Political Posters as Art

As we enter into an election year, political ad campaigns run rampant. You can’t turn on the TV or listen to the radio without hearing some election buzz. In the spirit of things, here are two propaganda posters from World War II that have been memorialized.

This poster was created in 1939 and displayed during World War II in an attempt to raise the morale of British citizens. Many people feared invasion by German armies, and the “Keep Calm and Carry On” logo was designed to inspire a sense of trust in the government. The poster was lost for 61 years, only being rediscovered in 2000. Since then, it has been reproduced on everything from T-shirts to coffee mugs and planners. GMOA even uses a version of it in a sign we put up in the lobby while setting up for events!

Designed and produced in 1942 by artist J. Howard Miller, Rosie the Riveter encouraged women to become involved in the war effort. Many women worked in factories producing weapons, munitions and other war materials.

When it was first produced, this image was known as the “We Can Do It!” poster rather than Rosie the Riveter. The poster was rediscovered in the early 1980s. It was renamed “Rosie the Riveter” based on a popular song of the same name written by Redd Evans in 1942. The poster has since become an image of women’s empowerment and feminism. 

Although these images were originally intended as propaganda pieces, they have become internationally known works of art. Images of popular culture can often transform into art when they comment on important contemporary social issues. The Georgia Museum of Art currently displays a number of works relating to political and social issues, including many in the Marilyn Overstreet Nalley Galleries in particular.

Virtual Mount Rushmore

If a quick trip to South Dakota seems a little out of reach, have no fear. With the help of three-dimensional laser technology, Internet goers are now able to take an in-depth tour of Mount Rushmore from the comfort of their own home. The monument was scanned in 2010 as a part of a five-year project with help from the Kacyra Family Foundation. The foundation has documented nearly 50 different historical sites in an effort to promote education and aid in preservation. What’s interesting is that cyber visitors may, in fact, have a more in-depth experience than those who visit the actual site. Even the most remote locations are available for exploration online.

Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art Present "An Evening with the Blues"

Jay Robinson's "Billie Holiday Singing the Blues"

The Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art are excited to present “An Evening with the Blues.” The Feb. 16 dinner event will celebrate Black History Month and honor Larry and Brenda Thompson.

Kicking off with cocktails at 6 p.m., the evening will include a gallery talk by chief curator and curator of American art Paul Manoguerra. The talk focuses on Jay Robinson’s painting “Billie Holiday Singing the Blues.” Dinner will be catered by The National and followed by a performance by Kyshona Armstrong in the M. Smith Griffith Grand Hall. 

Larry and Brenda Thompson will be honored for their recent donation to the museum. The donation consists of works of art by African American artists, many of which were featured in the exhibition “Tradition Redefined: The Larry and Brenda Thompson Collection of African American Art.” The couple has also graciously funded an endowment to create a new curatorial position at the museum. GMOA honors an African American leader in northeast Georgia every year, selecting those who have given back to the African American community and supported the arts. 

The cost of the evening is $40 per person. Be sure to RSVP to 706.542.0830 by Thursday, Feb. 9 if you are interested in attending!

For more of Kyshona Armstrong's music, visit http://www.kyshona.com/

“An Evening with the Blues” is generously sponsored by the Athens Chapter, The Links, Incorporated, in memory of Lillian Lynch; Mr. Todd Emily; Julie and Ira Roth; UGA Alumni Association; UGA's Office for Institutional Diversity; and Ashford Manor B&B and Event Facility.

Family Day Photos

Larry Forte took all these great pictures at Family Day: Let's Move! Art, Animals and Yoga this past weekend (Jan. 21, 2012). He also made a video that features many of them. Kids learned about animals in art in the permanent collection, did yoga poses based on animals, ate produce from local farms (after being bribed with stickers), had fun with Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful and created their own animals out of clay you could color.

The Red & Black was on hand to take photos, too.

The weather didn't cooperate, but we still had 315 people show up! Thanks to everyone who participated (we hope to see you back for the next Family Day: Discover the Decorative Arts, Feb. 18) and helped to make it happen.

Suitcase Tours

Docent Kitty Donnan got us this wonderful photograph of Mrs. Worthington's first-grade class at Oconee County Primary School, where our docents have been visiting all the first-graders for the last two weeks, bringing our Suitcase Tours to teach kids about art.

