Athens, Ga. – The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia will introduce its fourth study center from Dec. 3 to March 4 in an exhibition in the Dorothy Alexander Roush Gallery.
Creating space for study centers in the humanities was one of the key elements in GMOA’s recent expansion, which opened in January. This small exhibition, “Introduction to the Centers,” will feature the Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts, which was founded in 2000 and will include a variety of objects accessioned during the past 40 years, including the first piece of furniture purchased by Henry Green and recent acquisitions of pottery and silver.
“It is gratifying that our initiative in the decorative arts is thriving and enjoying a great reputation,” said Dale Couch, the museum’s adjunct curator of decorative arts.
The Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts organizes educational opportunities, provides access to important resources and assists with the development of GMOA’s permanent collection. The Green library contains approximately 1,000 volumes related to decorative arts, architecture and Georgia history and began through a donation from Green’s personal library. Items include correspondence, exhibitions, lectures, documentation and photography related to his restoration projects.
GMOA purchased Americana in the form of weather vanes as early as the 1970s and in 1985 made a crucial contribution to the decorative arts of the region through the exhibition “Georgia’s Legacy: History Charted through the Arts.” However it did not have a formal decorative arts initiative until the founding of the Green Center. William Underwood Eiland, director of the museum, and Bonnie Ramsey, the museum’s former director of communications, pushed for the initiative. Ashley Callahan, former curator of decorative arts, formulated a program of exhibitions and symposia, channeling support from the Green family, collectors, dealers and scholars and forging partnerships with other institutions.
“I would hope that this exhibition reveals some of the strength of our foundation. Rest assured that we will continue a regional focus, but I also hope we are able to expand our collections to represent the national and global context of Georgia’s decorative art,” added Couch.
Three sister centers, the C.L. Morehead Jr. Center for the Study of American Art, the Jacob Burns Foundation Center (devoted to the study of prints and drawings) and the Pierre Daura Center, were featured in the first half of “Introduction to the Centers,” from Aug. 15 to Nov. 20.
This exhibition will be on view during GMOA’s biennial Henry D. Green Symposium, which will be held Feb. 2-4 and will focus on Georgia’s decorative arts. It is being sponsored by the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.
Museum Information
Partial support for the exhibitions and programs at the Georgia Museum of Art is provided by the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The council is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Individuals, foundations and corporations provide additional museum support through their gifts to the University of Georgia Foundation. The Georgia Museum of Art is located at 90 Carlton Street in the Performing and Visual Arts Complex on the East Campus of the University of Georgia. For more information, including hours, see www.georgiamuseum.org or call 706/542-4662.
