Text graphic that reads 'GROW THE LEGACY' in red bold letters with a three-dimensional effect and shadow.

2025/2026 Annual Fund

As our building undergoes renovation, HMA is taking Art for All out into the community. Your support of the 2025/2026 Annual Fund helps us bring exhibitions, classes, and programs to new spaces and audiences.

will you help us Grow the Legacy?

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our renovation is underway!

Demo began on Tuesday, September 2, and that means HMA is hitting the road—bringing creativity and art experiences out into the community! While the building undergoes its exciting transformation, you’ll still find us in new places, popping up with programs, classes, and events that keep the arts alive and accessible for everyone. Visit our HMA On the Go Satellite Museum at Valley Hills Mall! Follow us on social media and check our website for the latest updates, class info, and event details.

upcoming events on the go!

View the full event calendar

Black-tie elegance meets architectural inspiration on Saturday, February 7, 2026 from 7:30-11 PM.

Experience a night where architecture comes alive through fashion, design, and creative expression—plus an open bar and delicious, heavy hors d’oeuvres all night.

Hickory Metro Convention Center & Visitors Bureau
1960 13th Avenue Drive Southeast Hickory, NC, 28602 United States (map)

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Upcoming Events
The ART Table Lunch Break
Feb 4
The ART Table Lunch Break
Pint Size Picassos (Ages 3-5)
Feb 4
Pint Size Picassos (Ages 3-5)
Figure Painting Studio (Session 1)
Feb 4
Figure Painting Studio (Session 1)
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Introductory Class
Feb 4
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Introductory Class
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Continuing Class
Feb 4
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Continuing Class
Handmade Paper & Dried Flower Valentine Card Workshop (Session 1)
Feb 5
Handmade Paper & Dried Flower Valentine Card Workshop (Session 1)
Monthly Journaling Club
Feb 5
Monthly Journaling Club
2026 The Art of Architecture guildHMA Gala
Feb 7
2026 The Art of Architecture guildHMA Gala
The ART Table Lunch Break
Feb 11
The ART Table Lunch Break
Pint Size Picassos (Ages 3-5)
Feb 11
Pint Size Picassos (Ages 3-5)
Figure Painting Studio (Session 2)
Feb 11
Figure Painting Studio (Session 2)
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Introductory Class
Feb 11
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Introductory Class
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Continuing Class
Feb 11
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Continuing Class
Coffee In The Coe: Art + Exhibitions Round-table Discussion with Clarissa
Feb 12
Coffee In The Coe: Art + Exhibitions Round-table Discussion with Clarissa
Handmade Paper & Dried Flower Valentine Card Workshop (Session 2)
Feb 12
Handmade Paper & Dried Flower Valentine Card Workshop (Session 2)
Window Walks: Exploring the Art of Retail
Feb 13
Window Walks: Exploring the Art of Retail
Hard Hat Tour with HMA Executive Director Clarissa Starnes
Feb 13
Hard Hat Tour with HMA Executive Director Clarissa Starnes
Inside Look with Gina Odonoghue
Feb 13
Inside Look with Gina Odonoghue
Homeschool Art Classes, Ages 5 Years & Older (Session 2)
Feb 16
Homeschool Art Classes, Ages 5 Years & Older (Session 2)
The ART Table Lunch Break
Feb 18
The ART Table Lunch Break
Figure Painting Studio (Session 3)
Feb 18
Figure Painting Studio (Session 3)
Pint Size Picassos (Ages 3-5)
Feb 18
Pint Size Picassos (Ages 3-5)
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Introductory Class
Feb 18
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Introductory Class
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Continuing Class
Feb 18
Tai Chi with Rick Berry: Continuing Class
Lecture on Elliott Daingerfield with Carl Shatley
Feb 19
Lecture on Elliott Daingerfield with Carl Shatley
L.A.T.E. Night Thursday | Double Take: Paint Your Partner
Feb 19
L.A.T.E. Night Thursday | Double Take: Paint Your Partner
Window Walks: Exploring the Art of Retail
Feb 20
Window Walks: Exploring the Art of Retail
Hard Hat Tour with HMA Executive Director Clarissa Starnes
Feb 20
Hard Hat Tour with HMA Executive Director Clarissa Starnes
Inside Look with Cristy Steffey
Feb 20
Inside Look with Cristy Steffey
Teen Drawing Workshop (Ages 10 & Up)
Feb 23
Teen Drawing Workshop (Ages 10 & Up)
Exterior view of the Hickory Museum of Art storefront with glass windows, black and white signage, and black tiled floor entrance.

visit our temporary satellite museum!

