The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia recently received awards from the Southeastern Museums Conference Awards Committee in 2021 for its outstanding work.
The exhibition catalog for “Emma Amos: Color Odyssey” received Best in Show in SEMC’s Publications Design Competition, making 2021 the second year in a row that the museum has received this award. “Deborah Roberts: The Evolution of Mimi,” co-published with Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, won in 2020. The Emma Amos catalog also received a gold medal in the Books and Catalogues category. With essays written by Shawnya Harris, the museum’s Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art, along with other scholars, friends, admirers and colleagues of Amos, this catalog details the artist’s life and legacy. The associated exhibition of the same name, currently on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, received an honorable mention in the exhibitions category.
Facet, the museum’s quarterly newsletter, was awarded a gold medal in the Magazines and Newsletters category. (Submitted photo)
Facet, the museum’s quarterly newsletter, was awarded a gold medal in the Magazines and Newsletters category. It was redesigned in mid-2020 by Noelle Shuck, the museum’s graphic designer, who was responsible for all the design awards the museum received. In the Brochures and Rack Cards category, the museum received a silver medal for its postcard accompanying the exhibition “Whitman, Alabama.” The postcard includes a QR code that brings viewers to a page where they can dive deeper into more details and activities relating to the exhibition.
The museum also received an honorable mention in the Digital Education category for its virtual fifth grade tours, which reached all fifth graders in the Clarke County School District. Although seeing art in person is a different experience than what the museum could provide online, the virtual tours, run by Emily Hogrefe-Ribeiro, provided new ways to connect from afar. The museum’s fifth grade tour program is both the model for and part of Experience UGA, a partnership that aims to bring every Clarke County student to UGA’s campus for an annual field trip and opportunity to experience learning on a college campus, explore college options and interact with UGA students.
Museum Director William Underwood Eiland said, “As long-time and loyal members of the Southeastern Museums Conference, we are pleased by its recognition of our work during a difficult time for all museums. Receiving these awards for our publications and exhibitions is a great encouragement to the staff of the Georgia Museum of Art, who have continued to work hard, to serve our audiences, and to perform significant research during an uncertain time in our history. These awards are evidence of our commitment to our community and to the museum world at large.”
SEMC is a nonprofit membership association of museums, museum staff, independent professionals and corporate professionals focused on the southeastern United States. It works to improve the exchange of ideas and information within the region’s art community and provide educational and professional development opportunities for members.
