New Acquisitions: "A Ride Home at Sunset" by Lyell Carr

Lyell Carr, A Ride Home at Sunset (1891)

This scene was painted on Tolburt Plantation in Haralson County, Georgia, by Lyell Carr, a painter to be recognized for his scenes that accurately and charmingly portray life in the South at the close of the 19th century. Born in 1857 in Chicago, Illinois, Carr studied in Paris for one year at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where his teachers were Jules Joseph Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger. These masters emphasized the importance of drawing to good painting. Their training had a lasting effect on Carr’s style, which is characterized by the firm definition of form and a realistic handling of space.

Throughout Georgia’s early history, the predominant demographic group was ordinary white families who farmed for a living. With abundant natural resources and less class-ridden social structures than their European counterparts, these families were often prosperous and enjoyed their American liberty and bounty. Their existence was distinctly different than that of enslaved African Americans who were denied most of the American bounty and founding doctrines of personal freedom, but the families came to share many agrarian values with emancipated enslaved people later. The visual culture of the white “yeomanry” produced few artists, and most representations of these people are fraught with condescension and caricature. The museum has long wished to present a worthy image of ordinary Georgians with our collection of plain-style furniture from yeoman homes; this image by Lyell Carr is a rare and gratifying image that depicts two children of the yeoman class with realism and dignity.

“A Ride Home at Sunset” was purchased in memory of Samuel “Sam” Marvin Griffin Jr.

Dale Couch
Curator of Decorative Arts

Curator Chronicles and Upcoming Tours at Two

The latest research and scholarship by our museum’s curators has attracted audiences beyond the walls of the Georgia Museum of Art. Sarah Kate Gillespie, curator of American art, recently completed a book, "The Early American Daguerreotype: Cross-currents in Art and Technology," published by the MIT Press, and delivered a talk and hosted a book signing at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. At the lecture, Gillespie traced the activities of a unique mix of artists, scientists and mechanical tinkerers who took the daguerreotype and turned it, in the words of the MIT Press, into "something wholly and remarkably new: a product of science and innovative technology that resulted in a visual object." Gillespie also participated as a panelist at “New Eyes on Alice Austen,” a roundtable discussion held earlier this year at the Whitney Museum of American Art in honor of Women’s History Month and Austen’s 150th birthday.

Book signing with Sarah Kate Gillepie, curator of American art

In June, Lynn Boland, Pierre Daura Curator of European Art, presented a paper at Stockholm University titled "The Politics of Technology in the New York Collection [for Stockholm], 1973," for the European Society for Literature, Science and the Arts. The collection was donated to the Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1973 at the height of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Although many of the artists — and even the works of art themselves — were decidedly antiwar, the donation of the collection ignited fierce debate within the Swedish artistic community.

Also this summer, Dale Couch, curator of decorative arts, served as a juror for the critique of the Instant Gallery for the American Association of Woodturners, which exhibits the work of hundreds of intermediate and advanced wood artists during the annual Wood Art Symposium. Couch also sat on a panel at the Collectors of Wood Art Forum to discuss how artists can learn and benefit from critiques.

For local audiences who wish to tap into the talent and inside knowledge of our resident experts, join us for our upcoming Tours at Two. On Wednesday, August 17 at 2 p.m., Boland will lead a tour of the exhibition "Paper in Profile: Mixografia and Taller de Gráfica Mexicana," and Gillespie will lead a tour of the newly reinstalled permanent collection galleries on Wednesday, August 31 at 2 p.m. At this week's Tour at Two, "Visitors' Choice," Boland will speak on "Folded Squares," a neon light sculpture by Nils Folke Anderson. For a full list of our programs, including lectures, tours and family activities, visit our monthly calendar.

Stella Tran
Editor, Department of Communications

Tour at Two: Visitors' Choice

Running now through October 9 in the Boone and George-Ann Knox Gallery II is our Recent Acquisitions exhibition, which features more than two dozen works of art, including works on paper, decorative arts, paintings and a neon light sculpture by Nils Folke Anderson. All four of the museum's fine-art curators — Dale Couch, curator of decorative arts; Shawnya Harris, Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art; Lynn Boland, Pierre Daura Curator of European Art; and Sarah Kate Gillespie, curator of American art — collaborated to select the works on display.

Now it's your turn: We are looking for input to select one of these works to be featured in our next gallery talk/tour — to be led by whichever curator picked the work. Vote for your favorite by clicking on and “liking” the photo on our Facebook photo album. (As you click through the album, the wall text for each is shown after the image.) If you are in the museum, you can vote using the box in the exhibition's gallery. The tour will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, August 10, and is free and open to the public.

Guided Mini-Tour: “Paper in Profile: Mixografia and Taller de Gráfica Mexicana”

Although our permanent collection is currently undergoing some new changes, there are still plenty of things to see at the Georgia Museum of Art. Our exhibition “Paper in Profile: Mixografia and Taller de Gráfica Mexicana,” which runs through August 21, focuses on the artistic processes of the Mixografia workshop, a print studio that takes traditional art making outside of the box.

With 60 artists and over 130 works, you might find yourself short on time or lacking direction; so we’ve put together this guided mini-tour of this extensive exhibition to help you make the most of your visit.

Pablo O'Higgins, Dos Mujeres, 1973

The exhibition begins in the Boone and George-Ann Knox Gallery I. Many different prints line the walls, but focus on the first print to your right: Pablo O’Higgins’ “Dos Mujeres.” O’Higgins was the first artist to encourage the Rembas on their journey into the art world. His work with their printing business was a precursor to the birth of Mixografia.

