The Columbus Museum Quarterly Magazine
the
Summer 2021
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Letter from the Director
e are fortunate to have such an outstanding creative community in Columbus and the Chattahoochee Valley. Our current exhibition of local artists, 7+7: Established and Emerging Artists of the Chattahoochee Valley, on view in the Yarbrough Gallery, is a testament to the creativity of the region’s visual artists, and response to it has been very positive. You can learn more about both the established artists and the emerging artists they chose for the exhibition in this issue of The Muse. The artists in 7+7 continue a long tradition of artistic excellence in the Chattahoochee Valley. One of the greatest artists to come from Columbus, Alma Thomas (1891-1978), has work in major museum collections. Her painting Air View of a Spring Nursery, in our collection, is on view in the Leebern Gallery.
The Columbus Museum brings American art and history to life for the communities of the Chattahoochee Valley.
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Through the generosity of Thomas’s sister, Maurice, the Museum has substantial archives related to Alma Thomas, and they are an important component and inspiration for an exhibition we have co-organized with the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va. Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful opens this July at the Chrysler, after which it will travel to the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and the Frist Art Museum in Nashville before concluding its tour here in July 2022. More information about the exhibition is included in this issue. Nearly two years ago, the Museum introduced a program to foster art and literacy skills in Pre-K students, Museum PALS, which began in four Muscogee County School District classrooms. This past year, we expanded the program to 16 classrooms, and for the 20212022 school year, our goal is to offer it in 24 classrooms. Museum PALS ties in with Columbus 2025’s focus on literacy preparedness for pre-school students and has been a success by all measures. You can read more about the Museum PALS program in this issue. It is one of the ways that we have continued to be engaged with school audiences even with the challenges of the past year. This spring, as we saw an increase in visitors to the Museum, we had a moment of connection that was quite special. One of our gallery attendants met a family of four look-
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ing at Spanish Town, Alcalá de Guadaíra by Henry Glintenkamp, a painting that depicted the wife’s hometown. The family normally visits family in Alcalá de Guadaíra each year, but have not been able to go during the pandemic. They decided to tour local attractions instead, including the Museum. They were stunned and excited to find a painting of the town in the collection. Not only did they immediately recognize the view in the painting, they showed the attendant a photograph they had taken of the same view (Fig 1). Moments like this underscore the impact viewing a work of art or historical artifact in person can have. With the increase in number of vaccinations in our region, we will be phasing in in-person programming, always keeping your safety in mind. This summer we are pleased to offer camps once again, and our goal is to bring back more in-person programming for visitors of all ages this fall. We will continue to offer online options, since we have learned that there is an audience for virtual programming not only in our region, but nationally and even internationally. Thank you so much for your support during the pandemic as we were challenged to change operations, and I look forward to seeing you soon at the Museum.
On the Cover:
John Faber the Younger (c. 1684-1756) after William Verelst (17041752), Tomo Chachi Mico or King of Yamacraw, and Tooanahowi his Nephew, Son to the Mico of the Etchitas, c. 1734, mezzotint engraving on paper, Museum purchase made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Daniel P. Amos, The Gladys Dudley History Fund, and The Evelyn S. and H. Wayne Patterson Fund, The Columbus Museum G.2020.9
Long-awaited Alma Thomas exhibition opening at the Chrysler in July
Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful, the long-awaited exhibition co-organized by The Columbus Museum and the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va., is opening at the Chrysler on July 9. Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful will provide a comprehensive overview of the artist’s long life with approximately 150 works, including her rarely seen theatrical designs and beloved abstract paintings. The exhibition will track Thomas’s artistic journey from semi-rural Georgia to international recognition, demonstrating how her artistic practices extended to every facet of her life—from community service and teaching to gardening and dress. Unlike a traditional biography, the exhibition will be organized around multiple themes from Thomas’s experience. These themes include the context of Thomas’s Washington Color School cohort, the creative communities connected to Howard University, and peers who protested museums that failed to represent artists of color. Co-curators Jonathan Frederick Walz, Ph.D., Director of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of American Art at The Columbus Museum and Seth Feman, Ph.D., the Chrysler’s Deputy Director for Art & Interpretation and Curator of Photography, will intentionally include diverse artworks and archival materials. These elements will reveal 1
