Hickory Museum of Art — Attraction in Hickory

We drove the hour from Winston-Salem to see the Virgil Ortiz Indigenous Ancestral Memory "I x A M" and the contemporay Catawba artists exhibits, which run through the end of August 2025. I found both very powerful. In spite of how we teach indigenous culture in school, it is not something that only exists in the past, starting with European colonization of the Americas. Not only is there is a vast history prior, but many of the indigenous nations still exist and have cultures distinct from the mainstream. These exhibits are poignant reminders of that. They were well worth the drive.

Much of the Catawba exhibit was a series of statements from artists, both professional and amateur. I snapped photos and read them later in a more comfortable setting. I found myself envious of the community they all described, as I think most of us should be.

Virgil Ortiz's exhibit defies explanation and is an experience for multiple senses. Mr Ortiz seems to be a shining example of a polymath, being far more than a simple Pueblo potter. He is an historian, a story teller, science fiction enthusiast, fashion designer, and more.

Those two exhibits deserve 5 stars. The museum unfortunately deserves only 3. It is impressive that they pulled in someone as popular as Virgil Ortiz, and they created a lovely Catawba exhibit to accompany his. However, we saw virtually nothing of a permanent exhibit space and therefore must wonder what the museum offers when not hosting large traveling exhibits. Also, though we spoke at length with people as we signed in, no one mentioned that the museum and the gift shop were closing early for a funeral. It also was not on the website. Most annoying, there was a video of an interview with Ortiz that had been highly recommended by multiple people, but it was located within the administrative workspace, where people were chatting the entire time. For some reason, no one had thought to turn on close captioning. In the end, we gave up.

In conclusion, if you read this review in August 2025, try to get to the museum, but you may want to call in advance. After that, I have no...

We love checking out art museums and were not prepared for the incredible Catawba Native American exhibit. We spent 2 hours stunned by the entire three floors. The pottery, the characters, the video, the photographs with the members stories and following the Catawba River on the upper floor. Knowing that the youth did not know their heritage and are now even learning their native language, as well as the adults doing the same. We were only passing through on our way to our home in Atlanta and felt such joy that we had stopped. Hoping that we can return but it looks like the exhibit is over August 31. We met the new art director who was very engaging and informative. Thank you for the wonderful memories and...

This is the only art museum I know of in Hickory, but it’s a great one. They have a lot of folk art pieces, a really cool room of glass sculpture, permanent exhibits, and a couple of exhibits that they update quite quickly, surprisingly. It’s nice to have the Science Center, Library, and Art Museum all in one place, if you have kids you can spend a whole day here if you want. Also, the art museum is free so why not? It’s a must see for any art lover...