Continuing into the Rachel Cosby Conway Gallery, you’ll find many works by Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo. Luis Remba worked with Tamayo to create a process to show texture and depth. From this collaboration, Mixografia was born. Due to its sheer size, you won’t have any trouble noticing the work hanging on the center wall to your right: Tamayo’s “Dos Personajes Atacados por Perros” For the print, the workshop made the world's largest lithographic stone, which weighs more than four tons (a record it still holds).

Next, in the Alfred Heber Holbrook Gallery, if you look to your right you’ll see two large works by Helen Frankenthaler: “Guadeloupe” and “Hermes.” Frankenthaler was well known for her large abstract works, and she often used unconventional materials when applying her strong, flowing colors. For these, she used warm wax.

On the left wall of the Charles B. Presley Family Gallery, you’ll see a 3D work from French artist Arman. “To Garcia Lorca (Red)” was based on a model made by dismantling a guitar and reassembling them on a canvas in eccentric ways. Federico Garcia Lorca was a poet executed in Spain by fascist militia in the 1930s. Colored resin drips down the pieces of the instruments, emphasizing the 3D effects and recalling the blood spilled by the firing squad.

The Lamar Dodd Gallery leads you to its left wall where you’ll see Karel Appel’s “The Cry.” While Mixografia specializes in paper prints, they also make sculptural multiples like Appel's cast metal sculpture here. Appel moved to making sculpture in the latter part of his career. Prior to this time, Appel was known for rejecting conventional ideas about art and creating paintings that were colorful and abstract. “The Cry” features unusual materials cast in copper and bronze, with some items tipped in glowing red.

John Baldessari, Stonehenge (With
Two Persons) Yellow, 2005

In the Philip Henry Alston Jr. Gallery, you’ll find two works by American artist Frank Stella: on the left wall, “Bamboo Trophy II,” and in the center of the room, “Dadap I,” both made in the early 2000s. These are examples of assembled sculptural multiple. Stella adopted the curved shapes of his works from previous decades for these sculptures. Both “Bamboo Trophy II” and “Dadap I” use curved bamboo and metal hardware to create fluid shapes that suggest movement.

The last space, the Virginia and Alfred Kennedy Gallery, showcases Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari, two big names in contemporary art and longtime collaborators with Mixografia. On the wall to the left hangs Ed Ruscha’s “Ghost Station,” a revision of his popular work “Standard Station.” “Ghost Station” uses the same composition of “Standard Station” but with raised shapes instead of color, to create a more haunting effect.

Past the temporary wall and to the right, you’ll see the “Stonehenge” series from artist John Baldessari, which uses his trademark dots over the faces of people. By covering the faces, Baldessari takes away the individuality of each person and renders them as indistinct units of a crowd or group. Here, the work is duplicated six times with varying colors of dots and a contrasting colored Stonehenge in the background. Each of the six versions also has a different arrangement of depths.

This guided mini-tour ends with the “Stonehenge” series and we hope you enjoyed the highlights from this exhibition. An accompanying catalogue, published by the museum, can be purchased in the Museum Shop or by phone at 706.542.0450.

Benjamin Thrash
Publications Intern

Table No. 25: The Georgia Museum of Art at UGA’s Freshman Orientation

Over the summer, eager “baby dawgs” and their parents pour onto the University of Georgia campus for their first official look at the life of a college student: Freshman Orientation. Recognizable by their red lanyards, nametags and red tote bags, the soon-to-be UGA students walk into the Grand Hall at the Tate Student Center to learn about all of the new opportunities the university has to offer. 

UGA Orientation with student
Lawson Boling (right)

Bright and early twice a week, the museum’s communications team and I head to the Tate Student Center for UGA Freshman Orientation. We grab our cart of supplies from a meeting room, ride the elevator to the fifth floor and make our way to table number 25 in the Grand Hall. Ten minutes later, the Georgia Museum of Art table is ready to go.

We stand at attention and either greet students or let them approach us. Accompanying our table are two large banners, a large display of the museum’s Snapcode for Snapchat and an abundance of brochures and publications. When one of us catches the eye of a parent or student, a simple “Hi, how are you doing?” draws them to the table.

Once I have sparked their interest, I hand them a museum brochure or a copy of Facet, our quarterly publication, then give them a quick rundown about the location, current and upcoming exhibitions, the opportunities for students and the fact that entry to the museum is free (which tends to be the most surprising part).

My favorite, yet most challenging, part of this experience is to call out “Follow us on Snapchat!” to the students passing by the museum’s orientation table. I will either get a laugh and some sincere interest, or be blatantly ignored. The museum team gets a good kick out of it, but it works.

All in all, being present at UGA’s Freshman Orientation has been great. If the new freshmen and their parents did not know the museum existed before, they do now. We have met many parents at orientation with interest in our collection, exhibitions, opportunities for their child or children and questions about that strange poster in the middle of our table. The incoming students love the Snapchat poster and show enthusiasm for opportunities for student involvement at the museum.

Morgan Tickerhoof
Public Relations Intern

Volunteer Spotlight: Linda Chesnut Receives 2016 Smitty Award

Linda has chaired the museum’s Decorative Arts Advisory Committee (DAAC) since 1999, and she has been a tireless advocate for the power of the decorative arts. Every year, at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art, one special person receives the M. Smith Griffith Volunteer of the Year Award (the Smitty, for short). In 2016, the award committee, which is made up of Friends members and Friends board members, was astonished to discover from nominations by staff that Linda Chesnut had never received the award.

Linda Chesnut with Dale Couch, curator of decorative arts

Linda has chaired the museum’s Decorative Arts Advisory Committee (DAAC) since 1999, and she has been a tireless advocate for the power of the decorative arts. Her contributions as its leader have helped the Henry D. Green Center for the Decorative Arts grow into a regional and national voice in the field. Linda is always willing to write a letter, make a phone call, donate a treasured object or talk another collector into doing so. She is both strategic in her aims and unafraid of doing the nitty- gritty grunt work that often needs to take place to ensure lofty goals become reality.

