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Friday, February 01, 2019
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Ceremony to Honor Black Artists’ Cultural Contributions
Leo Twiggs, Dreamers, 2018 |
This February, in conjunction with
exhibitions displaying works by African American artists, the Georgia Museum of
Art will host its annual Black History Month Dinner and Awards Celebration. The
event is held to present two accolades: the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson
Award, which honors living African American artists with a connection to Georgia,
and the Lillian C. Lynch Citation, given to a contributor and leader in African
American cultural education and service.
Dr. Leo Twiggs is the 2019 recipient
of the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award. A visual artist born in South
Carolina, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Claflin University and a master’s
degree from New York University. He then moved on to make history and become
the first black student to receive a doctoral degree in art education from the
University of Georgia. Later, he would develop and chair the art department at
South Carolina State University, a position he held until 1998.
With an exceptional mastery of batik, an artistic technique that
uses wax, cloth and dye to make shapes and patterns, he was the first visual
artist to receive the Verner Award for the Arts for outstanding contributions
in South Carolina. His works have covered topics concerning the significance
and history of the Confederate flag in the South, the devastation of hurricanes
upon the Carolinas and more.
“You know, we are here for only a
short period of time,” said Twiggs. “We start aging from the moment we are born
until we die and I think that batik,
because of its crackle and all of that kind of suggests that aging quality. It
also expresses, in my opinion, a kind of dinginess . . . for African Americans
who live in substandard houses, we kept [belongings] for a long time because we
couldn’t afford to get new things.”
Lemuel “Life” LaRoche will receive the
Lilian C. Lynch Citation and has been deeply nestled into the Athens community
since around 2000. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Laroche moved to Macon,
Georgia, in high school and attended Gordon State College before transferring
to the University of Georgia School of Social Work in 1999.
LaRoche is the founder and executive
director of Chess and Community, a nonprofit focused on using the game of chess
to develop leadership skills and give support to Athens youth. He is also an
instructor at the School of Social Work, a poet, an author and a motivational
speaker touring far outside of Athens to inspire people everywhere.
“We have to keep giving. . . . Sometimes
that’s all somebody needs,” said LaRoche. “Just somebody to come and say the
right thing at the right time that can influence them and change the entire
trajectory of how to see themselves and how they see the world.”
The Black History Month Awards and
Dinner will be held on February 22, 2019. Artists and curators will also be in
attendance to lead guests through an exploration of African American heritage
through art.
Visit bit.ly/gmoa-bhma19 to sponsor and receive
guaranteed tickets. Individual tickets for members are available now for $60.
Tickets, if not sold out, will be available to nonmembers February 1 for $80.
Call 706.542.4199 for additional ticket inquiries.
--
Maycee Dukes
Intern, Department of Communications
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Third Thursday Scheduled for January 17 around Athens
The
next Third Thursday — the monthly evening of art in Athens, Georgia — is
scheduled for Thursday, January 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. All exhibitions are free
and open to the public.
This Third
Thursday will offer one event in addition to the exhibitions. None of the
venues will be closed.
Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia
Yoga in the
Galleries, 6 p.m. — Join us for a yoga class surrounded by works of art in the
galleries. Led by instructors from Five Points Yoga, this program is free and
open to both beginner and experienced yogis. Space is limited and available on
a first-come, first-served basis; tickets are available at the front desk
starting at 5:15 p.m. Yoga mats provided.
On view:
“The Reluctant
Autocrat: Tsar Nicholas II” — This exhibition focuses on the reigns
of the last two Romanov rulers: Alexander III (1881–1894) and his son and
successor Nicholas II (1894–1917).
“Out of the
Darkness: Light in the Depths of the Sea of Cortez” — Artist Rebecca
Rutstein uses UGA marine sciences professor Samantha Joye’s research to create
an interactive sculptural installation and several large paintings.
“Richard
Hunt: Synthesis” — This exhibition will focus on formative periods in
the career of American sculptor Richard Hunt.
