Georgia Museum of Art Prepares for Richard Hunt Exhibition with Related Programming

Richard Hunt

Richard Hunt’s career has spanned six decades, and although the artist is now in his 80s, he continues to create large-scale public commissions. The sculptor’s work will be on view at the Georgia Museum of Art from October 20 through February 3 in the exhibition “Richard Hunt: Synthesis.” The show, which was organized by Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art Shawnya Harris, draws from public and private collections all over the country. It will feature several sculptures and works on paper that trace the various phases of Hunt’s career, including welded and cast sculpture dating from the 1950s to the present and models he made after his transition to large-scale public commissions in the late 1960s.

Hunt’s earliest work is tied to his time at the Junior School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and later the Art Institute. The Museum of Modern Art in New York played a role too, when it presented a retrospective exhibition of his career in 1971 and purchased some of his early work. Of particular interest for Georgians are “Wisdom Bridge,” which Hunt created for the downtown branch of the Atlanta Public Library and a pair of sculptures (“Tower of Aspirations” and “And They Went Down Both into the Water”) for Augusta’s Springfield Park.

“Richard Hunt: Synthesis” will be accompanied by a number of related events throughout the fall at the Georgia Museum of Art. The exhibition will also serve as the focus of the museum’s 5th-grade tours as part of Experience UGA this year, allowing all 5th-grade students in the Clarke County School District to experience the works of a pioneering African American sculptor.

Other related programming for this exhibition includes:

·      a public conversation with Hunt on October 19 at 4:30 p.m. (in the museum’s M. Smith Griffith Auditorium)

·      90 Carlton: Autumn, the museum’s quarterly reception (free for museum members, $5 non-members) on October 19 at 5:30 p.m.

·      a public tour with Harris on October 31 at 2 p.m.

·      a Family Day as part of UGA’s 2019 Spotlight on the Arts festival on November 3 from 10 a.m. to noon

·      a Toddler Tuesday on November 13 at 10 a.m. (register via sagekincaid@uga.edu or 706.542.0448)

·      a screening of Charlie Ahearn’s documentary “Richard Hunt: Sculptor” on November 29 at 7 p.m.

·      an Artful Conversation on December 5 at 2 p.m.

·      and a Teen Studio on January 17 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (email sagekincaid@uga.edu or call 706.542.8863 to reserve a spot).

All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.

Annual Smitty Award Presented to Cyndy Harbold

Cyndy Harbold was the recipient of this year's Smitty Award

August 16 brought the Annual Meeting and Reception of the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art, which highlighted the group’s activities from the past year and featured the presentation of the annual M. Smith Griffith Volunteer of the Year Award. First given in 1998, the “Smitty” award seeks to honor the many enthusiastic volunteers who have given their time and talents to the museum over the years. It is named for Smitty Griffith, a founder of the Friends and one of the museum’s most dedicated and generous patrons. Griffith was the first recipient, and the award has since been presented to more than 20 volunteers nominated by the staff of the museum.

This year’s Smitty Award was presented to Cyndy Harbold, a past president of the Friends and of the museum’s docents. She has given countless tours to a wide variety of audiences since joining the docents in 2009. As president of the Friends, she was instrumental in a complete review of the organization’s gift and income reporting, helping very much to ease the way into the new reporting structure of the UGA Foundation. Her understanding of accounting and her perseverance were essential to getting these seemingly mundane, but very important documents and procedures in place.

Harbold has also volunteered to help organize the Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts, a truly monumental undertaking and one in which her assistance was most welcome. She exemplifies the best of what our volunteers can be.

While accepting the award, Harbold said, “When we talk about membership, I think we need to keep in mind that you not only ask someone to join but you take their hand and find something that you know is their spot in this place.” We couldn’t have said it better.

Past recipients of the award include Mae Castenell, Linda Chesnut and Berkeley Minor, as well as many other volunteers who have given selflessly to our organization. The Georgia Museum of Art could not succeed without the work of volunteers like Harbold, and we sincerely thank everyone who has ever donated time or resources to help us provide the best experience possible to the community.

Museum Prepares for a Busy Summer Season

Preparator Robert Russell helps to install "Bloom Where You're Planted"

With Memorial Day just around the corner, summer has officially arrived. The Georgia Museum of Art has several events and exhibitions planned over the next few months to help everyone in Athens enjoy their summer. Visitors can escape the heat and come spend the day at the museum, where they’ll find a collection that suits a wide range of interests. We’ll also participate in the National Endowment for the Arts’ Blue Star Museums program once again, which runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day. This program offers free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families. As we already have free admission for everyone, we’re extending a 10 percent discount in the Museum Shop to those folks.

Upcoming Exhibitions

The museum has a few exciting new exhibitions this summer, which are diverse in content and offer three distinct collections. This past Friday, “Bloom Where You’re Planted: The Collection of Deen Day Sanders” opened, highlighting one of the most important Georgia-based collections of American art. The exhibition will be on view until July 29, and features a wide range of art including porcelain, paintings and furniture.

On June 30, “Central to Their Lives: Southern Women Artists in the Johnson Collection” will open, allowing visitors to view art spanning the decades between the late 1890s and early 1960s. This show will examine the challenges these artists faced in the traditionally conservative region during a period of change for women in the social, cultural and political spheres. The show will be on view until September 23.

Beginning July 21, “One Heart, One Way: The Journey of a Princely Art Collection” will debut, introducing a collection of Russian fine and decorative arts from ca. 1660 to 1952 to the public. With a storied past and long journey, this exhibition announces the survival of paintings that had been thought lost and the existence of other highly significant, hitherto unknown works of art belonging to the same collection. This show will run until January 6, 2019.

To see a list of all of our current and upcoming exhibitions, please see our website.

Summer Events

In addition to our upcoming exhibitions, the museum is also offering a number of free events open to the public all summer long. Next Thursday, May 31, at 7 p.m., our Museums on Film series kicks off with “Night at the Museum.” Other films in the series include “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on June 7 and “The Thomas Crown Affair” on June 14.

We will also be hosting a number of Family Day events and Toddler Tuesdays. Family Day is a great chance for kids of all ages to create their own art after viewing works from our collections. Toddler Tuesday is a free, 40-minute program designed for families with children ages 18 months to 3 years. This program includes a tour, story time in the galleries and an art activity just for the little ones.

Finally, our next Museum Mix party will be on June 28 from 8 – 11 p.m. This late-night event will feature a live DJ (Kurt Wood this time) and free refreshments for all visitors.

For a full list of all of our events, you can view our calendar, and we look forward to seeing you this summer at the museum!