While the main museum is closed for renovation, we are operating a satellite location at Valley Hills Mall [1960 US Hwy 70 SE, Hickory, NC 28602]. Find us on the 2nd floor, near American Eagle, outside of Dillard’s.

Enjoy free hands-on art activities, exhibitions by local artists, and more!

Hours:
Wednesday - Saturday | 11 AM - 4 PM
Sunday | 12 - 6 PM
Also open for special events and classes.

Hickory Museum of Art logo featuring text and an abstract graphic of a rolling wheel with motion lines in maroon and black.

presents

Sailor, Fred T. Foard High School

Judy Whitener & Friends

On exhibition January 7, 2026 - February 5, 2026
HMA’s Temporary Satellite Museum at Valley Hills Mall
1960 US Hwy 70 SE, Hickory, NC 28602
Upper Floor Near Dillards
________________________

In October, HMA announced a drawing for an exhibition at our Satellite Museum for February 2026. Judy Whitener was the winner! Judy is part of an Open Studio that meets at Rock School Arts Foundation in Valdese, NC. She invited her friends from that group to join in the exhibition.

Artwork Available for Purchase

79th Annual Paul Whitener Memorial Student Art Show

presented by

On exhibition February 9 - 14, 2026
Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM
Hickory Metro Convention Center
1960 13th Ave Dr SE, Hickory, NC 28602
Click here for Floor Plan of HMCC
________________________

Hickory Museum of Art founder and first director Paul Whitener was deeply committed to nurturing creativity in young people. To support this vision, he established an annual student art exhibition—a tradition that continues today in his memory. This year, the 79th Annual Paul Whitener Memorial Student Art Show will be held at the Hickory Metro Convention Center. Participating students represent Hickory City Schools, Catawba County Schools, Newton-Conover City Schools, as well as private schools and homeschools.

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 our mission

Art for ALL!

To bring people together and inspire creativity through the power of art.

be a part of HMA

Join to become a member of Hickory Museum of Art today.

Join HMA

support HMA

There are many ways you can help Hickory Museum of Art continue its mission to inspire, educate and transform our community and the region through the visual arts.

help support hma today

 blog @ HMA

Featured
James Allen (Jim) Wojtowicz (born 1965) 
James Allen (Jim) Wojtowicz (born 1965) 

Jim’s was the first On the Go exhibit at HMA’s Temporary Satellite Museum at Hickory’s Valley Hills Mall.

Jim Wojtowicz calls himself a “scribbler” and describes his art as collage. He clearly remembers a day in kindergarten when he had crayoned a picture that had not only satisfied him but for the first time …

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HMA’s Reaccreditation Process: Reminiscence
HMA’s Reaccreditation Process: Reminiscence

On September 5, 2024, local notables including Hickory’s Mayor, HMA Board members, and other museum supporters along with the museum’s volunteers and staff celebrated HMA’s reaccreditation success with a party.  The Mayor declared the day of the party Hickory Museum of Art Day, and everyone raised a champagne toast.

 Being reaccredited was certainly not as simple as …

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Josephine Bonniwell Lyerly (1879–1964)
Josephine Bonniwell Lyerly (1879–1964)

An especially intriguing aspect of the family is the involvement of Kate and George’s daughters, Norma and Josephine, in the family building business — an unusual situation for the time. Even more, that the Bonniwell daughters had their father’s support and promotion is all the more interesting.

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The Women behind Hickory Museum of Art
The Women behind Hickory Museum of Art

A mock-up of the fabled then-brand-new 1954 Dodge station-wagon served as a photo setting for partiers celebrating at the premiere of the Women Behind HMA video.

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Shirley Pruden Graham (1927-2007)
Shirley Pruden Graham (1927-2007)

A February 16, 1953 article in The Hickory Daily Record on the topic of HMA’s 1952 acquisitions says of Shirley Pruden's The Aerialist, the first work by a woman artist purchased by HMA, “It is an excellent work which shows superb knowledge of

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Jeffrey A. Raasch (born c.1966)
Jeffrey A. Raasch (born c.1966)

Jef Raasch’s Manimal is currently on exhibit at HMA’s Temporary Satellite Museum at Hickory’s Valley Hills Mall. Behind him is a mirror so that you can see all sides of the sculpture and maybe also glimpse yourself on the scene!

