North Carolina Central University Art Museum spotlights the creativity and innovation of its emerging artists and designers this spring with New Horizons: The 2026 Department of Art and Design Student Exhibition.
On view March 22 through April 29, 2026, New Horizons celebrates the technical skill, conceptual depth, and interdisciplinary strength of students in the Department of Art and Design.
The annual exhibition reflects the breadth of artistic practice at NCCU, featuring work from students studying Fashion Design, Architecture, Studio Art, Art Studies, Graphic Design, and Animation and Game Design. Through a formal jurying process, submitted works are reviewed and selected to ensure excellence in craftsmanship, innovation, and creative exploration.
More than a display of student artwork, New Horizons provides vital professional experience. Participants engage in submission protocols, exhibition preparation, and public presentation hallmarks of professional practice that prepare them for careers in the creative industries. The exhibition serves as both a culmination of academic growth and a launch point into broader artistic and professional communities.
This image was created by junior Art and Design student Taylor Simmons.
The NCCU Art Museum proudly presents the 2026 NCCU Art and Design Faculty Exhibition, the Museum’s biannual Faculty Exhibition, highlighting the creative research, professional practice, and artistic excellence of the faculty in the Department of Art and Design at North Carolina Central University.
The NCCU Art Museum is honored to present a collaborative exhibition featuring the works of students from Durham Public Schools. The image shown here was created by Sarah Lewis, who is in the 10th grade at Riverside High School. Running now through January 30, 2026, the exhibition highlights the creativity and imagination of these young minds.
The North Carolina Central University Art Museum is proud to announce a major exhibition celebrating the extraordinary work of NCCU alumnus Eric A.W. Kelly III, founder of Kelly Worldwide Advertising, an advertising and marketing agency. He is also the director of the Eric Kelly III Museum and one of the most transformative abstract expressive artists of our time. Running from Tuesday, October 21, 2025, to Sunday, January 4, 2026, the exhibition, 
The NCCU Art Museum is proud to announce the "New Horizons" Art and Design Student Exhibition. Join us at the NCCU Art Museum for the 2025 New Horizons Student Exhibition, featuring works from the Art and Design department. This exhibition showcases talents across various disciplines and year levels. From March 23 to April 29, 2025, discover innovative visual stories from tomorrow’s artistic leaders. (This image was created by Mykia Edwards.)
Experience the powerful photography of NCCU Alumnus Alvin Lester in the exhibition "Through the Lens of Alvin Lester," on view at the NCCU Art Museum. Running now through Thursday, October 16, 2025, this compelling collection highlights Lester’s unique ability to capture emotion, place, and perspective through the camera. From candid portraits to striking landscapes, each image invites viewers to see the world through his lens. The exhibition is free and open to the public. This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of one of Alvin Lester’s best friends, Larry "Fuzzy" Lovette (1951–2003). The image shown here is Alvin Lester's "
The NCCU Art Museum was proud to present a featured exhibition showcasing the talents of the Department of Art and Design faculty. The exhibition opened on February 29 and ran through Friday, March 22, 2024, providing art enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to explore an array of artistic expressions.
NCCU proudly presented "An Artist's Passionate Journey." This exhibition recognized Professor Achamyeleh Debela, who is an internationally acclaimed artist and a former member of the faculty in the Department of Art and Design, within the NCCU College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.
NCCU
The NCCU Art Museum inaugurated the 2020–2021 academic school year with a virtual quilting exhibition featuring the works of North Carolina native Kimberley Pierce Cartwright. Cartwright is a quilter, folk art painter and entrepreneur who grew up in Hallsboro, NC. She began her artistic career as a quilter and painter in 2006.
Hayes, whose sculpture, Cash Crop, was shown at the museum in 2011, used miscellaneous objects ordinarily considered worthless to develop his thought-provoking exhibit in which he asks viewers to reconsider their beliefs and venture into varying aspects of human exploitation.