The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) presents its first temporary exhibition in the Museum Park’s new Ellipse lawn—Amanda Parer’s Intrude, featuring giant illuminated bunnies—for 10 days starting October 28. The exhibition is open until 8 pm each night. To celebrate the installation, the Museum also hosts a series of four “hoppy hours” around the bunnies, featuring music, local beer, and special guests. The public art exhibition culminates November 6 with the NCMA Park Celebration, which invites visitors to explore the newly expanded Park gardens, lawns, and new works of art with an afternoon of outdoor experiences and music.

In artist Amanda Parer’s native Australia, rabbits are an out-of-control pest and have caused a great imbalance to the country’s endemic species. On the other hand, the rabbit also represents the fairytale animals from our childhood—a furry innocence, frolicking through idyllic fields. Intrude deliberately evokes this cutesy image with visual humor to lure visitors into the art, only to reveal the more serious environmental messages in the work.

The free 10-day exhibition features five enormous (23 feet high), illuminated, inflated rabbits in the Park and two smaller rabbits in the Museum’s West Building galleries. A global phenomenon, Intrude has traveled to over 30 cities in countries around the world.

Share your bunny selfies on social media with the hashtag #NCMAbunnies!

The temporary exhibition features a series of related “hoppy hour” events:

Hoppy Hours

Thursdays, October 27 and November 3; and Fridays, October 28 and November 4

5:30–8 pm

NCMA Park at the Ellipse

Free event; no tickets required. Food and drink available for purchase.

The giant rabbits shed their glow on four funky gatherings, each featuring a different musical theme, with surprise guests, surprise events, and a pop-up Museum Store. Food trucks will be on hand, and featured beer from Fullsteam Brewery, wine, and nonalcoholic drinks will be available for purchase.

Thursday, October 27: Old-School Hip-Hoppy Hour featuring SPCLGST

LIVE-Graffiti Forest project by Victor Knight III, Bart Cusick, and Sean Kernick.

Presented in partnership with Oak City Hustle.

Food truck: Porchetta

Friday, October 28: Electronic Musical Rabbits

Recorded soundtrack curated by Moogfest, the synthesis of music, art, and technology.

Food truck: Big Mike’s BBQ

Thursday, November 3: Classical Rabbits

A night of symphonic sound inspired by the exhibition Intrude.

Recorded soundtrack curated by Grant Llewellyn and the North Carolina Symphony.

Food truck: Chirba Chirba Dumpling Truck

Friday, November 4: Trip-Hoppy Hour featuring SPCLGST

Presented in partnership with New Raleigh.

Plus, meet artist Hank Willis Thomas, whose conversation bench Ernest and Ruth is among the new works of art installed in the NCMA Park.

Food trucks: American Meltdown and Flirting with Fire