Holiday Gift Guide

Kickstart your holiday shopping with the Georgia Museum of Art's 2014 Holiday Gift Guide!

With items ranging from books, toys and stationary to jewelry, decorative items, picture frames and glassware, you can find something for everyone on your list in the Georgia Museum of Art Museum Shop. Beyond just the great gifts, purchasing your presents at the Museum Shop means supporting a local small business. So if you want to support the Athens-Clarke county community, keep us in mind on Small Business Saturday this November 29.

The Museum Shop manager, Amy Miller, personally selected some amazing gift options for your creative, art-loving friends and family, and we are excited to share them with you here.

Deluxe Spirograph Set: The classic way for aspiring artists to create millions of amazing designs is back! This Original Spirograph Deluxe Set features all the iconic wheels and rings of the original, plus a durable carrying case with a built-in drawing surface. $29.95 ($26.96, members of the Friends)

Plus Plus: An exciting building toy from Denmark, Plus Plus uses one basic shape to create endless possibilities. Kids three and up can assemble them flat to create a 2-D mosaic or work in 3-D to make more complicated structures. Even curves are possible thanks to the unique design of this deceptively simple shape. Available in sets of 100 for $10 or 300 for $20. ($9 or $18, members of the Friends)

Brief History of Art Mug: This mug is a crash-course in the world's greatest artwork since the beginning of time. The 24 images on the mug represent the evolution of art over the millenia—it begins with the Cave Paintings of Lascaux, travels through Da Vinci and Degas and Picasso, and goes all the way up to Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. Plus, you can drink out of it! $12.95 ($11.66, members of the Friends)

Extasia Jewelry: Hand crafted in Bavaria and California and featured in magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Glamour, Extasia jewelry is a true treasure. Each piece was made to order for the Georgia Museum of Art. Ranging from $58-$145 each ($52.20–130.50, members of the Friends)

Heller House Frames: Frank Lloyd Wright's art glass windows are the inspiration for these Art Deco picture frames. Designed in 1897 for the Isidore Heller House in Chicago, the windows have been translated into birch wood frames in two sizes. $20 and $30 ($18 and $27, members of the Friends)

This list is only a peek at the variety of wonderful items featured in the Museum Shop, so come on down and explore the store. We have free parking available for all Museum Shop customers. Pull in to the parking structure off of Carlton Street, then just hit the buzzer at the gate arm and tell us you're here to visit the museum.

The store is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.–8:45 p.m.; and Sunday 1–4:45 p.m.

The Georgia Museum of Art to feature in UGA's "Spotlight on the Arts 2014" Festival

The UGA Arts Council's third annual Spotlight on the Arts festival is set to take place over nine days, Nov. 6-14, and will feature a number of events focusing on cultural arts enrichment and education. The Georgia Museum of Art in particular will be hosting various events associated with the festival along with its ongoing exhibitions.

On Thursday, Nov. 6, Laura Valeri, associate curator of European Art, will be leading a Tour at Two event at 2 p.m. about the recently opened exhibition "The Nightmare Transported into Art: Odilon Redon's St. Anthony." At 7 p.m. that evening, there will be a showing of "The Past is a Grotesque Animal," a 2014 documentary about of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes. The film, funded by a $100,000 Kickstarter campaign, offers a personal look into how the singer's dedication to music and art led him to shirk society and relationships. This screening ties into current museum exhibition "The … of E6, Part of Athens Celebrates Elephant Six" on view through Jan. 4, 2015.

The following day, independent curator of "Emilio Pucci in America" Mary Koon will be giving a Tour at Two about the exhibition at 2 p.m. On Saturday Nov. 8, the museum will host a special extended Family Day themed around it's 66th birthday, which will include a scavenger hunt in the permanent collection as well as the opportunity for children to design art-inspired birthday cards and personalized buttons as souvenirs.

On Tuesday, Nov. 11, another Tour at Two will be offered by Sarah Kate Gillespie, curator of American Art, on "American Landscape in the Permanent Collection" at 2 p.m. Throughout the day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can paint empty ceramic bowls with glazes that will be used in March 2015 for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia's yearly Empty Bowls Luncheon ($7 to participate).

"Artbots" begins on Wednesday, November 12 at the museum. This experiential display allows visitors to interact with members of The Hatch, an Athens makerspace, and different art-making machines. On the same day at 2 p.m. visitors can also join William U. Eiland, museum director, for a Tour at Two of the permanent collection. At 3:30 p.m., the performance of "Adwords/Edward" will mark the first composition made about, for, and on Google Glass, a show that musically explores the consequences of wearable technology.

Thursday, Nov. 13, will mark the second day of Artbots, as well as an Artful Conversation event at 2 p.m. with Carissa DiCindio, curator of education, about the painting "Little Grand Canyon Yellow" by Howard Thomas. Later that evening at 5:30 p.m., the museum will screen "Earth Red: Howard Thomas Paints a Gouache," Jim Herbert's first film. At 6 p.m., Make it an Evening ($5 for refreshments) will feature desserts and a tour led by Pierre Daura Curator of European Art Lynn Boland. Wrapping up the day is Student Night at the Georgia Museum of Art from 8-10:30 p.m.

On the final day of the festival, Friday, Nov. 14, Artbots will still be available at the museum and a Tour at Two focusing on the exhibition "An Archaeologist's Eye: The Parthenon Drawings of Katherine A. Schwab" will be led by Lamar Dodd professor of ancient art history Mark Abbe.

For a full schedule of events and more information about the festival, visit the UGA Spotlight on the Arts webpage.