Ackland Art Museum’s ‘Los Trompos’ Exhibit Enlivens UNC Campus
March 27, 2017
College of Arts & Sciences
It may appear as though giant spinning tops have invaded the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus, but there is actually artistic strategy behind the whimsical structures.
‘Los Trompos,’ an Ackland Art Museum exhibition, kicks off Carolina’s Arts Everywhere initiative. A creation by Mexican furniture designers Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena, ‘Los Trompos’ is a large-scale, interactive design installation showcasing fabric woven in a traditional style by Mexican artisans.
“Arts Everywhere is a Chancellor-led initiative to enliven the campus with art,” said Emil J. Kang, special assistant to the Chancellor for the Arts. “Art doesn’t exist purely in a museum, just like music doesn’t exist purely in a concert hall. Part of the plan for Arts Everywhere is to place art in unexpected places.”
For ‘Los Trompos,’ that means on the terrace in front of the Ackland Art Museum, in Rams Head Plaza, and between Davis Library and Lenoir Dining Hall.
“The moment I saw them I knew they were absolutely right for the Ackland and for Carolina,” said Katie Ziglar, director at the Ackland Art Museum.