GMOA Reopens with Art Expands

The GMOA staff has been busy preparing for our grand reopening and celebratory week of events, Art Expands.

We’re kicking it off with Elegant Salute XII: Metamorphosis on Saturday, January 29 at 7 p.m. The spectacular gala will include the official ribbon-cutting ceremony with UGA president Michael Adams, GMOA director William Underwood Eiland and all of the museum’s supporters, followed by dinner and dancing in celebration of our transformation. Please call 706.542.0437 for reservations.

Sunday, January 30 from 1 to 5 p.m. will be the Friends Preview, a private reception for the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art before the public reopening. Tours of the galleries will be offered by docents and curators, and the Georgia Children's Chorus will perform at 2 and 3 p.m. Become a Friend before the reopening and receive 20% off up to and including the family level. You can join at the door at the regular rate. For more information or to RSVP call 706.542.0437. Join now!

Monday, January 31 is the reopening to the public, featuring three events:

UGA faculty and staff will receive shop and membership discounts with a UGA ID Card- from 10-5 p.m.

UGA Faculty Lunch and Learn at noon: You can bring a brown-bag lunch or reserve a box lunch and learn how to use the museum’s collection as an education tool in your classes. Email gmoae@uga.edu to reserve your lunch.

UGA Physical Plant Staff Appreciation Reception at 3 p.m.: All UGA support staff are invited to join us for a special reception in their honor as we formally recognize those who work hard to keep our university beautiful and running smoothly every day.

Tuesday, February 1, we are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come check out the additional galleries, the sculpture garden, or our other new features!

Wednesday, February 2, is the GMOA Special Reopening Lecture with artist Beverly Pepper at 6 p.m. in Ramsey Hall, Performing Arts Center, on the UGA campus. Distinguished guest and world-renowned sculptor Beverly Pepper will lecture in honor of the museum’s grand reopening. The museum will officially recognize her sculpture “Ascensione” (installed in the Performing and Visual Arts Complex quad) as a new addition to its permanent collection. For more information on the reopening exhibitions, click here.

On Thursday, February 3, GMOA welcomes UGA students with shop and membership discounts with a UGA ID Card from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Docents and curators will also be available in the galleries for tours.

Also on Thursday, the GMOA Student Association takes over for a night with Reopening Remixed: Student Night at GMOA. Students are invited to GMOA’s college night, a GMOA Student Association–sponsored event. The event will feature music, refreshments, door prizes and tours of the galleries. It’s free and open to all students! For more information on tours, the bands and performance times, and the other activities, click here or call 706.542.0437.

Young at Art Presents Modern Skirts on Friday, February 4, at 6 p.m. Formed in early 2004, the band quickly gained popularity in the Athens music scene thanks largely to the buzz created by their high-energy live shows in the Athens area, mostly at the world-famous 40 Watt Club. Friends members $15, non-members $20, or join at the Young at Art membership level in advance or at the door and enter the concert FREE. Young at Art membership is $20 in addition to the regular individual or family membership price. Join during the charter period and receive a 20% discount. To join, click here. The performance will be held in the M. Smith Griffith Grand Hall.

Our first Family Day in the new building will be Saturday, February 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Family Day: Reopening Celebration will include visits to the galleries for docent-led tours and activities and crafts based on works from the museum’s collection on the first floor. Picasso People, an interactive program for children that includes music, mime and puppetry, will be featured in the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

An Update

Hello, all! Between snow and ice, holidays and the like, we've had little time for blogging of late, especially as most of our hours are being spent getting art up on the walls. Please enjoy the slideshow below that features installation of our amazing, huge painting by Gregory Gillespie, which took six people to hang.

We'd also like to point you tonight to "A Year on the Hill," an exhibition over at the Lamar Dodd School of Art featuring photographs by Jim Fiscus and Chris Bilheimer, both of whom have close connections to GMOA. Jim has spoken here before, and Chris has been very busy donating his graphic design skills to the invitations and programs for Elegant Salute XII: Metamorphosis.

The opening reception is tonight (Friday, January 14) from 7 to 9 p.m. Here's a bit more about the show from the art school's release, and we promise more updates from us soon, including some of the installation of Beverly Pepper's sculpture "Asenscione"!

Just a reminder that "A Year on the Hill," an upcoming show featuring photography by Jim Fiscus and Chris Bilheimer, will be on display in Gallery 101 at the Lamar Dodd School of Art from January 14 until February 11. There will be an opening reception on Friday, January 14 from 7 to 9 p.m.

The exhibition includes ten single images and three triptychs, measuring from 3x4 to 8x8 feet. All photographs were taken with a view camera in multiple frames, which made possible the production of large size images. Some of the films used are no longer manufactured. Apart form their scale, the individual prints are distinguished by various overlay treatments, including encaustic. All the work on this project took place on The Hill in Athens, Georgia between November of 2009 and the fall of 2010. The images in this exhibition have never been shown before.

Jim Fiscus

Jim Fiscus is an award-winning advertising and editorial photographer whose clients include Levis, Guinness, HBO, Nike, Coca-Cola, Showtime, Anheuser-Busch, and ESPN. Fiscus, who was voted International Photographer of the Year for 2006, has had work featured on two communication arts covers and named #1 on Campaigns 2008 list of top photographers in the United Kingdom. His reputation for perfection is matched only by the respect with which he treats his subjects. Fiscus studied photography at East Texas State University and is based in New York City and Athens, Georgia. His work can be seen at fiscusphoto.com.

According to Magazine 13:“Fiscus has been pushing the boundaries of photography and digital imaging for more than 15 years. Famous for his highly stylized photographs, he seamlessly melds people, places and elements into provocative images for editorial and advertising purposes. A pioneer in digital imaging, his technique gives him latitude to create any environment his clients envision, no matter how impossible.

Fiscus’ career began with a campaign for Philip Morris and has grown to include many national and international high-profile clients. A native Texan, Jim currently lives in Athens, Ga. Fiscus was voted International Photographer of the Year for 2006 by the International Photography Awards. His work was featured on two covers of “Communication Arts,” and he was named #1 on “Campaigns” magazine’s 2008 list of top photographers in the United Kingdom.”

Chris Bilheimer

While attending U.G.A. in pursuit of a degree in drawing and painting in the late 80's, Bilheimer began exploring graphic design on a whim in an effort to help out his friends in local bands, seeing posters and album covers as an avenue to show his artwork. Several years after meeting Michael Stipe of R.E.M. through mutual friends, Chris began to assist Michael in the design work for R.E.M., abandoning his painting to work full time as a designer. In short time, Bilheimer began designing for many other major-lable music acts while continuing his work with R.E.M., going on to design for Green Day, Weezer, Nirvana and many others. His twenty year career has seen hundreds of C.D.s released with his work, generating sales of over 30 million copies worldwide. He has been nominated three times for Grammys for his packaging, and his art and music photography has been published extensively. Bilheimer has also branched out of the music industry to design for comedy and television. He currently resides in Athens, Ga, and will soon be relocating to Austin, Tx.