Linda’s leadership is a huge part of the Green Center’s success. In previous years, she received both an award for volunteerism from the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries and the Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities, presented to her by Governor Nathan Deal. She has lent her time and efforts to the DeKalb County Historical Society, the Georgia Archives, the Georgia Trust and alumni groups from regional colleges and universities, as well as to our museum, and they are equally appreciative of her hard work.

Upon hearing that she had won the 2016 Smitty, those DAAC members who were unable to attend the annual meeting chimed in with enthusiastic congratulations via email, repeatedly using the word “gracious” to describe Linda’s manner and leadership style. It is that willingness to yield the spotlight and focus on the mission of the museum rather than on herself that makes Linda Chesnut a most deserving addition to the list of those volunteers who have received the Smitty.

Pardon the Mess: Reinstallation of the Permanent Collection

Five years ago, the Georgia Museum of Art opened a wing dedicated to its permanent collection as part of a large expansion and renovation project that also added the Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden, enlarged the museum’s public spaces and expanded storage. On stark white walls, the museum laid out highlights from its American and European collections, including many old favorites. It was clean. It was fresh. It was something new for us.

But 5 years is a long time. Since January 2011, we have welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors into those galleries, our curatorial staff has changed and expanded, and our collection has grown by about 25 percent. We have new priorities and new visions. It’s time for us to shed our old skin in favor of a new one. This August, after a two-month closure of the eight galleries on the south side of what the staff still call the “new wing,” we will reveal a reimagined look at our permanent collection. The white walls will get some colored paint, and removable walls will create defined spaces within the galleries. We’re doing away with the hard line between American and European artists, partially because it feels somewhat arbitrary (where would you put Mary Cassatt?) and partially because incorporating them all into the same art historical timeline just makes sense.

One thing we’ve realized in the past 5 years is that many of our visitors are first-timers not only to our museum but to any museum, which means that we need to do a better job of explaining why particular works of art are grouped together. If you have an art history degree, it’s not hard to recognize a wall of American impressionist paintings, but if you don’t, you may not understand why our Paul Revere spoons are next to 18th-century portraits. New wall text will make these connections clear, and new labels should be easier to read for everyone.

Inclusivity is a buzzword in the museum community these days, but in our position as the official state museum of art, we feel very strongly about its value to what we do. If you feel unwelcome somewhere, it is unlikely you will come back. To develop and diversify the next generation of museum lovers, we need to meet them where they are, not where we wish they would be.

Are you worried that your favorite painting is going into storage? You probably don’t need to be. Although works will be shifted around among galleries, the most well- known ones will still be on view. More works by African American artists, especially those from the collection given by Brenda and Larry Thompson in 2012, will join the story, creating a richer narrative of art history. The museum also has an especially strong collection of works on paper, and more prints, watercolors and photography will be on display. Though these fragile, light-sensitive objects cannot stay on view for as long as hardier oil paintings or works of decorative art, the upside of having a regular rotation is that the look of the galleries will change frequently, rewarding return visitors with new discoveries.

Check in with us through our Tumblr and other social media for updates on our progress, and we hope you’ll enjoy the results.

Hillary Brown
Director of Communications

New Acquisitions: "Patchwork/Terry" by Sam Gilliam

Created by abstract painter Sam Gilliam in 1980, “Patchwork/Terry” was commissioned by Rita Curran Morgan, Teresa Friedlander’s mother, as a college graduation gift for her daughter, whom she called “Terry.” Teresa has enjoyed this work for over three decades and, through her generous gift, has extended this opportunity to countless new visitors to the Georgia Museum of Art, in memory of her mother. Morgan was an administrative assistant to Gilliam and his wife, Dorothy, during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Gilliam is a significant figure in the development of abstract color field painting. A prolific painter currently active in the Washington, D.C., area, Gilliam gained initial recognition in the late 1960s for his large and colorful, unstretched — or “draped” — canvases. In the 1980s, his techniques included putting large pieces of canvas on the floor and pouring or throwing acrylic paint on them to build thick layers. The artist then used a rake, broom or fingers to move the paint to add texture and reveal the various colors. When the canvases dried, Gilliam cut them into geometric shapes and pieced them together into three-dimensional paintings over polygonal wooden stretchers, as with “Patchwork/Terry.” Here, Gilliam exposes its painted edges, suggesting spatial qualities akin to sculpture, with the work itself appearing as colorful, textured fragments reminiscent of quiltmaking.

Shawnya Harris
Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator
of African American and African Diasporic Art

Can’t Get Enough of the Georgia Museum of Art? Join Us on Snapchat!

This week we’d like to share our Georgia Museum of Art Snapchat account with you, where our staff posts daily, behind-the-scenes pictures and videos from museum life. We are proud to be the third museum in the nation to acquire a Snapchat and are excited about exploring this platform further as a way to stay in touch with art lovers in the Athens community and beyond.

Point your phone at this image, this is our unique Snapcode.

For the uninitiated, Snapchat is a smartphone application that allows users to post updates of their life that only stay online for 24 hours and show other users how they have experienced their day. We use our Snapchat account to inform our followers about events, exhibitions and exciting developments. For example, our past snaps have included videos of the preparatory crew putting together an exhibition in the museum galleries, a photo series about current pieces on display, videos of group tours and other related art-lifestyle posts.

Snapchat comes as the newest addition to the museum’s growing social media presence that currently includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and this blog.

