In a montage of footage from exhibitions and programs at the museum, families and visitors enjoy hands-on art activities and explore colorful art-filled galleries.
WELCOME
COMING SOON: NCMA Winston-Salem will open a new downtown space on 4th Street on Thursday, July 16.
NCMA Winston-Salem is proud to return to its downtown roots and where it all began seven decades ago in 1956. The new exhibition and program space will be committed to fostering creativity and collaboration among visitors, artists, and community groups.
PLEASE NOTE: NCMA Winston-Salem’s primary campus is CLOSED in 2026 for construction improvements.
| Downtown | OPEN JULY 16 |
| Offsite Programs | ONGOING |
| NCMA W-S Campus | CLOSED |
EXHIBITIONS
VIEW ALL EXHIBITIONS
Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum
This group exhibition launches the NCMA Winston-Salem downtown art space by bringing together artists who have contributed to the Museum’s Portable Gallery.
Learn more about Unboxed: Art beyond the MuseumLearn MoreNCMA Winston-Salem
The Art of Now Since 1956
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Park Hangs: Cosmic Collective
Unwind and socialize at Park Hangs, a new outdoor concert series at Bailey Park Liven up your Friday evening with the ethereal jazz fusion of Cosmic Collective from 6:00–8:00 pm. Food truck service begins at 5:00 pm. Blending jazz, lo-fi, and electronica, Charlotte-based jazz ensemble Cosmic Collective features an ever-changing cast of supporting performers, bringing a unique experience to each show. Cosmic Collective’s effervescent, ever-evolving chemistry makes each show a truly unique “interstellar jazz” experience. Park Hangs Join us to unwind and socialize at a new outdoor concert series with music by NC-based artists, food and drinks by local vendors, and easygoing vibes in Bailey Park (445 Patterson Ave. in Winston-Salem). Park Hangs is presented by NCMA Winston-Salem and Innovation Quarter, with additional support from Atwell Ford Real Estate. Bring your own food or purchase from vendors in the park or from favorite restaurants in Innovation Quarter. Drinks from Incendiary Brewing will be available for purchase; outside alcohol is prohibited. Limited street parking is available, with additional paid parking in the Link Parking Deck (530 North Patterson Ave.).
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ART/LIT: Pocket-sized Stories
Art & Literacy is now ART/LIT, an art club for teens that explores connections between visual art and language With guidance from illustrator and storyteller Jessica Robin Harkey, middle and high school students (ages 12-17) can use a variety of materials to create pocket-sized books—ideal for short comics, stories, or poems—and leave with their own handmade books and the skills to create more on their own. Instructor Jessica Robin Harkey is an illustrator of children’s picture books and Artist Instructor at Sawtooth School for Visual Art. She is a firm believer in all things mythical, magical, and make-believe, from which she draws creative inspiration. Jessica fills each of her illustrations with as much whimsy, humor, and detail as possible so young readers can discover as many stories as they like. She hopes her work resonates with curious kids as well as kids at heart. ART/LIT Teen Art Club Students ages 12-17 are invited to explore the intersection of visual arts and literature at ART/LIT, an art club for teens that meets monthly for hands-on workshops led by working artists at local library branches. Workshops are open to all skill levels and encourage curiosity, creativity, and connection through art. ART/LIT is presented in partnership with Forsyth County Public Library. All materials are provided. Registration is required.
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2nd Saturday: Bold Shapes & Bright Colors
Embrace playful creativity under the shade of trees at Winston Square Park Create vibrant, abstract paintings inspired by the work of exhibiting artist Kevin Calhoun. Use paint and graffiti markers to make bold and colorful works of art inspired by abstract expressionism. Artist Kevin Calhoun paints in the tradition of abstract expressionism, creating scenes that oscillate between the primal and the cosmic. Explore works by Calhoun and other NC-based artists in Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum, on view at NCMA Winston-Salem Downtown through August 30. 2nd Saturday One of the museum’s longest-running programs, 2nd Saturday provides opportunities for all ages and skill levels to create memories through accessible, hands-on art-making. Each month’s art activity is inspired by current exhibitions or events. All materials are provided.