Suitcase Tours are a traveling tour for elementary schools in the Athens area inspired by hthe museum's founder and first director, Alfred Heber Holbrook. Mr. Holbrook used to take his collection of 19th- and 20th-century paintings throughout Georgia in his “Artmobile” and share them with schools and communities around the state. Suitcase Tours are designed for students in grades K-3 and feature the works of five artists from the museum's permanent collection. Through a discussion of these paintings and related hands-on activities, students learn about the elements of art and gain a better understanding of how to look and talk about art. Follow-up activities and information about the museum are included. These presentations are 50 minutes long, free and limited to 30 students per presentation. For more information or to schedule a Suitcase Tour, please contact the education department at the Georgia Museum of Art at 706.542.GMOA (4662).

ATHICA: Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, Inc. presents “Southern”

Sam Seawright, The Poet's House (Moth), 2001

ATHICA is showing its 44th exhibition, “Southern,” beginning this Saturday, Jan. 21, and running through Sunday, March 4. The exhibition features many new works exploring the emotional depth and aesthetic diversity of nine artists across four generations.

Through photography, video and sculpture, the artists present a visually rich installation that tests the boundaries between art and religion, aesthetic and documentary practice and folk and fine art.

Exhibition highlights include documentary photographs of the interior and exterior grounds of the St. Paul Spiritual Holy Temple in Memphis, Tenn.; a multimedia work addressing the relationship between the Hope Scholarship and the Georgia Lottery; and a controversial painting referencing the Ku Klux Klan that was once removed from a faculty exhibition at Gainesville College by its president.

Participating artists are Stanley Bermudez; Drék Davis; Hope Hilton; Ted Kuhn; Michael Lachowski; Judy Rushin; Sam Seawright; John Seawright; Steven Thompson; and James Perry Walker and the family of Washington Harris of the Saint Paul Spiritual Holy Temple.

The exhibition’s opening reception will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21, from 7 to 9 p.m. The curator and assistant curator of “Southern” are Judith McWillie and Lauren Williamson.

"Georgia Bellflowers" photos

We had an amazing crowd for the "Georgia Bellflowers" opening reception on Sunday, including one of the most packed gallery talks ever. Many of Gene Thomas's family members were there, and the Athens Historical Society folks were a lot of fun. Lots of cookies were eaten and punch consumed. Photos are above, including several of lenders to the exhibition posing with their furniture. Also, the books are now available in the shop, for a mere $16.

Backpack Tours (Again)

Remember our last post about GMOA's Backpack Tours? Well, they keep growing in popularity, and we're posting more photos to our Flickr page of cute kids interacting with art. The felt board seems to be especially popular. Why not stop by the museum with your kids or grandkids and check it out? It's 100% free, and snacks are available for purchase from Ike & Jane Café in the lobby.

Helen Frankenthaler’s Pools of Color

Prominent color field painter Helen Frankenthaler was a leading force behind the visually engaging and dynamic American painting movement known as abstract expressionism. Frankenthaler’s new way of making art sets her apart from fellow abstract expressionist painters such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

Frankenthaler’s unorthodox technique in thinning oil paint with turpentine and then applying it to an unprepared canvas achieves an effect similar to light and airy watercolors. By diluting the oil paint and pouring the mixture directly from a coffee can onto the surface of the canvas, Frankenthaler was able to create a distinctive and unique oil on canvas in contrast to the dense and often dark works of Pollock and Mark Rothko.

Frankenthaler’s breakthrough painting entitled “Mountain and Sea” (1952) was inspired by the landscapes she encountered on her travels to Nova Scotia. The oil and charcoal on canvas is lyrical in its depiction of the sky, forest and water. The pale and mellow blues and greens defined lightly by sporadic charcoal lines are active, yet calming in appearance.

Bright pools of color that make up large, yet inviting canvases define the paintings and legacy Frankenthaler left behind when she passed away Dec. 27. 

Obituary here

5th grade Thank You notes

The Thank You notes from Whit Davis Elementary 5th graders for their GMOA field trip are great again. This year, we got two drawings from memory of our Georgia O'Keeffe painting "Red Barn, Lake George, New York" as Thank You illustrations.

Backpack Tours

GMOA added free Backpack Tours for children this fall, and the initiative is starting to take off. First, the Red & Black wrote an article about it. The AP picked up the press release. Georgia Magazine featured it. And now we have kids coming to take them, as documented in the photos above. Warning: they are extremely cute.

To learn more about the backpack tours, click here.

Kress Project entries

We just hit 73 entries with the most recent, from Meredith Lachin, of Winterville, a wonderful oil portrait that responds to "Portrait of Giulio Romano." Click here to view all the Kress Project entries. If you know creative folks, please encourage them to enter. Questions? Email kressprojectgmoa at gmail.com and someone will respond to you quickly!