To add the Georgia Museum of Art to your Snapchat, open the Snapchat app and point your Snapchat camera at our unique Snapcode, which is shown here in the blog post. Then tap the screen. Your app will register the museum’s account and you can start viewing our content immediately. Alternatively, you can follow the museum by adding our username, @georgiamuseum, directly in the app.

Madison Bledsoe
Public Relations Intern

The Museum Installs Public Art: The Do Good Fund Teen Photography Workshop

Last Tuesday, June 7, two educators, one preparator and an intern from the Georgia Museum of Art took a break from the galleries to install a new exhibition on an exterior wall of Ciné, the local community-based cinema and arts venue in downtown Athens, Georgia (234 W. Hancock Avenue). This installation is the culmination of the Do Good Fund Teen Photography Workshop, in which a group of local teens learned about the art of photography through the Do Good Fund's exhibition of photographs by Southern artists. In response, the young artists created work to influence community engagement. In conjunction with Inside Out, a worldwide outdoor photography project, the display of eleven teen portraits honors the contributions of young adults to our community’s well-being.

Time-lapse video of the installation by Larry Forte

At the museum, we pride ourselves in preserving works of art to ensure their long existence for the public. For this outdoor installation, we faced a number of challenges that rarely threaten an exhibition indoors. The final large-scale photographs were printed on paper and adhered to the public wall space with a homemade wheat paste made from a mixture of flour and water. Although we always understood this installation was ephemeral and to last for one month, torrential rain and wind quickly disintegrated many of the photographs in just one week, with only two photos managing to stay intact.

But not to fret. The damaged work will be replaced in time to celebrate teen artists at the Athens Farmers Market on Wednesday, June 22, across from Ciné at Creature Comforts from 4 to 7 p.m. The public is invited to create their own self-portrait and continue the young artists’ message that, together, we add life to the Athens community in all of our beautifully individual ways.

Brittany Ranew

Education Program Specialist

* * *

We are the next wave of thinkers, inventors, and astronauts; the ones who will make Athens proud. We are curious, brave, active, smart, shy, busy, loving, daring and different in many ways. We are the quiet ones with books under desks, the bold ones who stand up for what's right, and some of us aren't quite sure who we in are yet.

In these photos you can see our origins our eyes. 

Together, we add life to the Athens community.

Artists on view (from left to right): Piper, Crystal, Savannah, Eva, Stacy, Jessa, Kamron, Annesly, Tina, Umberto and Angelina

Contributing artists: Don, Madison, Michael and Sofy

The Georgia Museum of Art and Museums for All

On April 14, 2016, the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia became the first museum in the state to commit officially to serving low-income families through the Museums for All program. Organized by the Association of Children’s Museums and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Museums for All encourages families of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits. A study featured in the New York Times concluded that “visiting an art museum exposes students to a diversity of ideas that challenge them with different perspectives on the human condition.” The study showed that students who visited Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art on school tours “demonstrated stronger critical thinking skills, displayed higher levels of social tolerance, exhibited greater historical empathy and developed a taste for art museums and cultural institutions.” In addition, “most of the benefits … observed are significantly larger for minority students, low-income students and students from rural schools.”

Young visitors examine a rare Japanese
three-paneled screen at the Georgia Museum of Art.

With Museums for All, museums with an admission charge offer reduced or free admission to visitors who present an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. The Georgia Museum of Art is pleased to join this group of institutions. As part of the state’s flagship land-grant university, the museum has a strong commitment to service and outreach and already offers free admission to all visitors, thereby removing the need to present a card or an ID. About 15 percent of families living in Athens-Clarke County have incomes below the poverty line. By participating in Museums for All, the museum hopes to make low-income visitors aware of this fact and further broaden and diversify its audience.

“I’m pleased to welcome the Georgia Museum of Art into the family of Museums for All participants,” said IMLS director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew. “As the first museum in Georgia to sign on to the program, the Georgia Museum of Art is leading by example. Through its community outreach and Museums for All participation, the museum will establish its credentials as a true community cornerstone that is accessible to all.”

A full list of participating institutions is available at http://childrensmuseums.org/participating-museums.

For museum hours, location and directions, visit our website.

Hillary Brown
Director of Communications

"Turned and Sculpted": Wood Art Photography by Michael McKelvey

Hot off the press is the catalogue for the museum's spring exhibition "Turned and Sculpted: Wood Art from the Collection of Arthur and Jane Mason," on display from May 14 to August 7. The exhibition features 30 objects, all made entirely of sculpted wood, by some of the most renowned contemporary artists in the form. The word “turned” in the title of the exhibition reflects the fact that many of the artists used a lathe to sculpt the wood, rotating the material on its axis to create a symmetrical, rounded form.

For the catalogue photography, capturing the intricate textures of wood and the three-dimensionality of wood art poses a unique set of challenges, and photographer Michael McKelvey has done an exceptional job in conveying the tactile nature of the wood sculptures as well as their beauty. Assistant registrar Sarina Rousso, who was present at the photography shoot, said, "I've been working with Michael for about ten years and during all this time it's still an honor to assist someone with such a keen eye for detail and a great appreciation for all art mediums. Some of the bowls were 'tricky,' as he put it, to honor the true piece and deal with the high gloss, but I think he was quite successful!"

Watch the video below for a look at the photographs featured inside the publication.

Schedule Your Group's Art Adventure Today!

In the summer, hundreds of young children bring their ideas and creativity to the Georgia Museum of Art for the program Art Adventures. Originally an outreach program called Art Excursions, the program grew into what it is today: a free in-house art experience for community organizations, day care centers and summer camps. Carissa DiCindio, curator of education, has worked with the program since its onset and said, “Art Adventures has always been one of my favorite programs because we are able to reach a wide group of children in the community, from preschool students to teens, and engage them in the museum with gallery and studio activities that are a lot of fun.”