Raasch says of his work, “My sculpture represents the symbiosis of life; all creatures mixing together to form a greater existence.” The life-size human form of  HMA's Manimal is composed of dozens of different animal species, most native to North Carolina.

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Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973)
Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973)

In a Smithsonian Institution interview in 1964 Huntington said about much-depicted Joan of Arc. “And my challenge was to get a composition that was original, that hadn't really been done before. That was the fun of it.”

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Philip Moose (1921-2001)
Philip Moose (1921-2001)

The unassuming but quietly charming Blowing Rock resident Philip Anthony Moose was a world traveler, Army veteran, Pulitzer Prize winner (for art, in 1948) and a prolific painter. Born in Newton, N.C. as the fifth of seven children, Moose studied art at ...

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share with HMA

Every wanted to try your hand at figure drawing? We still have availability for February at Old Rock School. Contact Karla to register today! kstarnes@hickory.org #hma #hmaOnTheGo #hickoryart #hickoryartmuseum #figuredrawing
HMA's lectures continue with Carl Shatley presenting on Elliott Daingerfield at 2:00 PM at BellaAge on Thursday, February 19th. Elliott Daingerfield is considered one of North Carolina's most prolific artists! Tickets available here: https://www.hi
Snowed in and stir crazy? Join fellow journaling enthusiasts this Thursday for open studio-type journaling. Gather your friends, bring your journal, and fill it with sketches, collages, inspiration, paintings, and much more. The club gathers on the f
Due to the expected snowstorm—on top of last weekend’s ice—our satellite location at Valley Hills Mall will be closed Saturday, January 31st and Sunday, February 1st. Stay safe and warm, and we’ll see you soon!
Want to get out before the next snow day? We have an Inside Look with artist Manny A. Maldonado tomorrow at 2:00 PM at our satellite location at Valley Hills Mall! Come learn about his 4-step method for painting en plein air. @artbym.a.m Free Admis
Want to learn how to paint outdoors without getting overwhelmed by all the details? Artist, Manny A. Maldonado will show you how to paint loose and free with a simple 4-step method. He will demonstrate how to create strong, lively paintings by focusi
⌚Four watches? Four winners! ✨ Courtesy of The Jewelry Exchange, four guildHMA gala guests will each win a stunning watch. One raffle ticket per gala ticket purchased— the more tickets you get, the more chances you have to win. Guests will rece
Ice storm = cabin fever. Art = cure 🎨 If you can safely make it out, join us at HMA’s satellite location in Valley Hills Mall and enjoy our free make-and-take art tables. We will be open from 11 AM-4 PM. Stay safe!!
Form comes to life. Dancers from Hickory Ballet & Performing Arts will transform curves, lines, and structure into graceful movement throughout The Art of Architecture guildHMA Gala. Visit www.hickoryart.org to purchase your tickets for The Ar
They’re back — and they’ll have you doing a double take. 👀 Imagine Circus returns to The Art of Architecture guildHMA Gala with performers who will amaze, delight, and surprise you throughout the night. Visit www.hickoryart.org to
Great food + great music = the best party of the year. Liazzo’s Catering will keep the delicious eats coming so you can dance all night long! Visit www.hickoryart.org to purchase tickets for The Art of Architecture guildHMA Gala.
Ever wanted to learn more about felting with wool? Looking for something to do before the weather hits this weekend? Inside Look may be cancelled, but Community Manager, Jenny Cody, will be at HMA's satellite location all afternoon until 4 PM with
Sing it, dance it, own it! From timeless classics to today’s hits, Delta Fire brings the music that keeps the dance floor moving all night long. Don’t just watch the gala, feel it! 💃🕺 Visit www.hickoryart.org to purchase tickets for Th
This Friday's Hard Hat Tour with Executive Director, Clarissa Starnes, is completely full, but don't worry, there are more to come. Sign up for one of these behind-the-scenes renovation tours at hickoryart.org/calendarofevents
Tomorrow, Thursday January 22nd at 6:30 PM HMA's Sight and Sound Series and Footcandle present the documentary Charity Case. Director, Alan Jackson, and a surprise guest will be leading a Q&A after the film! Free admission and concessions avail