The University of North Carolina's Department of Art was established in 1936 through the efforts of Mrs. Katherine Pendleton Arrington and the North Carolina Art Society. With funding from the Works Progress Administration and donations from the Art Society membership, Person Hall was renovated and, on 15 January 1937, rededicated as the Person Hall Art Gallery. Under its first chairman, Russell T. Smith, the department consolidated the university's holdings of paintings, sculpture, prints, architectural samples, and other art objects as well as published works on art.
The curriculum, originally limited to art history, was considered a novelty during the early years and soon suffered under the strains of overcrowding and limited finances. Nevertheless, the department gained a wide reputation for its academic instruction, especially after it added instruction in studio art. It maintained its dual concentration on art history and studio art, and expansion in both curricula and staff occurred under the subsequent chairman, John V. Allcott (1939-1957).
The William Hayes Ackland bequest and the completion of the Ackland Memorial Art Center in 1958 provided long-needed, specially designed space as well as funding for the development of the curriculum and expansion of the art collection. Under Joseph C. Sloane, who served as department chairman, 1959-1974, and director of the Art Center, 1959-1978, growth in both areas was striking. Assistant chairmen were appointed to oversee the curricula in art history and studio art. With Sloane's retirement in 1974, the departmental chairmanship and the museum directorship became separate positions. Evan H. Turner succeeded Sloane as director of the Ackland Art Museum in 1978. Subsequent chairmen of the Department of Art have been:
-
1974 -
1980
:
J. Richard Judson
-
1980 -
1983
:
Peter Plagens
-
1983 -
1988?
:
Jaroslav T. Folda III
-
1988? -
1993
:
Arthur Marks
-
1993 -
2003
:
Mary Sturgeon
-
2003 -
2010?
:
Mary D. Sheriff
-
2010? -
:
James N. Hirschfield
In addition to state appropriations, the Department of Art has been the beneficiary of a number of endowment funds, including the Katherine Pendleton Arrington Trust. The William Hayes Ackland Fund has provided major support for the museum's acquisitions program.
From the guide to the Department of Art of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, 1934-1987, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)
