RELEASE DATE: AUG 14, 2026
Beloved Weatherspoon Tradition Returns: The 48th Iteration of Art on Paper
Greensboro, NC: The Weatherspoon Art Museum is pleased to announce the opening of Art on Paper 2026: The 48th Exhibition. A beloved museum tradition, the exhibition features the work of artists who demonstrate the breadth of ways in which one can elevate the humble medium of paper to extraordinary ends. From building a cityscape out of discarded lottery tickets, to crafting imaginative armor from molded paper pulp, to exploring the anatomy of insects through careful cuts and folds, these artists harness paper’s seemingly infinite ability to take on different forms. Simultaneously, they use those forms to explore a rich array of topics—from traditional crafts to contemporary foodways, from comedic situations to the weight of grief, from the built environment to the natural world, and so many more. The exhibition is on view from August 29, 2026, to April 18, 2027.
This year’s installation includes work by the following artists: Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo (Memphis, TN), Jerstin Crosby (Winston-Salem, NC), Ingrid Erickson (Salisbury, NC), Kirk Fanelly (Charlotte, NC), Susan Hamburger (New York, NY), Roberto Jackson Harrington (Austin, TX), Sedrick Huckaby (Fort Worth, TX), Morgan (Chicago, IL), Kasia Ozga (Greensboro, NC), Wendy Red Star (Portland, OR), Allison Schulnik (Sky Valley, CA), Jean Shin (New York, NY), Leigh Suggs (Richmond, VA), Rhiannon Skye Tafoya (Cherokee, NC), and Laura Tanner (Boca Raton, FL).
Emily Stamey, curator of the exhibition, celebrates its range and scope: “No matter your interests or stylistic preferences, this installation offers up something for each of us—please come and enjoy!” As in years past, the museum will seek to acquire a selection of these works for its Dillard Collection of Art on Paper, which now numbers some 600 works of art, including examples by noteworthy and established artists such as Robert Smithson, Louise Bourgeois, and Lee Krasner, as well as contemporary artists such as Julie Buffalohead, Nate Lewis, Sherrill Roland, and Saya Woolfalk.
Programming highlights include an artist talk by Art on Paper 2026 artist and UNCG School of Art Falk Visiting Artist Clarence “Morgan” Morgan on Thursday, October 1, at 5:30pm, and a guided exhibition visit in Spanish on Saturday, October 3, at 11am, offered by the museum in collaboration with Casa Azul of Greensboro. See the museum’s website for more information.
Organized by Dr. Emily Stamey, Elizabeth McIver Weatherspoon Curator of Academic Programming and Head of Exhibitions.
Image: Susan Hamburger, Helmet (Snake), 2023. Paper mache, celluclay, paperclay, wire, and wood stand; 15 x 9 x 8 in. © Susan Hamburger. Courtesy of the artist and Asya Geisberg Gallery. Photo by Etienne Frossard.
About the Weatherspoon Art Museum
Mission
Embracing its public service role, the Weatherspoon Art Museum at UNC Greensboro fosters the ability of art to impact lives and connect multiple communities.
History
The Weatherspoon Art Museum at UNC Greensboro was founded by Gregory Ivy in 1941 and is the earliest of any art facilities within the UNC system. The museum was founded as a resource for the campus, community, and region, and its early leadership developed an emphasis—maintained to this day—on presenting and acquiring modern and contemporary works of art. A 1950 bequest from the renowned collection of Claribel and Etta Cone, including prints and bronzes by Henri Matisse and other works on paper by American and European modernists, helped establish the Weatherspoon’s permanent collection. During Ivy’s tenure, other prescient acquisitions included a 1951 suspended mobile by Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning’s pivotal 1949-50 Woman, and the first drawings by Eva Hesse and Robert Smithson to enter a museum collection.
In 1989, the museum moved into its present location in the Anne and Benjamin Cone Building designed by the architectural firm Mitchell Giurgola. The museum has six galleries and a sculpture courtyard with over 17,000 square feet of exhibition space. The American Alliance of Museums first accredited the Weatherspoon in 1995 and renewed its accreditation most recently in 2025.
Collections + Exhibitions
The collection of the Weatherspoon Art Museum is one of the foremost of its kind in the Southeast. It represents all major art movements from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Among the nearly 7,000 works in the collection are pieces by such prominent figures as Henry Ossawa Tanner, Edward Weston, Joseph Stella, David Smith, Jackson Pollock, Elizabeth Catlett, Louise Nevelson, Gordon Parks, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mangold, Cindy Sherman, Adrian Piper, Betye Saar, Amy Sillman, Nick Cave, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Sanford Biggers. The museum regularly lends to major exhibitions nationally and internationally.
The Weatherspoon is also known for its dynamic exhibition program. Through a lively annual calendar of exhibitions and a multidisciplinary educational program for audiences of all ages, the museum provides an opportunity for visitors to consider artistic, cultural, and social issues of our time—enriching the life of our university, community, and region.
About UNC Greensboro
UNC Greensboro is a learner-centered public research university with nearly 13,000 students in eight colleges and schools pursuing more than 150 areas of undergraduate and 200 areas of graduate study. Recognized nationally for helping first-generation and lower-income students find paths to prosperity, UNCG is ranked No. 1 most affordable institution in North Carolina for net cost by the New York Times and No. 1 in North Carolina for social mobility by the Wall Street Journal. Designated an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, UNCG is a community-engaged research institution with a portfolio of more than $67M in research and creative activity. The University creates an annual economic impact for the Piedmont Triad region in excess of $1B. Please visit uncg.edu and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, Bluesky and LinkedIn.
Weatherspoon Art Museum
UNC Greensboro
1005 Spring Garden Street
Greensboro, NC 27412, 336-334-5770, weatherspoon@uncg.edu