"Georgia Bellflowers" advances in

The video above shows us flipping through an advance copy of the book for our upcoming exhibition "Georgia Bellflowers: The Furniture of Henry Eugene Thomas." The rest of the books should be in stock in early January, in time for the exhibition, but we will be offering special pre-orders in the Museum Shop (in-person only, not online) until then. The book is only $16 and makes a great holiday gift for anyone interested in decorative arts, local history, woodworking or great stories.

Carl Mullis honored at Emory as distinguished alum

We've been a little light with the blogging lately (busy busy!), but we would be remiss not to call your attention to this small photo set on our Flickr page that documents Emory University's honoring of Carl Mullis, the chair of GMOA's Board of Advisors, as a distinguished alumnus of that institution. You can find more details here. We already know what an asset Carl is, but it was nice to see him recognized in a larger forum.

A Wonderful Gift

We keep forgetting to post something about this, but a few weeks ago, Valeria Gennaro Lerda, wife of the late artist Piero Lerda, stopped by the museum with her family, visiting from Italy, to give several works by her husband to GMOA. We documented the signing of the deed of gift, and Valeria held forth on the four works: "La creazione del mondo," "Art Blakey: On the Street Where You Live," "Personaggio--Schermo" and an untitled work. She was an engaging speaker, and it was interesting to hear her take on her husband's inspiration, which was frequently musical but also engaged with and commented on popular culture (e.g., television) and made use of collage.

Holiday Hours

If you haven't received notice of our holiday hours, please note them below. Also, the Museum Shop will be closed Black Friday but open for Small Business Saturday (Nov. 26). If you want to support small businesses and support the museum, come see what we have in the shop!

The galleries at the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia will be open Nov. 23, Nov. 25, Dec. 24 and Dec. 28-31. The museum will be completely closed Nov. 24, Dec. 25-27 and Jan. 1-2. The museum’s galleries are normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, with its shop, lobby and café open on Tuesdays.

The museum will resume normal hours Jan. 3.

GMOA special holiday events include:

· The GMOA Book Sale: Dec. 8-9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., retailing both GMOA and other publications. The sale is free and open to the public.

· Family Day: Dec. 10, 10 a.m. to noon. Families can make holiday cards inspired by the permanent collection and listen to a performance by Meridian Women’s Chorus. The event is free and open to the public.

· Buon Natale: Holiday Prints by Libby Bailey: The exhibition is on view through Jan. 8.

Also, beginning Nov. 19, Ike and Jane Café at GMOA will no longer be open on Saturdays. Its new hours will be Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Acquires Rare Work

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York recently acquired a two-sided panel by German Renaissance artist Hans Schäufelein, a pupil of Albrecht Dürer.

The panel has aroused some excitement due to the slim holdings of works by Dürer in the Met. Since the chances of acquiring any more substantial works by Dürer are slim, his student’s panel is of great importance.

The two-sided panel was part of a winged alterpiece dating from around 1510. One side depicts the “Dormition of the Virgin,” or death of the Virgin, a subject well rehearsed by Dürer. The opposite side is “Christ Carrying the Cross,” which art historians suspect to be jointly painted by Schäufelein and another artist known as the Engerda Master.

The panel is currently in the Met’s conservation department for cleaning and is scheduled to be on view next year.

Article here.

Goblins, Ghosts and Goya

Witches' Sabbath, 1821–1823. 140cm x 438cm, (55 x 170 inches), Museo del Prado, Madrid

Spanish artist Francisco Goya completed “Witches’ Sabbath” in 1823. The painting shows Satan in the form of a hybrid goat-human figure surrounded by witches, who quiver before him in fear.

The work is thought to be a satire mocking the superstitious nature of Spanish culture during this era and the witch trials of the Spanish Inquisition. Spanish royalists and conservatives would use accusations of witchcraft as a way to demean the lower class.

The painting was one of Goya’s 14 Black Paintings, all of which were done in oil directly on the plaster walls of his house. Goya did not intend for the paintings to be exhibited. He never wrote or spoke of them, and it was not until nearly 50 years after his death in 1874 that they were removed from the house and transferred to canvas.

“Witches’ Sabbath” was damaged in its transfer and lost approximately 140 cm on the right, which explains its unusually tight cropping. Today this work and the 13 other Black Paintings are on permanent display at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

More Kress Project Entries

We're up to 58 Kress Project entries, with four coming in over the weekend. Our latest batch comes from Adel Gorgy (above), who reworks existing images with digital technology, then prints them at a large scale. Click here to see all the entries (now sorted with the most recent ones listed first).