This is a meshing of sympathetic missions. Both entities encourage creativity and community engagement through art and design. This affiliation combines the powerful exhibitions presented by CAM with the educational expertise of the university to create a transformational museum experience. There also exists the potential for new academic programs in museum management; for students and faculty to significantly enhance resources for the community; and for interaction with faculty, staff and students with the mission of the museum as well,” says Malecha. “This effort will be a venue to trumpet the value of design — the process, the methods and the artifacts. This is our version of a teaching hospital. This affiliation also supports the college's land-grant mission to serve the citizens and communities of North Carolina.”

— DEAN MARVIN MALECHA

College of Design

An exciting relationship was established in February 2006, when CAM joined the College of Design at NC State University, becoming a component of the College’s Art + Design in the Community Initiative.

The merger expands the College’s K-12 outreach and introduces students and faculty to an enormous range of new creative and learning possibilities. It also positions the College of Design among an elite few design schools with museum affiliations, while providing CAM with the organizational infrastructure required for sustainability.

CAM, which continues to serve the broader Triangle community and beyond, is a distinct entity within the College of Design similar to a research center or academic unit. An executive director and programmatic staff retain primary responsibility for operations and raising the funds necessary to run the museum, guided by an advisory board. The private gifts directed to support CAM’s operations and programming are managed by NC State University, with separate accounting and designation.

Significance of the merger: For the College of Design, the acquisition presents a venue for its students to explore real-world application of the creative endeavors taught in the classroom, a rare opportunity that will enhance students’ experiences and promote the development of groundbreaking interpretative tools.

CAM will draw on the skills and creativity of the students and faculty of the College of Design in offering visitors innovative ways of engaging with and appreciating contemporary art and design. The result will be a regional museum filled with energy and imagination and an education and outreach program that promotes a greater understanding of the role of creativity in our everyday lives.  Visitors will encounter a museum that recognizes the challenge of understanding contemporary art and offers creative ways of meeting the challenge of how art is presented and interpreted.