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Member Preview: Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum
Not yet a Museum member? Join today Step into a new chapter of NCMA Winston-Salem at a gallery and gathering space in the heart of downtown. The inaugural exhibition, Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum, features works by 13 North Carolina-based artists working across a variety of media. Mingle with artists and celebrate a new creative hub in the City of Arts & innovation. Light refreshments Cash bar Creative cocktail attire encouraged Registration is required. Members can log in to their NCMA account to unlock access. Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum is generously sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners and Fader Real Estate.
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Opening Party: Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum
Celebrate the opening of NCMA Winston-Salem Downtown and the inaugural exhibition Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum Step into a new chapter of NCMA Winston-Salem at a gallery and gathering space in the heart of downtown. The inaugural exhibition, Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum, features works by 13 North Carolina-based artists working across a variety of media. Mingle with artists, hear from Museum directors, and celebrate a new creative hub in the City of Arts & innovation. Creative cocktail attire is encouraged Light refreshments Cash bar Unboxed features works by artists Nico Amortegui, Kevin Calhoun, Emily Clare, Owens Daniels, Ellen Heck, Eric Knoche, Andrew Mastriani, Caroline Paul Dalholt, Travis Phillips, Jermaine “JP” Powell, Daniel Rich, Sloane Siobhan, and Mona Wu. All exhibiting artists have contributed works to NCMA Winston-Salem’s Portable Gallery, an outreach initiative that connects students at local schools with contemporary art. Whereas typical museum exhibitions do not sell the art on display, many works in Unboxed will be available for purchase. NCMA Winston-Salem invites visitors to interact with art and artists, generate ideas and connections, and support North Carolina’s creative ecosystem. Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum is generously sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners and Fader Real Estate. Generous support for NCMA Winston-Salem Downtown and programming is provided by Anna Reilly and Matthew Cullinan, Borden and Ann Hanes, Twin City Development Foundation, Skip Dunn and Mia Celano, Don and Robin Flow, Stuart Parks, Joe Logan, Randall and Clare Tuttle, and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Featured image: Kevin Calhoun, Untitled, 2026, oil on linen. © Kevin Calhoun. Courtesy of the artist.
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Field Trip: ART CRUSH
Experience ART CRUSH and the Arts District with co-founder Toni Tronu Meet at Visual Index, a gallery curated by Arts District co-founder Toni Tronu, for an inside look at ART CRUSH. Learn more about the District then set out to wander nearby galleries and studios at your own pace. Discover new artists, explore creative spaces, and enjoy the lively atmosphere that makes ART CRUSH special. The Arts District works to connect with and amplify diverse voices and visions, bringing them together at the heart of Winston-Salem through arts-centric events, local partnerships, and passionate community building. The Arts District’s recurring block party ART CRUSH is a place to discover emerging and established artists, admire creative studios and galleries, support local businesses, and experience the electric energy of the local music scene. Field Trips Field Trips are community art excursions to local, arts-based organizations and institutions for an inside look at spaces that are shaping the cultural landscape in the North Carolina triad. The monthly meet-ups are led by NCMA Winston-Salem staff and may include collaborative art-making, movement or sound explorations, guided tours, or creative prompts. Like the field trips of our childhoods, they combine fun and learning, all while showcasing unique, local entities that are rooted in the arts.
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Art in the Park: Guerilla Street Art Printmaking
Let the park, streets, and built environment become your studio during an outdoor printmaking session Explore the landscape to collect textures from manhole covers, grates, and other surfaces. Simple printmaking techniques will be used to transfer these textures onto t-shirts and other materials, with direction from artist Kim Varnadoe. This Art in the Park session will be led by Winston-Salem-based painter and printmaker Kim Varnadoe, who mentored artists for over 25 years before retiring as a Professor of Art at Salem College. Varnadoe is a member of Artworks Gallery, serves on the boards of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem and the Downtown Arts District Association (DADA), and maintains a studio at Culture WS collective. She is also a Founding Artist of the online fine art gallery, Artfolios, where her work can be found online. Art in the Park Art in the Park is a free, pop-up series presented by NCMA Winston-Salem and Winston-Salem Recreation & Parks. Designed for all ages, Art in the Park invites you to explore your creativity at scenic local parks. Drop by between 10:00 and 1:00 to enjoy a unique, hands-on tutorial led by our featured local artist. Materials are provided, and if you can’t stay to create, we’ll happily send you off with supplies to help spark your imagination later.