This June and July, Art Adventures will examine contemporary art created at the Mixografia Workshop, a collaborative studio established in 1968 in Mexico City and now based in Los Angeles. In the Mixografia studio, invited artists create three-dimensional prints and use experimental techniques to create handmade paper in relief. Our 90-minute Art Adventure program includes a tour of the exhibition “Paper in Profile: Mixografia and Taller de Gráfica Mexicana” with trained museum guides. Children will investigate the galleries through games that promote close looking and inquiry with museum educators and UGA students who volunteer as education interns. Each participant will also have the opportunity to create a work of art inspired by the exhibition to take home.

Reservations for Art Adventures 2016 are now being accepted. Morning (10–11:30 a.m.) and afternoon (1–2:30 p.m.) time slots are available every Wednesday and Thursday from June 8 to July 28. Each 90-minute session can accommodate up to 30 children, with one chaperone for every 10 children. To schedule your group’s Art Adventure, contact Brittany Ranew at branew@uga.edu or 706.542.0448.

On View: "Refining Realities" by VolvoxLabs

VolvoxLabs is a new media design studio run by Kamil Nawratil, Pa Her and Javier Cruz. “Refining Realities” was created in conjunction with VVOX collaborators, Ryan Kilpatrick, Zyia Zhang and Mariusz Navratil, Kamil’s father. Today’s post is written from the perspective of Benjamin, our Department of Publications intern, about the installation currently on display through June 19 on the Patsy Dudley Pate Balcony.

VolvoxLabs, Refining Realities, 2016

As an art student at the University of Georgia, I particularly enjoy delving into the complexities of obscure and intellectually challenging works of art such as “Refining Realities.” In this case, I find it fitting to address the installation through the lens of an individual’s evolving experience. Through this personal journey to find meaning in the work, I hope to explicate paths of understanding to emotionally connect with an installation with a life as complex as our own.

The jarring complexity of “Refining Realities” overwhelmed me, and I was so absorbed by theory that I lost sight of the underlying themes. With Kinect sensors placed above each screen, it was easy enough to understand that my interaction with the installation was significant, but the odd patterns only seemed to quiver in response to my sporadic, and sometimes embarrassing, movements. I felt powerless to really manipulate the images even though I knew they were dependent on my actions, but I slowly realized my movements were being dwarfed by a greater influence. Real-time data drawn from undisclosed locations (randomized every 15 minutes) supplies changes in temperature, wind values and cloud coverage; in reaction to these observations, the installation undergoes multiple shifts that add up to a grand, emotional metamorphosis. For instance, when wind speed increases, the LEDs become more energetic. When the temperature rises, the LEDs turn pink. Similarly, when the warm sun begins to shine through the clouds, the ambient music sounds more optimistic and all the panels seem to resonate with a renewed sense of vitality and energy. Upon this enlightenment, I realized it wasn’t just me that was subtly influencing the installation, it was also the fleeting characteristics of the environment that were subtly influencing me through the installation. Additionally, not knowing where the real-time weather data came from universalized that sensation, as though I was being affected by the entire world as a grand idea.

As hinted at by the title, the installation is designed to reduce and repurpose what its sensors describe to it, and this is where “Refined Realities” became increasingly perplexing to me. The way the screens react is simple enough, but the complex, formal mathematical algorithms used to fabricate the initial pattern, followed by the synthesis of the pattern with live data, are something on the forefront of technology. In fact, the computational demands were so extraordinary that the Kinect sensor above the central panel is no longer in place due to limited processing capacity. Several of the monitors were assigned a Voronoi system. Most simply, Voronoi systems are shapes created by the space closest to a particular point on a plane. For clarity, each line in the image below marks locations that are equidistance between a black dot and its closest neighbors, and the space within those lines represent the locations which are closest to the black dots.

Voronoi systems are important because the approximation is useful in understanding complex distributions in real life, such as your very skin’s cells. And that is part of the point of “Refining Realities”: to manifest the forms and patterns underlying life. When I move along the installation, I am reduced to become part of the image, and because of the way it “refines reality,” I am assimilated into the environment. With this came a humble feeling of oneness with nature and art, a wondrous insight into my connection with the surroundings.

After gaining more understanding of the content within the screens, I sought an understanding of how the digital realities presented by the screens related to the intricate frame surrounding them. Most noticeably, the hexagonal patterning created by the Voronoi diagrams and the wave pattern in the central screen is echoed in the frames. I originally perceived it as design for the sake of cohesion, but I later considered it a comment on the difference between the digital and the physical. I began to think about our digital age and how our realities have become increasingly distanced from the physical world. Even as I write this, I consider the intangibility of my words and their loose representation of something real. Here, the environment being monitored is only a digital suggestion of reality, while the frame establishes a connection to the physical environment of the museum. There is also a contrast between the depth created by the frame and the illusion of depth established by the line drawings of Mariusz Navratil. I later learned that the line drawings were spontaneous responses to the forms of the frame, including the shadows the frame casts on the wall. Whether geometric versus organic, digital versus physical or real versus illusion, “Refining Realities” addresses many characteristics of what constitutes our surroundings.