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Thomas’s complex and deliberate artistic existence before, during, and after the years of her “mature” output and career-making solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1972. She was the first African American woman to have a retrospective at the famed New York institution. With the addition of Resurrection to the White House Collection in 2015, acquisitions by notable public institutions including Crystal Bridges Museum and MoMA, and a two-venue exhibition at the Tang Museum and The Studio Museum in Harlem in 2016, the time is right to reconsider Alma Thomas’s life and legacy. “Despite the snowballing of overdue attention, the artist’s long career is still inaccurately reduced to the late paintings from the 1960s and early 1970s,” Walz and Feman said. “The Columbus Museum’s rich holdings related to Thomas offer the opportunity to present deeper insights into Thomas’s art and an inspiring look at how to lead a creative life.” After Oct. 3, the exhibition will travel to the following institutions:
The Phillips Collection, Washington, Oct. 30, 2021–Jan. 23, 2022 Frist Art Museum, Nashville, Feb. 25–June 5, 2022
The Columbus Museum, Columbus, July 1, 2022–Sept. 25, 2022
Pre-order the exhibition catalogue: columbusmuseum.com/shop Images: 1. Alma W. Thomas, Air View Of A Spring Nursery, 1966, acrylic on canvas, Museum purchase and gift of the National Association of Negro Business Women, and the Artist, The Columbus Museum G.1979.53 | 2. Alma Thomas, Untitled, 1960s ca., watercolor on paper, Gift of Miss John Maurice Thomas in memory of her parents John H. and Amelia W. Cantey Thomas and her sister Alma Woodsey Thomas G.1994.20.137 | 3. Alma Thomas with students at Howard University Art Gallery, 1928 or after, gelatin silver print, The Columbus Museum G.1994.20.271
Aflac is proud to sponsor Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful, which has been co-organized by The Columbus Museum, Columbus, Georgia, & the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia. The exhibition has also been made possible in part by major support from the Henry Luce Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, & the National Endowment for the Arts. 2021 SUMMER THE MUSE | 3
7+7 Exhibition Puts Range of Talent on Display There is something about Columbus, Georgia that produces an incredible array of artistic talent. A great representation of that talent is on view now at The Columbus Museum, with the opening of the 7+7: Established and Emerging Artists of the Chattahoochee Valley exhibition this past spring. The show will be on view in the Yarbrough Gallery through October. “There’s something in the water here that makes folks so cre-
ative,” Director of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of American Art Jonathan Frederick Walz, Ph.D., told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer in an interview about the show. “And I think it’s so great that they are willing to share their talent with the local community as well.” 7+7 is unique because artists with long, successful careers were asked to select an up-and-coming artist whose work they believe deserves more attention to show beside them.
Bartlett + Flournoy
Jack Flournoy
Website: bobartlett.com
Bo Bartlett
Instagram: @thebobartlett @jack_flournoys
Known for his large-scale paintings that explore American life and cultural heritage, James “Bo” Bartlett believes “the purpose of art is to wake us up.” “I have seen this play out with a number of students over the years,” Bartlett said, describing diverse experiences with students including teaching at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, private lessons, MasterClass in association with the Bo Bartlett Center, and working with the homeless and incarcerated through art outreach programs. “I have watched students, apprentices, and mentees grow, evolve, and blossom.” Bartlett chose 16-year-old Jack Flournoy for this exhibition because “he is at the very beginning of his artistic journey [and] is dedicated to his art as any seasoned professional,” Bartlett explained. Flournoy is producing work years ahead of the level expected for his age, Bartlett said, and “we look forward with excitement to the work he’ll make in the future. One thing is certain, it will challenge us, make us question, and make us re-evaluate our values… it will at every turn... fulfill the purpose of art. It will wake us up.”
Dorsey + Tette Unapologetically born and raised in the Souff (“an intentional, a real thing, not a typo,” the artist says), Najee Dorsey is a contemporary American visual artist whose mixed-media, collage, paint, and photographic works depict Southern African American experience and culture. “My work is anchored by the regality I find in Black people, the culture we create as well as the landscape and aesthetics of our homes,” Dorsey said. “ ... those are the things that make up what my art is about.” Dorsey’s work is complemented by chosen artist Steven Tette’s hopes. Tette wants to encourage people to “take a little time to reflect on the experiences of African American peoples, and realize that these experiences are not homogenized. And neither are the reactions to life’s struggles.”