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Open Studio: Expressive Portraits
Dive into the colorful energy of Nico Amortegui’s paintings to create expressive blind contour portraits Reimagine exhibiting artist Nico Amortegui’s subjects, use a mirror to create a self portrait, bring a friend to draw, or meet someone new to sketch at Open Studio. Let creativity flow and set aside creative restraints with blind contouring, a drawing exercise using an unbroken line to capture a subject without looking at the paper. Ages 18+; materials provided. Open Studio Open Studio is an adults-only art meetup designed to spark creativity, conversation, and connection. Focusing on process over perfection, these flexible, drop-in sessions invite participants to experiment freely with materials and ideas in an easygoing workshop environment. Each month features a fresh creative prompt inspired by a North Carolina-based artist. Stop by Open Studio to make art with friends you haven’t met yet.
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Park Hangs: Kenny Wavinson
Unwind and socialize at Park Hangs, an outdoor concert series at Bailey Park Gather and unwind to the breezy sounds of Kenny Wavinson from 6:00–8:00 pm. Food truck service begins at 5:00 pm. Kendall Daniels, better known as Kenny Wavinson, is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter based in Greensboro. Inspired by acts such as Mac Demarco, Real Estate, and Good Morning, Kenny makes nostalgic melodic groves under his own genre he calls “Lakewater Rock.” Listen to his latest single “Cycles” here. Park Hangs Join us to unwind and socialize at a new outdoor concert series with music by NC-based artists, food and drinks by local vendors, and easygoing vibes in Bailey Park (445 Patterson Ave. in Winston-Salem). Park Hangs is presented by NCMA Winston-Salem and Innovation Quarter, with additional support from Atwell Ford Real Estate. Bring your own food or purchase from vendors in the park or from favorite restaurants in Innovation Quarter. Drinks from Incendiary Brewing will be available for purchase; outside alcohol is prohibited. Limited street parking is available, with additional paid parking in the Link Parking Deck (530 North Patterson Ave.).
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ART/LIT: Erasure As Discovery (Blackout Poetry)
ART/LIT is an art club for teens that explores connections between visual arts and language Middle and high school students can learn to transform overlooked text into personal and expressive works of art. Inspired by Tom Phillip’s seminal work, A Humument, techniques such as erasure and collage will be used to discover unexpected poems. Leave with a finished blackout poetry piece and a new way of seeing language on the page. Participation is free; registration is required. This ART/LIT session will be led by creative writing instructor Veronica Kavass, who currently teaches at UNCSA, previously taught at Watkins College of Art, and has written about art for publications including Burnaway and The Nashville Scene. Kavass’s writing is largely influenced by her experiences as a criminal defense investigator, teacher, oral history interviewer, and curator. She is currently writing about memory and language in the criminal justice system, inspired by her years working as a public defender investigator in New Orleans. ART/LIT Students ages 12-17 are invited to explore the intersection of visual arts and literature at ART/LIT, an art club for teens that meets monthly for hands-on workshops led by working artists at local library branches. Workshops are open to all skill levels and encourage curiosity, creativity, and connection through art. ART/LIT is presented in partnership with Forsyth County Public Library. All materials are provided. Registration is required.
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Artist Talk: Location History
Exhibiting artists in conversation about memory, place, and the experiences embedded in the world around us Hear from Emily Clare, Caroline Paul Dalholt, and Ellen Heck, working artists featured in NCMA Winston-Salem Downtown’s inaugural exhibition Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum. Working across painting, printmaking, drawing, and mixed media, each of these artists has a unique approach for transforming fragments of time and enduring memories into visual narratives. Informed by their distinct creative practices, this trio will explore the ways art can preserve, reinterpret, and reimagine the stories we carry. This Artist Talk will conclude with a Q&A session. Artist Talk: Location History is generously supported by Leland Little. Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum is generously sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners and Fader Real Estate. Registration opens soon
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2nd Saturday: Paper Ziggurats
Explore architectural forms and construct your own at Winston Square Park Use paper to create your own stepped pyramid sculpture inspired by Daniel Rich’s detailed painting of The Ziggurat building in Sacramento, a modern office structure modeled after ancient Mesopotamian temples. No art experience required, all materials provided. Artist Daniel Rich translates photographs into paintings that explore social narratives transcribed in the built environment. His work explores changing power structures, failed utopias, and the impacts of ideological struggles and natural upheavals. Explore works by Rich and other NC-based artists in Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum, on view at NCMA Winston-Salem Downtown through August 30. 2nd Saturday One of the museum’s longest-running programs, 2nd Saturday provides opportunities for all ages and skill levels to create memories through accessible, hands-on art-making. Each month’s art activity is inspired by current exhibitions or events. 2nd Saturday is free to attend and all materials are provided.