Still, the prevailing influence remains the transitory emotions created by the dynamic environment, and as I tried to dissect my role as viewer in the work, I abandoned my thoughts and surrendered to the influence of how it made me feel. I can get caught up in the idea that art is meant to cater to the viewer, but “Refining Realities” was independent; it became a meditative experience to consciously allow myself to be influenced. Much as the undisclosed source locations were reduced to data points for this installation, I felt reduced by the Kinect sensors until the landscape and I merged into an engulfing singularity on the screens. Some abstract and baffling forms, at once stupefying and unwelcoming, began to take shape as the most poetic reduction of life itself. Sometimes, I irrationally convince myself that I’m some sort of entity outside the system, but my inevitable influence on the environment and the environment’s influence on me inundated my self-centeredness until I felt a sort of engrossing oneness that simultaneously diminished my concerns and assimilated my being into a greater entity of existence.

Benjamin Thrash
Publications Intern

Morning Mindfulness: Monastics Event

For the final spring session of Morning Mindfulness, the meditation practice program held at the Georgia Museum of Art, the museum hosted the Magnolia Grove Monastics from the Order of Thich Nhat Hanh. More than 70 attendees came for the event, which opened with songs, a brief seated meditation and a lecture on mindfulness. Guests were then lead through a guided walking meditation by the Monastics, activating the outdoor spaces of the museum and the Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden.

Thank you to Brother Radiant, Brother Sang To, Brother Capacity, Brother Clarity, Sister Communication, Sister Joy, Sister Xu Nghiem and Sister Beauty for coming to the museum and promoting mindful meditation.

Photo: Mic McCoy

Photo: Mic McCoy

Photo: Mic McCoy

"Morning Mindfulness: Monastics Event" was made possible by Dr. Jerry Gale, professor in the department of human development and family science at the University of Georgia and sponsored by the Faculty Learning Community of Mindfulness, Center for Teaching and Learning and the Marriage and Family Therapy Certificate Program.

Morning Mindfulness is free and open to the public. We invite everyone to participate in guided mindfulness meditation in spaces throughout the museum. The sessions include instructor-led meditation and a period of reflection and discussion. Check our calendar for specific dates when Morning Mindfulness returns this August.

Spotlight on Studio Workshops: Q&A with Instructor Hope Hilton

This spring, Athens-based artist and educator Hope Hilton will be leading "Studio Workshop: Realism and Representational Art,” a four-part studio-based course that introduces participants to effective techniques for achieving realistic and representational outcomes in works of art. In advance of the course, Hope answered a few of our questions related to the workshop, art and artistic inspiration.

Photo: Sarah Baugh, EarlyGirl Photography

1. What are some of your favorite works at the Georgia Museum of Art?

I absolutely love the Radcliffe Bailey piece! I graduated from Atlanta College of Art and so did he, so beyond the medium and the narrative I'm also really proud. My favorite pieces, though, are in the handcrafted area — the wooden chair made by hand and the quilts, among others. I like to see how people make things with no formal or academic training. It often is more interesting for me to view a work that's intention was to not be shown in a museum. It has something to do with the necessity of a chair or a quilt and then the maker really making it their own that strikes me. That natural impulse to create and adding individuality is something I admire deeply.

2. How does a visit to the museum inspire you as an artist?

It reminds me that there is always the human impulse to create, and it inspires me to try new ways of working and new mediums.

3. What are some of the pieces from the museum's collection that you have selected to use in "Studio Workshop: Realism and Representational Art", and why did you choose these?

I selected a Chuck Close piece because the guy could really, really draw. I mean, holy cow! I especially like how representational he makes his portraits knowing that he does not have natural recognition of people's faces. Peggy Bacon is another artist I chose because her mark is confident and strong. Art museums can also be very heavy in their collected work created by men so I made selections to promote the diversity within the collection. I couldn't resist including an Art Rosenbaum because he's local and has done so much work documenting Southern culture. I also love that he creates environments within his drawings and tells a story with loose marks.

4. Is there something you are currently working on or are excited about starting that you can tell us about?

I've been completely invested the past several years in learning about the plants that enslaved Africans and their descendants used in this area. Because I'm not a horticulturalist I've had a lot of fun learning about medicinal plants and their uses, especially the plants that I always learned were weeds. The history of this area is so rich and complicated. Drawing and painting these plants has been a way for me to recognize this past and tell a story, while also enriching my own learning.

5. What do you read, listen to, or look at to fuel your work?

Oh, wow. Anything and everything. I read a lot of slave narratives as well as interviews from the past. I'm currently listening to Rihanna's new album on repeat in my studio. It's really powerful and motivating, but also vulnerable. I appreciate that mix, because it's human. I also read a ton of poetry for this reason. When I need to tune out I watch British detective shows. I also teach kids of all ages and their work inspires me so much. They're really brave when encountering new ideas. I just watch them go and their fearlessness reminds me to persevere.

6. What advice or words of wisdom have influenced you as an artist?

My high school counselor told me pursuing art was a waste of time. It was probably the best thing that ever happened to me, though it was painful. I really wanted to prove her wrong. Over twenty years later I certainly have, haha. Also, the poet Rilke said this and it has been with me since college: 

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” 

And gosh do I ever love that. 

I've heard this, love it and shared it over the years — don't stop. It's that simple. 

"Studio Workshop: Realism and Representational Art" runs Thursdays, May 5 through 26, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Artists from all backgrounds are encouraged to attend, as these museum sessions are designed to be equally engaging for enthusiastic beginners and seasoned practitioners alike. The sessions draws inspiration from the museum’s collection, including works from the archives not currently on display. The cost of the course is a $15 materials fee, which covers all necessary supplies for the four sessions. Call 706.542.8863 or email callan@uga.edu to register.

Master of Fine Arts Degree Candidates Exhibition

On display at the museum is the spring Master of Fine Arts Degree Candidates Exhibition, showing now through May 1. This annual exit show highlights the work by students in the MFA program at Lamar Dodd by giving them space in the museum’s galleries to share their projects. This year, 15 students have work displayed in a variety of different mediums, including photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, videography, metalwork, printmaking and interior design.

