You don’t have to be a student to enjoy the wide variety of artwork on display at several galleries located across the University of Georgia campus. Whether you’re totally new to town, returning after a summer break or just haven’t ventured into bulldog territory in a while, there’s plenty to see. Check out the following on-campus galleries for current and upcoming exhibitions.
GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART: The officiate art museum of the state of Georgia happens to be located right on East Campus in the Performing and Visual Arts Complex. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this fall, the museum’s permanent collection has grown to include nearly 17,000 objects spanning paintings, works on paper, decorative arts and more from around the world. Temporary exhibitions change throughout the year, so there’s always something new to check out. Currently, “Where Shadows Cross: Photography by Jim Fiscus” offers a window into the cinematic portraits of an Athens artist, while “Sky Hopinka: Lore” presents an experimental video work by a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. “Southern/Modern” provides a survey of artwork created in the American South during the first half of the 20th century, while “Decade of Tradition: Highlights from the Larry D. And Brenda A. Thompson Collection” specifically celebrates African American artists. Other exhibitions on view include “In Dialogue: Power Couple: Pierre and Louise Daura in Paris” and “Power and Piety in 17th-Century Spanish Art.” Visit georgiamuseum.org for details and a calendar of events.
DODD GALLERIES: The Lamar Dodd School of Art’s Dodd Galleries hosted a back-to-school event on Aug. 11 to welcome six new faculty members, an incoming cohort of 18 graduate students and four new exhibitions. New York-based painter Stacie Maya Johnson’s “Twelve Paintings” are abstracted works inspired by basic shapes and colors of “kids design,” craft projects with her daughter, and readily-traceable items from around her studio. Referencing pop culture, language and technology, “Hard Fork” is an exhibition by Athens-based artist and Dodd lecturer CC Calloway that includes a multi-channel video installation, photographs and prints made over the span of a decade. Led by associate professor Martijn van Wagtendonk, “Counterpoint – Part I: The Tambour” is a collaboratively made kinetic sculpture—bring a quarter to set it in motion!—that intends to include additional phases over the next several semesters. Coordinated by 2023 Visiting Artist Craig Dongoski, “MYSTERIUM” was a 36-hour durational art-making and music event involving dozens of artists and performers. Artists participated by making marks in a specific color on a large collective paper while the space was flooded in light of the same color. Current exhibitions will remain on view through Sept. 1. “Ansley West Rivers: Holding Time,” an exhibition of landscape photography, is scheduled to run Sept. 14–Nov. 3. For more information, visit art.uga.edu.
ATHENAEUM: Located at the edge of downtown on West Broad Street, the Athenaeum opened in fall of 2021 as a new contemporary space for exhibitions, workshops and lectures. Perfect for cheering in the new football season, New York-based artist Paul Pfeiffer’s video installation “Red Green Blue” was made in collaboration with the UGA Redcoat Marching Band during the artist’s tenure as Dodd Chair between 2016–2018. Interested in the culture and spectacle of Sanford Stadium, the exhibition investigates the stadium’s role as both a broadcast studio and site of mass ritual. With football players only ever appearing briefly throughout the film, the focus is kept on the Redcoats as they create the musical soundtrack and influence the emotional responses of spectators. Through audio and video editing, the film heightens the theatrical dimension of sporting events and untangles the nuanced complexity of the stadium experience. An opening reception will be held Aug. 31 from 6–8 p.m., and a tour led by director Katie Geha is scheduled for Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. “Red Green Blue” will remain on view until Nov. 18. Head to athenaeum.uga.edu for hours and additional details.
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: On the second floor of the Special Collections Libraries Building are three main galleries—the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Gallery, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library Gallery, and Richard B. Russell Library Gallery—each of which presents rotating displays of photographs, artifacts, publications and other historical memorabilia. Closing Aug. 26, “It Goes to The People: 75 Years of Free Inspiration at the Georgia Museum of Art” traces the museum’s history and growth throughout the decades. Hosting an opening reception on Aug. 31 from 5:30–7 p.m., “House Party: Digging Into House Show History in Athens!” takes a look at how private homes have facilitated live performances and fostered community in the local music scene over the past 80 years. Additional exhibitions currently on display include “HBO at 50: The Rise of Prestige Television” and “Exploring St. Catherines Island,” and “Paving the Road to Progress: Georgia Interstate Highways” is scheduled to open in September. Visit libs.uga.edu/scl/exhibits for more information.
CIRCLE GALLERY: Located in the Jackson Street Building on UGA’s North Campus, the Circle Gallery reflects the College of Environment and Design’s interdisciplinary character through exhibitions incorporating concepts relating to landscape architecture, environmental design and historic preservation. The photography exhibition “With Rapture and Astonishment: Reimagining the Bartram Trail” opened earlier this month in conjunction with the 2023 Bartram Trail Conference, which marked the 250th anniversary of when naturalist William Bartram embarked on a four-year journey to explore the Southeast. Just as Bartram recorded native flora and fauna through writings and drawings, the exhibition’s artists creatively documented their own observations as they traveled in his footsteps. Remaining on view through Sept. 12, “With Rapture and Astonishment” features a dozen artists including Anna G. Norton, Beate Sass, Brent Martin and Eric William Carroll. Visit facebook.com/ugaced to keep up with the gallery.
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