Steven Tette
Websites: najeedorsey.com steventette.com
Instagram: @najee.dorsey @artist_steven_tette Najee Dorsey
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Eby + Wells
Julianna Wells
Websites: betsyeby.com juliannawells.com Instagram: @betsyeby @juliannamwells
Betsy Eby
For Betsy Eby, an artist who seeks rhythm and lyricism in the natural world that translates to her encaustic paintings, being an artist is about so much more than just making the work. “An artist isn’t someone who just puts paint on a canvas, or draws a picture,” Eby said. “An artist views the world through a lens that’s different from the status quo. An artist questions and observes through an unquenchable desire for knowledge and process.” Julianna Wells, who was selected by Eby as her accompanying emerging artist, possesses these qualities with a character of fine integrity, focus, dedication, gratitude, commitment, and compassion, Eby said. Eby is inspired by Wells’ integrity and artistry. “I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Julianna’s work evolve over many years,” Eby added. “As a visiting critic at New York Academy, I visited her studio while she was earning her MFA. I remember fondly speaking together about compositional and gestural rhythm while standing in front of this very painting that’s in the 7+7 exhibition.”
Ferreira + Thomas Renato Ferriera is an art educator and working artist who immediately knew that he wanted to select one of his students for the 7+7 exhibition. Ferreira chose photography as his medium and selected the emerging artist based on students who were already showing interest and excelling in that area, he explained. “Finally, and most importantly, I wanted to teach my mentee a new approach to the medium and thought pinhole photography would be perfect,” Ferreira said. He chose Kota Thomas, to whom he had taught art in 7th and 8th-grade at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts. As visitors experience the artists’ work side by side, Ferreira hopes viewers “share a balance of joyful celebration and willingness to ponder. “The foundation of the exhibition—two artists collaborating together among other local artists— is festive and vivacious,” Ferreira continued. “Yet, questions will be proposed by the pieces, and viewers should come ready to look, listen, and wonder.” Thomas wants visitors to “experience the various textures in the pieces,” she said. “The works merit the time to pause and reflect, as a spark of significance is bound to come to each spectator. The artwork, as a whole, creates multiple storylines for each viewer.”
Kota Thomas
Website: renatobrittoferreira.com Instagram: @renatobrittoferreira @kotaslifestyle
Renato Ferriera
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Lovin + Person
Dalton Newbend
Website: hannahisrael.net daltonnewbend.art
Instagram: @rainbowwatusi @daltonnewbend.art
Liz Lovin’s work is inspired by human anatomy, pattern, and design in nature, as well as landscapes. As a working artist and educator, Lovin saw an opportunity in 7+7. “When people interact with the exhibit, I hope they become more aware of and curious about local artists and the partnerships they create,” Lovin said. Lovin selected Angel Person as the emerging artist, whom she has worked with over the last four years at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts. “Angel thinks creatively about herself, her role as an artist, and has the ability to tackle any nature of subject matter with thoughtfulness and complexity,” Lovin said.
Hannah Israel
Israel + Newbend The nature of artist Hannah Israel’s work reflects the relationships between human existence, the fragility of time, and how predictable the human experience can be based on the temperament of the world around us. Israel is an associate professor of art and gallery director at Columbus State University. Israel and the emerging artist she selected, Dalton Newbend, created an installation together meant to reflect the identity of the community. “I hope the experience is similar to seeing the tip of an iceberg,” Newbend said. “The viewers get a sample of who in the valley are working artists, and what type of work is being made here. I hope the viewers see the work as a reflection of our community, not as a separate world existing on another plane of reality.”
Angel Person
Website: lizlovin.com
Instagram: @angel_artz7
Liz Lovin
Zupan + Rawden
Pamela Rawden
Website: galerie-dorsay.com/ brunozupan pamelarawden. wixsite.com/mysite
Bruno Zupan 6 | THE MUSE SUMMER 2021
Instagram: @brunozupan
Unlike the other established and emerging artists who are showing together, Bruno Zupan and Pamela Rawden did not know each other before the exhibition. But by the end of the collaboration, the two artists have mutual respect for each other’s work and creative process. Zupan, best known for his impressionistic painting of cities, beaches, and gardens, frequently uses light as his muse for his work. However, Zupan chose the work featured in 7+7 from a series of paintings he has created of cities at night, showcasing light, energy, and dynamism in a new way. In communicating with Rawden, Zupan found her humble and honest, qualities necessary for a talented artist. And in their art, Zupan and Rawden found common ground. “Overall, this is a concept of an imagery of my childhood memory looking into the moon during Moon Festival,” Rawden said. “And it was celebrated, [as it was explained to me] that a moon lady lived on it. I believed that I would be looking into the moon a lot. Bruno’s firework painting definitely gives me a sense of joy that it drew myself to create a moon that can tie to my own history of celebration.”