Visitors looking at at videography by Miranda Maynard

This exhibition is a special opportunity for students; for many of them, it will be the first time their artwork has been displayed in a museum. The students produced many interesting pieces, which vary greatly in style and intent to form an eclectic assemblage of talent. Erin Mazzei’s work, "Vantage Point," features a geometrically shaped, three-dimensional photo series that depicts a blue sky. In an oil painting by Michael Ross called "Crossing," historical soldiers stumble through a blurry, rainbow forest. A video by Miranda Maynard humorously portrays the actions of a woman who applauds cheerily, then uncomfortably looks around the room in "Clapping for the Amount of Time that Hillary Applauded her Husband at the Start of his 1999 State of the Union Address."

Other students featured in the MFA exhibition include Michael Benedetti, Ryan McCullough, Saegan Moran, Heather Foster, Drema Montgomery, Spence Townsend, Yongxi Wang, Janelle Young, Courtney McCracken, Aaron Obenza, Vivienne Varay and Lu Yang.

New Illumination at the Georgia Museum of Art

MFA 2016 opening reception

As a museum, one of the most fundamental things we do is conservation: to protect and preserve valuable artifacts and objects for future generations. For this reason, environmental conservation is part of the process. This year, some significant sustainability projects were completed at the museum, and in observation of Earth Day tomorrow, here’s a brief recap of some new milestones. To reduce our energy and water consumption, the museum transitioned nearly 1,600 lighting fixtures to LED lighting, installed eight new occupancy sensors and retrofitted 28 existing faucets. The University of Georgia, who spearheaded these projects, has informed us that these changes will result in approximately 270,000 fewer gallons of water used by the museum every year and cut our annual carbon emissions by about 200 metric tons, or the equivalent of 43 cars!

LEDs illuminating Vantage Point
(Sky Swap) by Erin Mazzei '16

In addition to these achievements, the other benefit of switching to LED bulbs is more control over gallery and exhibition lighting to highlight works, as seen above in the current annual MFA exit show, “Master of Fine Arts Degree Candidates Exhibition” (showing now through May 1). Traditional lighting systems did not allow for purposeful illumination of our collections and the new LEDs do not disappoint. Staff members and repeat visitors have noticed that colors are more vibrant, paintings exhibit more depth and the frames themselves have a greater vitality to them. It is with great anticipation that we begin the reinstallation of our permanent collection this summer with new lighting configurations, so stay tuned.

To find out about upcoming events at the museum, click here.

David Ligare and the Meaning of Xenia

David Ligare, Still Life with Grape Juice and Sandwiches (Xenia), 1994

The painting discussed in this blog post is featured in “David Ligare: California Classicist,” a retrospective exhibition on display at the Georgia Museum of Art through May 8.

Upon first sight of David Ligare’s work, it’s easy to feel transported to Homeric Greece.[1]  In a time when contemporary art is often abstract and non-representational, Ligare pulls from the traditional subject of still lifes, landscapes and nude figures. He fuses modernity and antiquity, synthesizing a new ideal that celebrates both tradition and contemporary society. Like the Renaissance artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, Ligare realizes society’s “need of a renewed desire for knowledge,” and he seeks to elevate the viewer’s intellectual growth by means of the “literate picture[2].” The Renaissance marked a period of humanism and it was highlighted by the works of Michelangelo, which synthesized contemporary religion with a renewal of classical themes.[3] Ligare’s paintings function similarly; he synthesizes classicism with objects indicative of modern society. Despite his unmistakable affiliation with unfashionable subjects and dated means of representation, David Ligare has thrived in the modern art world because he finds equilibrium between relevance and irrelevance. His paintings depict his native California landscape to substitute that of Greece or Rome, and he paints from living models rather than ancient Greek sculptures. Also, inspired by the writings of John Steinbeck and Robinson Jeffers, he very deliberately fabricates narrative paintings that speak greater truths about the subjects and the environment surrounding them, though narration is frequently omitted in modern art. In keeping with works that recede under the dominance of more nuanced paintings, Ligare’s still lifes maintain an unassuming presence, but also typical of his work, the still lifes showcase the greatest reinvention of an old practice. In “Still Life with Grape Juice and Sandwiches (Xenia),” Ligare utilizes the simplest of objects to create the deepest of meanings.

Although his still lifes lack an immediate narrative resonance, Ligare very thoughtfully chooses his objects and their lighting to provide his subjects with new life and to expand the potential of this long-forgotten practice. Be that as it may, he manages to create a semblance of allegory in the way his objects burst with meaning specific to Greek myths, like mementos of heroic journeys. Alluding Homer’s great epic, The Odyssey, “Still Life with Grapes and Sandwiches (Xenia)” directly references the Greek custom of xenia. Literally translated as “guest-friendship,” xenia refers to the tradition of hospitality when hosts would treat weary travelers with the utmost generosity, and guests would return the favor with the utmost courtesy. Integral to this practice is the offering of wine and bread, and many times throughout Odysseus’ journey, he is provided the very substances. Characteristic of Ligare, he pulls from this deeply rooted ritual and re-contextualizes it with contemporary objects. Instead of rich wine and authentic loaves, he presents a pitcher of cheap grape juice and a heap of bologna sandwiches on highly artificial bread. The grape juice is presumably of poor quality because Ligare was inspired by his time serving in a soup kitchen for the homeless in Salinas, California. There is something distinctly resonant in the difference between homeless people today, with whom most people avoid eye-contact, and the temporarily homeless travelers of ancient Greece who were treated just short of gods. Granted, the hosts feared the retribution of failing to accommodate gods in disguise, but the Greeks had a well-developed humanity that became influential to Ligare and Renaissance artists alike. Though the xenia of today functions in a dramatically different context, the heartfelt connection he felt with the homeless he served is evident. The unsettling divergence between xenia and its modern equivalent is how it has been transformed into the most menial offering of food, the minimum sustenance for life in an increasingly arduous world.

