of art & design
On Sunday, April 29, 2007, what had been known as the Gallery of Art & Design
(GAD) was officially renamed the John N. and Nancy C. Gregg Museum
of Art & Design. 
The naming is in honor of the late John N. Gregg and his wife Nancy. The event was marked with a ribbon-cutting and brunch to honor the Gregg family for their years of leadership and dedication to the GAD and the university. Dr. Charlotte Vestal Brown, director of the once Gallery, now the Gregg Museum of Art & Design, noted, "It is wonderful to honor the Greggs and, in turn, we are honored by the generosity of the Gregg family and the many friends of the museum. There is no family more fitting to be associated with the museum than the Gregg family."
Since 1978, the GAD has collected, interpreted and exhibited exemplary hand and machine made objects to foster learning and understanding of the vast cultures of North Carolina and the world. And in the world of art, the change of name from gallery to museum is significant. " '[M]useum' recognizes what the program is and does on behalf of the university. We collect in order to teach, provide resources for research and present an innovative and far-reaching educational program of exhibitions, lectures and other events to enrich the lives of the students and citizens of the region and the state," said Brown.
John Gregg was a distinguished graduate of the College of Textiles (B.S. ’55) and served the university in a variety of leadership roles, including membership on the Board of Trustees (1989-90). He served as president of the NC Textiles Foundation board in 1985, was the recipient of the Textiles Distinguished Service Award in 1983 and a Watauga Medal Recipient in 1985. He was the CEO and chairman of Avtex Fibers from 1976-1990.
Both John and Nancy were Founding Friends of the Gallery of Art & Design, and Nancy currently serves on the FRIENDS of ARTS NC STATE Board of Advisors. John Gregg was one of the first and most important individuals who supported the concept and then the realization of a museum for the university. During his tenure as the Chair of NC State Board of Trustees, Gregg played a critical role in raising funds to build the Gallery of Art & Design. He understood from the outset that a museum focused on the university’s curricula could accomplish two major institutional goals: provide resources to enable faculty and students to create unique educational experiences and the opportunity to develop a national institutional presence.