More than eighty years after her death, Columbus native Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, the Mother of the Blues, continues to command the spotlight. The Museum recently acquired several artifacts that enhance interpretation of Rainey’s artistry and enduring legacy. Rainey began recording albums for Paramount in the 1920s. The Museum’s newly acquired record contains Rainey’s songs “Dream Blues” and “Lost Wandering Blues” from 1924, identified on a label that also includes a drawing of Rainey. The Paramount record sleeve features images of several African American performers who recorded what were called “race records” at the time. These images could be considered a forerunner of the art that became central to the presentation of albums in the mid-20th century.
In December 2020, Netflix released an adaptation of August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to wide critical acclaim, especially for its stars Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. To interpret the cultural impact of this production, the Museum purchased a promotional “For Your Consideration” package sent to film industry professionals (and potential awards voters). Inside a box designed to mimic a record player is a hardbound copy of the script, as well as a booklet of promotional images, a satin 1920s-style purse, and movie-branded headphones. Images: 1. “Dream Blues” record and Paramount “Race Record” record sleeve, 1924, The General Acquisitions Fund, The Columbus Museum G.2021.2.1 | 2. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom For Your Consideration promotional package, 2020, The General Acquisitions Fund, The Columbus Museum G.2021.13
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Important Portrait of Creek Leader Now on View The Museum is thrilled to announce the acquisition of an important print depicting a significant figure in the history of colonial Georgia. The circa 1734 mezzotint engraving presents Tomochichi (sometimes written as Tomochachi), an Indigenous chief who played a role in the English settlement of the Chattahoochee Valley. Tomochichi is presumed to have been a Lower Creek leader before creating the
Yamacraw band from a group of about 200 Creeks and Yamasees in present-day Georgia and South Carolina. When James Oglethorpe, leader of the expedition to found the new British colony of Georgia, landed near the Yamacraw in 1733, he quickly established a rapport with Tomochichi. The chief frequently participated in negotiations between the Creeks and the English, as well as the Spanish when he traveled with Oglethorpe to determine Georgia’s southern boundaries. Tomochichi likely advised Oglethorpe before his July-August 1739 trip that resulted in the Treaty of Coweta Town near present-day Columbus, which defined areas open to British settlement and others reserved for Creeks. After his death in October 1739, Tomochichi received a British military funeral in Savannah. This engraving is based on a lost painting by William Verelst made when Tomochichi, then in his 80s, and his nephew Toonahowi traveled with Oglethorpe to London in 1734 to meet with British officials. Verelst’s double portrait is rife with symbolism and assumptions about life in the New World. Though the two wore some English apparel during their trip, they are presented in their native clothing against a tropical background reminiscent of popular perceptions of the
Americas. Tomochichi wears a deerskin cape, a reminder of the value of the deerskin trade to the English and Creeks, while Toonahowi holds a bald eagle. For many southeastern Indigenous peoples, the bald eagle symbolized peace. Toonahowi’s presence also points to his status as future leader of the Yamacraws and provides insight into the matrilineal structure of Creek society, as he was actually the blood nephew of Tomochichi’s wife Senauki. Tomochichi and Toonahowi were so popular during their six-month visit that engraver John Faber the Younger quickly created an affordable print version of Verelst’s painting. Copies are now found in several notable institutions, including the British Museum, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), and the Georgia Historical Society. The Columbus Museum is pleased to present this print to local audiences, who can find it in the Chattahoochee Legacy Gallery.