Much as the grape juice and sandwiches act as the essential substance of life for the homeless, Ligare’s still lifes resound their own essence of life. Still lifes have historically been divided into two categories: memento mori, which emphasize the remembrance of death, and vanitas, which deal with the transience (or even futility) of life. The way morning light strikes the objects and the way food connotes the preservation of life suggests the latter, entertaining a feeling of hope with a subconscious understanding of the food’s inevitable spoilage. The ephemerality of food parallels that of humanity, but Ligare typically uses fruit that suggest the abundance and prosperity of life — like plums, apples, and olives. Food has a particularly poetic quality in the way it functions both as a core component of life and as an object of love and comradery between people. In “Still Life with Grape Juice and Sandwiches (Xenia),” Ligare also capitalizes on the sacramental quality of wine and bread in the Christian religion, framing it in an altar of sorts. The Greeks frequently made offerings to gods in celebration of their prosperity, so the stage functions as an altar in which ordinary objects gain religious significance. Originally a pragmatic solution to a compositional problem, the box fulfills several artistic purposes. Primarily, he seeks a controlled space in which to conduct rigorous investigations of the objects, but it also fosters a “harmony of wholeness,” as the artist puts it, which resembles the work of old masters. The marble box is also conducive to Ligare’s heavily-controlled style, providing a space of measured precision matched only by the sculpture and architecture of Hellenism. The enigmatic, sterile background creates a sense of isolation akin to surrealism, but it merely acts as a medium through which to emphasize the allegorical potential of the grape juice and sandwiches. By granting inanimate objects the attention provided by painting and exhibition, Ligare forces ordinary commodities into the forefront of a viewer’s thoughts, fostering a greater appreciation for an object’s narrative history.

“Still Life with Grape Juice and Sandwiches (Xenia)” marks a culmination of Ligare’s most significant accomplishments in still life painting. It connotes a Greek tradition which speaks to both his humanitarian goals and his affinity for classicism. Whether it be a reference to the continuation of xenia, the practice of the Christian Eucharist, or the simple act of giving food to the homeless, Ligare capitalizes on the potential plurality of meaning within objects and expands the boundaries of still life painting by dramatizing the transience of meaning throughout the course of history.

Benjamin Thrash
Publications Intern

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[1] Homer is the author of the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, two defining works of the Greek people and two of the oldest pieces of literature ever known.

[2] Words from the artist in David Ligare: California Classicist by Scott A. Shields.

[3] Humanism was a concept that reemerged during the Renaissance and emphasized the intellectual and creative potential of man.

Collectors Auction Preview: "All About Art"

For the auction: John L. Cleaveland Jr., View from Montefaucon, the Argonne France (n.d.).
Oil on panel, 13 x 15 inches, framed.

Every other year, the museum’s Collectors group (an upper-level membership group within the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art) organizes a fabulous evening of food, fun and fundraising, the proceeds from which go toward enriching the museum’s collection. This April 23 brings “All About Art,” the latest version of the event. Chaired by Greg Barnard, the new head of the Collectors, the event gets started at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails and a silent auction at the museum, followed by dinner catered by Epting Events.

For the auction: Robert Clements, Summer Meadow (2012).
Acrylic, 24 x 30 inches, framed.

Barnard says the theme reflects the evening’s purpose: “It’s all about acquiring art for the museum and, by extension, for the state of Georgia and its residents — us, in other words.” Previous auctions have led to the purchase of works on prominent display in the museum’s permanent collection galleries, from the early Georgia portrait of William Harris Crawford to the Dorothy Dehner sculpture that joined the collection in 2014.

Barnard says, “In addition to notable works of art — paintings, drawings, photography, prints and sculpture — by both area and non-area artists, the auction will feature fashion accessories, contemporary and antique furnishings and decor, entertainment opportunities such as catered dinners and restaurant meals and personal ‘get-away’ experiences such as spa treatments.”

For the auction: Carol John, Turquoise Chrysanthemum (2015). Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches.

Randy Ott, a member of the museum’s Board of Advisors and a notable collector of fine art, has donated two paintings by Henry L. Roecker to the auction. June Ball, another board member and well-known artist who recently had a large work commissioned by Georgia Council for the Arts, has donated one of her own oil paintings, as has acclaimed Athens artist Carol John, whose work is in the collection of the High Museum of Art.

Heirloom Café and artist Susie Burch have donated a farmers’ market tour and four-course lunch or supper for eight people, including wine pairings, to be held in Susie’s studio, which houses portraits of local farmers. Epting Events has contributed a period dinner for a group of people at The Hill, Lee Epting’s beautiful hideaway event space in Athens. Last Resort Grill has donated a $100 gift certificate, and many more donations are still coming in.

This year, sponsors at the $1,000 level are entitled not only to four tickets to the event, but also to priority auction check-out at the end of the evening and an exclusive cocktail-hour preview starting at 5:30 p.m., with a “buy-it-now” option for auction items.

For the auction: Margie Spalding, French Bottle and Lady Apples (n.d.). Oil, 9 x 12 inches, framed.

Ticket information:

Members of Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art: $100/person, nonmembers: $125/person.

To purchase tickets or to sponsor the event, visit http://bit.ly/collectors-auction16.

It’s not too late to become a member! For more information, visit http://georgiamuseum.org/join, or call 706.542.0830 or email jointhemuseum@uga.edu.