“One Heart, One
Way: The Journey of a Princely Art Collection” — Russian fine and
decorative arts dating from ca. 1660 to 1952 from the family of the Russian
Princes Belosselsky-Belozersky.
Permanent
Collection — Thirteen galleries house a large portion of the Georgia Museum of
Art’s collection, including many of the 100 American paintings that made up
Alfred Heber Holbrook’s founding gift.
Lamar Dodd School of Art Galleries, University
of Georgia
“La Mostra:
Cortona 2018” — La Mostra, or The Show is a continuation of
a 49-year-old tradition exhibiting artwork produced by students and faculty
during their sojourn at UGA’s residential center in Cortona, Italy. Works
produced by Cortona program participants during spring, summer and fall
programs of 2018 will be displayed at the third floor of the Dodd
Galleries.
Lyndon House Arts Center
"Sitting
with the Elders: Stories of Black Athenians,” an exhibition by Broderick
Flanigan — When an elder dies, it’s as if a library has been burned to the
ground. The stories, the voices, the history, the places and the legacy that
were held inside all disappear. “Sitting with the Elders” uses art and story to
capture the spirit of voices long gone and to amplify the voices of those still
among us whose lessons we need today. The exhibition preserves a legacy that is
vanishing, and it reminds readers of the messy, challenging, difficult
obstacles in life we face in order to become thoughtful and engaged citizens of
our communities and country.
“Antoine
Stewart” — Painting show in the Lounge Gallery.
ATHICA: Athens Institute for Contemporary Art
“ATHICA’s Annual
Members’ Showcase” — Featuring the work of ATHICA’s membership, which has
helped to sustain the all-volunteer organization for over 18 years. Open 4 – 9
p.m.
Ciné
“Cameron Lyden:
The Wave Tamer’s Lullaby and Other Artifacts” — Cameron Lyden is an
Athens-based artist who uses his work to construct a narrative for the viewer
by creating fictional tools with ambiguous and fantastical functions. It is his
goal to offer the viewer an opportunity to feel a sense of childlike wonder as
they explore the faux history of these objects.
Hotel Indigo, Athens
“Solar System
(dad, you came to earth a long time ago)” — A new installation by Trevor Reese
at the GlassCube. Known for his room-filling sculptural works, Reese has turned
the GlassCube into a hospitality suite of miscellaneous furnishings ready to
take off into outer limits. Conventional objects, ladders, chairs, stools and
tables, stacked in an orderly fashion, each have their own personal
multi-colored stylish disco ball. A hodge-podge of mirrors, mined from friends’
basements and collected from thrift stores, reflect the environment day and
night. Working within a practice of exposing what is usually hidden, Reese’s
installation is as if you have opening your storage shed and found a space age
dance party.
“Color & Comp”
— Just in time for the start of school, “Color & Comp”
includes artists playing with form, placement, hue, shade and pigment. Featured
are shaped canvasses by Jason Matherly, the wonderful Lego compositions by Mike
Landers, Shawn Campbell’s photo works of isolated football players on a field
of gold, Jaime Keiter’s “Memphis”-inspired ceramic wall pieces,James Wilson’s
paper collages and In Kyoung Chun, plexiglass domestic scenes.
The Classic Center
“Stitch” — A
brand new, colorful, texture-filled exhibition of contemporary quilts is on
view in Classic Gallery I. Featuring the smoky industrial-scapes of Elizabeth Barton,
the obsessive geometric precision of Barbette Houser, the vibrant sewn gardens
of Cleo Ward, the magic and mischief of Danielle Lasker and the meditative
devotion of Anne Marie Vencill.
“Jaquelynn
Faass” — A solo exhibition in Classic Gallery II of close-up, detailed
portraiture.
–
Third Thursday
was established in 2012 to encourage attendance at Athens’ established art
venues through coordination and co-promotion by the organizing entities. Rack
cards promoting Third Thursday and visual art in Athens are available upon
request. This schedule and venue locations and regular hours can be found at
3thurs.org.
Contact: Michael Lachowski, Georgia
Museum of Art, mlachow@uga.edu.
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