3. John Faber the Younger (c. 1684-1756) after William Verelst (1704-1752), Tomo Chachi Mico or King of Yamacraw, and Tooanahowi his Nephew, Son to the Mico of the Etchitas, c. 1734, mezzotint engraving on paper, Museum purchase made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Daniel P. Amos, The Gladys Dudley History Fund, and The Evelyn S. and H. Wayne Patterson Fund, The Columbus Museum G.2020.9
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SUMMER 2021 HISTORY ACQUISITIONS
Ma Rainey in the Spotlight
SUMMER 2021 ART ACQUISITIONS
Simon Gouverneur
Born in the Bronx in 1934, Simon Gouverneur was an abstract symbolist painter. His mixed heritage—Dutch, Hispanic, Afro-Caribbean, and Amazon Basin Indian— paralleled the many sources of his imagery: the I Ching, mandalas, psychedelics, logic systems, and Mayan and Aztec calendars. In this regard, Gouverneur and his work correspond to Buena Vista-based shaman-artist St. EOM, who also appropriated and synthesized multiple belief systems from around the globe to create an imaginative new reality. The amalgamation of Gouverneur’s interests—derived particularly from Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish mystical, and Pre-Columbian religious sources—created an idiosyncratic visual grammar of symbols with a vigor that matched the intense energy with which the artist approached his work. Gouverneur spent months on each painting
after grinding his own pigments to create his signature, radiant color palette. In the early 1980s, Gouverneur moved to Washington, D.C., where he secured a teaching position at Howard University and renewed his friendship with artist Sam Gilliam. Despite the prevailing attitude of the Black Arts Movement that African American artists should paint realistic, legible, and positive images of the Black community, Gouverneur—like Gilliam—followed another path. In the ways that 20th-century artists such as Hilma af Klint, Charmion von Wiegand, and Alfred Jensen explored the intersection of art and spirituality, Gouverneur invested deeply in charting the intersection of the psychological and the occult in an attempt to create a universal—and universally understood—language. From biographical accounts, it seems
possible that Gouverneur suffered from bipolar disorder, with alternating periods of high studio activity and bouts of deep depression. An internal restlessness contributed to his peripatetic life, scattered across three continents, and his seeming inability to maintain a stable home life. In one of his journals, he stated, “Art is not to please or entertain; art is to tell the truth, not because artists are the only truth tellers, but because art is the [right] media [in which] to tell the truth.” Sadly, despite his best efforts to connect to hidden truths and translate them into visual form, the artist set his studio on fire in 1990 before taking his own life. Nevertheless, Gouverneur’s images, though rare (and especially rare outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area), remain as deeply felt attempts to understand the universe and humanity’s place within it.
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Image: 1. Simon Gouverneur, Nearika, 1984, egg tempera and oil on canvas, Gift of James E. and Sally Q. Gates G.2020.22.2 8 | THE MUSE SUMMER 2021
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Images: 2.-3. Jonathan VanDyke, In a Different Voice, 2019, water-based paint and inks on cotton t-shirt material, cut and sewn; backed with dyed linen and photos (archival prints on canvas), The Ella E. Kirven Charitable Lead Trust for Acquisitions with a partial gift of the artist in honor of The Columbus Museum staff, The Columbus Museum G.2021.5
Jonathan VanDyke: In a Different Voice
In September 2017, artist Jonathan VanDyke visited the Lower Chattahoochee Valley in preparation for his 2018 performance and installation entitled The Patient Eye. While here, the artist sourced a quantity of second-hand cotton men’s tops from a local military surplus store. These articles of clothing, which the artist subsequently marked and stained, formed the basis of The Columbus Museum’s recent acquisition, In a Different Voice, 2019. The object is a complex accumulation of historical referents, physical materials, and creative processes. On the recto, In a Different Voice employs the imagery of nets to suggest capture, transparency, and expansiveness (not unlike artist Yayoi Kusama’s series Infinity Nets, begun in the 1950s). VanDyke sourced the pattern for the many multi-colored pieces of fabric from a 19th-century quilt that an anonymous British soldier crafted while stationed in South Asia. VanDyke’s upcycled beige blocks, which
cluster in the middle left of the composition, derive from sand-colored Army t-shirts, used apparel with connotations of bodies, labor, and conformity. The artist has constructed In a Different Voice in such a way that viewers are invited to explore the verso, circumstances unusual in a museum setting, where walls and frames customarily obscure the backs of hung paintings. If the recto is the “public face” of the object, then the verso is its more private side. VanDyke capitalizes on this idea, plainly displaying the staples, seams, and stray threads that went into the creation of the work. The reverse also features photographic transfers interspersed across the surface. An image of two shirtless male soldiers jumping into a canal repeats in different orientations and at different scales; the plummeting figures correspond to the “tumbling blocks” of the quilt pattern, perhaps to be caught by the capacious net on the recto. Even more intimately, the
