citizens. Another highlight from last year is our inaugural NC Indigenous Artist Festival, which has set the stage for current and future initiatives, including our spring 2024 exhibition To Take Shape and Meaning: Form and Design in Contemporary American Indian Art.
How has the museum maintained accessibility and engagement in a challenging economic environment?
Our focus on free offerings has been crucial and successful. In addition to our collection, we also offer many programs without a fee. Our abundance of free content helps retain our audience, making us an affordable option for everyone.
Our paid exhibitions haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. Visitors can choose to spend in our restaurant or shop, but converting them to purchasing tickets to paid exhibitions remains a challenge; this is a national issue for art museums.
What community partnerships does the museum have, and how do these enhance its impact?
We’ve had great success working with Boys and Girls Clubs on after-school outreach programs. Instead of presenting pre-packaged content, we collaborate with the community to identify local artists as instructors. So far we have held programs in sixteen counties. While the art taught may differ from that in our collection, the focus is on fostering creativity in students. These programs aren’t just about producing artists, but about helping students express themselves and their thoughts.
These community-driven programs offer a fun experience rather than a mandatory activity. Each program is distinctive due to the specific location of the individual artists chosen. The consistency lies in our support for community-identified needs and opportunities.
How is the museum leveraging technology to enhance user experience and expand its reach?
We’ve implemented several technological advancements during our reinstallation. Notably, we recognized the need to integrate digital elements, which required some updates to our 13-year-old building. Our digital labels, created in-house, have been a significant addition. They offer bilingual text and high-resolution images of artworks, allowing visitors to zoom into details that are hard to discern even when standing right in front of the artwork. This approach has enhanced, rather than replaced, the viewing experience.
Another innovation is our video content, which brings artworks to life. We have a gallery dedicated to the arts where visitors can experience life-size performances and discover artworks in new ways, like a metal sculpture made of a series of rods that are meant to be played like a musical instrument. We can’t let visitors touch it, but in the video, our conservator runs her hand across the rods, bringing the audio aspects of this work to life.
Additionally, we’ve developed an app for the NCMA’s Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park. This app, available through the iTunes Store (NCMA Park), offers insights into the artworks in the Park and the property’s history, including its past as the site of a youth detention center. It provides a comprehensive guide to our 164-acre property, covering nature, art, and history. These technological enhancements, while bringing us up to current standards, have significantly enriched the visitor experience by offering diverse content and perspectives.
How does the museum strengthen its commitment to sustainability?
Sustainability is a key focus for us, particularly in managing our 164-acre park. We’re dedicated to removing invasive species and promoting native species, aligning with state requirements, and enhancing the park’s long-term sustainability. This approach also prepares the land for weathering environmental changes and storms.
Financial sustainability is also a priority. We’ve established a new endowment for education and outreach, ensuring the longevity of these initiatives. This approach reduces our annual reliance on grant funding, allowing us to maintain core mission-driven programming consistently. We aim to balance responsiveness and experimentation with the assurance of the ongoing availability of key museum offerings.
What efforts does the museum have in place to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in its team, artist representation, and collections?
Our strategic plan prioritizes diversifying our collection with underrepresented artists – particularly women artists, artists of color, and LGBTQ+ artists—and new and multi-perspectival narratives. This is reflected in our exhibitions and programming, highlighting a variety of artists, and with a dedicated focus on North Carolina talent. We’ve significantly increased diversity on our boards, on our staff, and with partnerships.
Our recent rebranding, inspired by Thomas Sayer’s iconic sculpture in our Park, Gyre, aligns with our focus on our collection, our Park, and North Carolina artists. The rebrand includes a new, more legible font and enhanced physical accessibility features, including for example a series of signs with Braille and audio content available on the Park App known as the All-Access Eco Trail.
Are there any legislative or regulatory issues that might impact the arts that you’re monitoring?
Regarding legislative changes, our second campus in Winston-Salem, previously the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, was renamed by the legislature as the North Carolina Museum of Art, Winston-Salem. We’re contemplating how to maintain its distinct identity as a noncollecting institution focused on contemporary art exhibitions and programming while underscoring our excitement about the relationship between our two institutions. As always, we will keep an eye on the state budget and any legislation of relevance to the Museum.
What are your projections and top priorities for the museum in the next two to three years?
We’re excited about capital renovations for both campuses, made possible thanks to legislative appropriations. This includes updating our original building and outdoor amphitheater in Raleigh to make them more accessible and comfortable. We’re designing a new park entrance and a creative space, initially conceived as a children’s museum but now evolving into a multigenerational offering. Another key project is renovating our conservation studio to invite public engagement and education about art preservation. These developments align with our mission to care for and share North Carolina’s art collection, enhancing public access and engagement. In Winston-Salem, we will address accessibility across the campus, particularly at the entrance and in the auditorium, and update the historic Hanes House to be an even more welcoming space that inspires creativity.
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