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Arts NC State 
Gregg Museum of Art & Design

About the Gregg

Our Mission

The Gregg Museum of Art & Design at NC State University sparks creativity and encourages exploration through engaging exhibitions, relevant programming, and thought-provoking educational experiences. Focusing on outstanding examples of art, craft, and design, the museum utilizes cross disciplinary collaborations and its extensive collections to foster critical thinking and expand worldviews. The Gregg serves its diverse campus community and the greater Triangle region in a welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environment.

Gregg History

The Gregg did not begin as a museum; it became one.

The story began when a former NC State chancellor and dean sought to enhance NC State’s mission by acquiring and exhibiting art that reflects the university’s curricula. By the late 1970s this program had evolved into the Visual Arts Program. With the opening of an addition to Talley Student Center in 1992, it became the Visual Arts Center. This addition was designed to accommodate a collection of up to 5,000 objects. Today, the Gregg Museum holds a collection of over ten times that.

The Friends of the Gregg was established in 1983 to enhance the mission and goals of the Gregg.

In 2007, the museum was renamed to honor John and Nancy Gregg, who were two of its most dedicated and beloved supporters. John, a graduate of the College of Textiles, was a member of NC State’s Board of Trustees. Nancy was a leader in the Raleigh arts community and a longtime docent at the North Carolina Museum of Art. During their lives, the Greggs committed themselves fully to the realization of a collecting and exhibiting art and design museum on NC State’s campus.

In May 2013 the Gregg moved from the second and third floors of Talley to a temporary space. The Gregg Museum reopened in its current home at 1903 Hillsborough Street on August 26, 2017.

You won’t find a museum like the Gregg anywhere else.

A free collecting and exhibiting museum with more than 54,000 objects in the permanent collection, we make the art in the museum collection easily accessible to the NC State community and public. From 19th century Japanese color woodblock prints to antique North Carolina quilts, our objects span cultures, disciplines and designs. In addition to having the largest collection of outsider art in North Carolina, we collect, preserve and exhibit:

  • Textiles, including garments
  • Ceramics
  • Paintings
  • Photography
  • Sculpture
  • Architectural drawings
  • Archaeological artifacts
  • Ethnographic materials
  • Modern furniture

Please note:

The permanent collection’s objects are included in exhibitions, but are not permanently on display. To see more of the collection, please search our online catalog.

Visit us

The Gregg Museum is located at 1903 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh.

We hold:

Artists frequently visit the Gregg for exhibition openings, talks, lectures or symposia, providing students and the general public with the opportunity to interact with both the art and artists.