image of Andrew Wilfahrt—the first openly gay soldier to be killed in combat (2011) after the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” U.S. military policy—smiles back at us from the lower right hand corner. This likeness makes the queerness of In a Different Light explicit and adds a note of gravitas to this otherwise exuberant hybrid painting-sculpture. The object already enjoys a distinguished exhibition history. Up-and-coming curator Jared Ledesma selected the work for his groundbreaking and award-winning project Queer Abstraction, which appeared at the Des Moines Art Center (June 1–September 8, 2019) and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art (November 21, 2019–March 8, 2020). As VanDyke’s “painting” brings together the Columbus region’s textile and military histories with the most modern art practices, The Columbus Museum is proud to add this important work to its permanent collection holdings. 2021 SUMMER THE MUSE | 9
SUMMER 2021 EDUCATION
Expanding Museum PALS Supports Teachers in the Classroom
The Columbus Museum has stayed engaged with school audiences through the Museum PALS outreach program. Started in Fall 2019, Museum Pre-K Art and Literacy in Schools (PALS) grew in the 2020-2021 school year from just four to 16 Pre-K classrooms within the Muscogee County School District. Each PALS classroom participates in a monthly visit with a Museum educator where students learn about and discuss objects from the Museum’s collection, read a story, and complete a related art-making activity. Due to the ongoing pandemic, PALS was delivered over Zoom in the 2020-2021 school year. Prior to each session, classrooms received a supply kit full of hands-on materials and classroom resources. Museum PALS provides an opportunity to support classroom teachers, build relationships with students, and offer an interdisciplinary art lesson while also raising awareness of the Museum’s resources within our local community. In addition, the artworks selected for PALS are made by artists of different genders, races, and ethnicities to help all students see themselves represented in the lessons. For ex10 | THE MUSE SUMMER 2021
ample, PALS classes celebrated Black History Month by learning about artist Augusta Savage and her sculpture, Lift Every Voice and Sing (The Harp). Students were encouraged to look closely and describe what they saw in the artwork. After students had made their own observations, additional information about Savage’s inspiration for this artwork was shared before reading Sing A Song: How Lift Every Voice and Sing Inspired Generations by Kelly Starling Lyons to learn more about the history of the song. Finally, students created their own artworks inspired by Lift Every Voice and Sing by listening to a recording of the song while drawing with chalk. The Museum’s Education team is excited to return to in-person classroom visits and to continue highlighting diverse makers from the Museum’s collection while continuing to grow the program within the community.
Images: The Columbus Museum Education Department continued to engage with students and teachers virtually with the expansion of the Museum PALS program.
On Thursday, June 3, the gift shop will hold its One Day Sale. The shop will be open from 10 A.M.-7:30 P.M. We will have lots of sale items and host raffles throughout the day! Want to shop online? Visit columbusmuseum.com/shop
New Consignors SATURDAY EXPRESSIONS Owner: Melissa Saturday
Come browse beautiful, handcrafted, upcycled, recycled and repurposed jewelry. It is all one of a kind!
MUSEUM SHOP NEWS
One Day Sale
AMANDA WELDON ART
Owner/Artist: Amanda Weldon
The Museum Shop will carry Weldon’s hand-painted wooden earrings! This artist was featured in VoyageATL in December for her unique work.
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MEMBERS MAKE MUSEUMS
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New Membership Events, Virtual Tours Launched Membership events picked up this past spring–with new programs launched by Membership and Grants Coordinator Shiv Desai. Desai manages the Museum’s membership program and debuted the first member-sponsored event of the year in March with Women’s History Month programs. Curator of History and Exhibitions Manager, Rebecca Bush, gave a Zoom presentation on objects in the Museum’s collection related to women’s history in the Chattahoochee Valley. As in-person membership programming has not yet re-
turned to the Museum, several membership virtual tours are being planned to visit other museums. The first event with the Asheville Art Museum in Asheville, N.C., was held on March 30. Visitors explored the significance of one of the museum’s ongoing exhibitions: Intersections in American Art. More events will be planned through the summer, so stay tuned!
Images: 1. Intersections in American Art Virtual Field Trip | 2. Lunch and Learn: Women’s History Month – Fresh Stories from the Collection
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Need to renew your membership?
Email our new Membership and Grants Coordinator Shiv Desai at sdesai@columbusmuseum.com or call 706.748.2562 ext. 6400.
