RALEIGH, N.C.—The North Carolina Museum of Art opens Far from Home, an exhibition of 29 works of art that address the displacement of people and populations in the global community as they relocate for economic, political, educational, or familial reasons. Admission to the exhibition is free.  On view through July 13, 2008.

Drawn from both public and private collections, Far from Home features 20 of today’s most compelling artists—both widely acclaimed and up-and-coming—from diverse national and cultural origins, many of whom have never been exhibited in this region and appear at the North Carolina Museum of Art for the first time.

Whether focused on the individual or larger community, works of art in the exhibition speak to the expansion of global networks as people relocate and travel, making their way in new places while maintaining connections to homelands and heritage, however tenuous.

“Focusing on the artists’ own narratives alongside processes or conditions such as displacement, separation, and belonging allows for a more nuanced, global identity and for commonalities not often accommodated within the gallery space–among artists, and viewers as well,” said Kinsey Katchka, associate curator of modern and contemporary art.

Artists include Ghada Amer, José Bedia, Jane Benson, Skunder Boghossian, Tseng Kwong Chi, Achamyelah Debela, Ruud van Empel, Lalla Essaydi, Maria Elena González, Seydou Keïta, Hung Liu, Ledelle Moe, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Youssef Nabil, Brigitte NaHoN, Vik Muniz, Michal Rovner, Lorna Simpson, Sebastião Salgado, and Renée Stout.

Far from Home explores various ways that displacement takes visual form in creative expression. Some works offer recognizable images that portray visible transformations of peoples’ identities, while some illustrate spaces of departure, arrival, or dispersal. Other, more abstract forms may accommodate a wider scope of interpretations, as personal changes take place alongside wider group dynamics of belonging and exclusion.

The North Carolina Museum of Art’s permanent collection spans more than 5,000 years, from ancient Egypt to the present, making the institution one of the premier visual arts museums in the Southeast. The Museum uses its collection to provide educational, aesthetic, intellectual, and cultural experiences for the citizens of North Carolina and beyond. The Museum offers a series of changing national touring exhibitions, classes, lectures, family activities, films, and concerts.

The North Carolina Museum of Art, Lawrence J. Wheeler, director, is located at 2110 Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh. It is the art museum of the State of North Carolina, Michael F. Easley, governor, and an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, Lisbeth C. Evans, secretary. Museum hours are Tuesday–Thursday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Monday. Admission is free. For information call (919) 839-NCMA (6262), or visit the NCMA’s Web site at www.ncartmuseum.org.