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Open Studio: Clay Forms
Get inspired by ceramicist Eric Knoche’s circular works and create your own clay forms Drawing inspiration from exhibiting ceramicist Eric Knoche’s circular clay forms, create sculptures from air-dry clay. Explore fluid shapes, natural rhythms, and imperfect symmetry. This Open Studio session will focus on intuitive making, evolution through repetition, and variations on a theme. Open Studio Open Studio is an adults-only art meetup designed to spark creativity, conversation, and connection. Focusing on process over perfection, these flexible, drop-in sessions invite participants to experiment freely with materials and ideas in an easygoing workshop environment. Each month features a fresh creative prompt inspired by a North Carolina-based artist. Stop by Open Studio to make art with friends you haven’t met yet.
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Artist Talk: Portrait Mode
Exhibiting artists in conversation about perception, personality, and the ways art can shape our understanding of one another Hear from Nico Amortegui and Owens Daniels, working artists featured in NCMA Winston-Salem Downtown’s inaugural exhibition Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum, as they reflect on perception, personality, and the ways art can shape our understanding of one another. Drawing from their work in photography, painting, and public art, Amortegui and Daniels will discuss the creative choices involved in portraying others, the responsibilities that come from that process, and how artworks continue to take on new meaning through the people who view them. This Artist Talk will conclude with a Q&A session. Artist Talk: Portrait Mode is generously supported by Leland Little. Unboxed: Art beyond the Museum is generously sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners and Fader Real Estate. Registration opens soon
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Park Hangs: Coconut Cake
Enjoy upbeat, dance party vibes with Coconut Cake Enjoy live music by NC-based rumba ensemble, Coconut Cake, from 6:00–8:00 pm. Food truck service begins at 5:00 pm. Coconut Cake is an ensemble known for their cheerful Congolese rumba and African dance music that tempts even the most reluctant dancer onto the dance floor. You won’t be able to resist moving along with their bold rhythms. Park Hangs Join us to unwind and socialize at a new outdoor concert series with music by NC-based artists, food and drinks by local vendors, and easygoing vibes in Bailey Park (445 Patterson Ave. in Winston-Salem). Park Hangs is presented by NCMA Winston-Salem and Innovation Quarter, with additional support from Atwell Ford Real Estate. Bring your own food or purchase from vendors in the park or from favorite restaurants in Innovation Quarter. Drinks from Incendiary Brewing will be available for purchase; outside alcohol is prohibited. Limited street parking is available, with additional paid parking in the Link Parking Deck (530 North Patterson Ave.).
PLAN YOUR VISIT
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DOWNTOWN WINSTON-SALEM
Coming to 4th Street this summer, NCMA Winston-Salem will open an exhibition and program space committed to fostering creativity and collaboration among visitors, artists, and community groups.
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NCMA Winston-Salem
PLEASE NOTE: The museum campus on Marguerite Drive is closed in 2026 for construction improvements.
Members Experience More
You love the museum. Now, let’s make it official. Museum membership includes access to numerous perks like free exhibition admission, discounted tickets to events, and more.
RALEIGH
One Museum. Two Locations.
The Museum’s history begins in 1924, when the North Carolina Art Society was formed. Its mission: to generate interest in creating an art museum for the state. In 1928 the society acquired funds and approximately 75 paintings by bequest from Robert F. Phifer, a North Carolina native and businessman. In 1929 the first in a series of temporary art exhibition spaces opened in the Agriculture Building in Raleigh.
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