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MEMBERS & CONTRIBUTIONS JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31, 2021
The Columbus Museum is grateful to recognize our President, Director, Collector, Master Circle, & Patron members. Those who joined or renewed within the last quarter are in bold print. **Continuous member for 20+ years *Continuous member for 10+ years
President Circle Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Amos** Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth M. Henson, Jr.** Mr. & Mrs. John C. Martin II** Mr. & Mrs. W. Michael Ogie** Mr. & Mrs. Alan C. Ramsay, Jr.** D. Steven Sharp**
Director Circle Mrs. Lovick P. Corn** Mr. & Mrs. Raymond E. Crowley** Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Hecht** Dr. & Mrs. Thornton F. Jordan** Mr. & Mrs. Mason Houghland Lampton** Mrs. Jack S. Schiffman** Mr. & Mrs. Wright B. Waddell** Mr. & Mrs. Ronald L. Wilson**
Collector Circle Mrs. Donald F. Broda, Jr.** Mr. & Mrs. Stephen T. Butler** Mr. & Mrs. A. Comer Hobbs, Sr.** Dr. & Mrs. Richard S. Robbins** Mr. & Mrs. Otis J. Scarborough** Dr. & Mrs. Otis E. Tillman, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Wade H. Tomlinson III** Dr. Amandah S. & Mr. John T. Turner Mrs. Davis Ronald Watson** Ms. E. Worth Williams Dr. & Mrs. Sidney H. Yarbrough III*
Master Circle Dr. & Mrs. A. C. Alvarez** Catalina Aranas Dr. & Mrs. Champ Baker** Bo Bartlett & Betsy Eby* Cathy & Rennie Bickerstaff** Mrs. James J. W. Biggers** Zack & Amanda Bishop Mr. & Mrs. James H. Blanchard** Mrs. Minnie R. Bradley** Mr. & Mrs. Richard Y. Bradley**
Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy Brewer* Dr. & Mrs. Philip L. Brewer** Mr. & Mrs. Lance Brooks Ed & Suzanne Burdeshaw** Sara & Keith Chambless Mrs. Forrest L. Champion, Jr.** Craig & Traci Courville* Mr. & Mrs. J. Robert Elliott, Jr.** Mr. & Mrs. John F. Flournoy, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Flowers** Mellie Fountain** Cindy & Spencer Garrard Mr. & Mrs. James E. Gates** Mr. & Mrs. Jack C. Goldfrank** Mrs. Ben M. Greenblatt** James E. & Kelli Hall Mrs. Richard Hallock Kerry & Donna Hand** Judye S. Harris** Dr. & Mrs. Ed P. Helton Darren & Becky Horne Mr. & Mrs. Randolph B. Jones III Dr. William P. Kendall** Mrs. Erwin D. Key** The Lee-Boulton Family Mrs. Donald M. Leebern, Jr.** Mr. & Mrs. L. Pierce Miller Mr. & Mrs. Jerry B. Newman Dr. & Mrs. Eddie Obleton* Mr. & Mrs. Wilds M. Ogie Ms. Marleen De Bode Olivié & Mr. Marc Olivié* Mr. & Mrs. John Hunter Peak Mr. & Mrs. William Roland Peek** Thom Pegg Mr. & Mrs. Ben B. Philips** Dr. & Mrs. Andrew W. Pippas* Ms. Marianne Richter Mr. & Mrs. Chandler Riley* Mrs. Kathy J. Riley** Mrs. Benno G. Rothschild** The Honorable & Mrs. William C. Rumer** Ms. Charlotte Alexander Saunders** Mr. & Mrs. James Kimbrough Sheek IV Ms. Melanie Slaton & Mr. Ben Holden Dr. & Mrs. J. Lacey Smith Melissa Murray Smith Dr. Eva Sperk Dr. Franklin Star** Ms. Rose H. Steiner* Clifford & Bobsie Swift** Ms. Jeanne R. Swift** Jim & Melissa Thomas Townsend Wealth Management Mr. & Mrs. Jack G. Turner* Mr. & Mrs. William B. Turner, Jr.** Dr. Thomas A. & Sherry F. Wade** Mr. & Mrs. John W. Walden, Jr.** Ms. Christine D. Weaver**
Susan Smith Wiggins Pat & Jack Wilensky** Mr. & Mrs. Joe V. Windsor** Kay & Billy Winn** Mr. & Mrs. Joel O. Wooten*
Patron Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey G. Adams Ms. Betty L. Auten* Mrs. Marjorie B. Bickerstaff** Mrs. Otis B. Burnham** Lacrecia Cade Dr. & Mrs. Hunter Champion Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Culpepper* Mrs. Frank S. Etheridge III** Mr. & Mrs. Frank D. Foley III** Mr. & Mrs. Gardiner W. Garrard, Jr.** Mr. & Mrs. Pace Halter Dr. & Mrs. Edward B. Kinner** Mr. & Mrs. Seth L. Knight III** Mr. & Mrs. R. J. Krieg* Ashok & Mary Kumar Mr. Patrick Martin Mr. & Mrs. W. Fray McCormick Dr. & Mrs. Michael Metry Mr. & Mrs. Richard Olson** Dr. & Mrs. Douglas Pahl Ms. Gwendolyn H. Ruff Mr. & Mrs. Claude G. Scarbrough III** Kenneth A. Shaw Mr. & Mrs. Sam Singer Celia & Murray Solomon* Mr. & Mrs. Matthews D. Swift Mr. & Mrs. Thomas P. Swift** Ms. Elizabeth A. Taylor** Mr. & Mrs. Philip Tomlinson** Mr. & Mrs. James Trotter, Jr.** Mr. & Mrs. William Clark Turner* Mr. & Mrs. James D. Yancey**
The Columbus Museum is grateful to recognize our Reciprocal, Supporting, Family, & Civic members who joined or renewed within the last quarter.
Rebecca Dungan Mr. & Mrs. J. Lee Jackson** Mr. & Mrs. J. Thomas King, Jr.** Mr. Harry L. Lindsey Mr. & Mrs. J. Edward Norris, Jr.** Mr. & Mrs. John A. Shinkle Mr. Kenneth H. Thomas Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Billy G. Turner** Dr. & Mrs. George Voltz, Jr. Michelle Yates
Family Neicy Lynn Bennett Nathaniel & Hayley Dukes Mrs. Tricia Llewellyn Konan Lacey & David Yeend
Supporting Mr. & Mrs. Paul T. Berry, Jr.** Wayne & Jane Bond Ms. Julia H. Brown* Ms. Judy Bryson Mrs. Addie Cunningham** Ms. Jan Ellis Nancy Greer Mr. & Mrs. Madden Hatcher, Jr. Mr. Alan Harkness Ms. Andrea Hayes Ms. Ann Howard** Franny & Paul Kilpatrick** Miss Meredith L. King Frank & Lorraine Kolar Dr. Donna Livingston** Ms. Nancy Martin* Dr. & Mrs. Alfred Parham Col. (Ret.) & Mrs. Ralph Puckett** Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Russell** Mrs. Agnes A. Shelton Mrs. Elaine Tarpley** Mrs. Betty D. Thompson* Mr. & Mrs. Ronald H. Ward Mrs. Martha Ruth Whatley
**Continuous member for 20+ years *Continuous member for 10+ years
Civic
Reciprocal
Ms. Silvia M. Bunn Mrs. Peggy Jacobs Mr. A. Stephen Johnson** Anne Messner* Mrs. Nancy Morrison Dr. Kimberly Scott
Ms. Patricia Bowden Scott & Alice Bryan Susan Buck** Mrs. John H. Deaton, Jr.**
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The Columbus Museum gratefully acknowledges the following contributions in honor or in memory of special friends. In memory of Corinne Hammer Betts Jarrell Sylvia M. Brown In memory of Dr. G. W. Richter Dr. & Mrs. A. C. Alvarez Mrs. Donald F. Broda, Jr. Christine & Michael Rice Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth M. Henson, Jr. In memory of Dorothy Vardaman Arlene K. Ballard Karen Carpenter Lee Cash Lee M. Frazer Nancy Holdbrooks John Hunt George Meyer Andrea H. Myers In honor of Steve Sharp for his birthday Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth M. Henson, Jr. In honor of Chris Henson & Kathelen Amos for their hard work at The Columbus Museum Anne Moser
The Columbus Museum gratefully acknowledges the following friends for their contributions. Donation of armchair & side chair Gift of Janice Watson Donation of historical documents from Swift Textiles Gift of Bob & Charlene Marx Donation of COVID-19 related materials Gift of the Kacir-Emond Family Donation of two postcards & souvenir program Gift of Thornton Jordan
The Columbus Museum is proud to recognize our active Affiliate Group Members who joined or renewed within the last quarter. Alma Thomas Society
Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Amos Mrs. Donald F. Broda, Jr. Ms. Judy Bryson Ms. Robbie Keith Holt Mrs. Tricia Llewellyn Konan Mr. & Mrs. John C. Martin II Ms. Marleen De Bode & Mr. Marc Olivié Ms. Marianne Richter Dr. Kimberly Scott Ms. Melanie Slaton & Mr. Ben Holden Barbara J. Turner
Young Art Patrons Neicy Lynn Bennett
14 | THE MUSE SUMMER 2021
Donation of Columbus Depot photograph Gift of the Lincoln County Historical Museum, North Platte, NE Donation of artwork by Frederic E. Church & William Aiken Walker Gift of a Friend of the Museum Donation of artwork by Bob Thompson Given in memory of Donald F. Broda, Jr., & in honor of Tom Butler Jonathan VanDyke, In a Different Light, 2019 A partial gift of the artist in honor of The Columbus Museum staff Donation of Cotton Pickers, Old South, from Vernon Kiln’s Our America series by Rockwell Kent Gift of Jonathan Frederick Walz, Ph.D. Naomi R. Remes Donation of photo card of Vivan Elizabeth Davis, Miss Georgia, 1965 Gift of Jonathan Frederick Walz, Ph.D. Donation of artwork by Marlon Mullen Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Amos
Donation for Alma W. Thomas: Everything is Beautiful exhibition catalogue Gidon Cohen The J.M. Kaplan Fund, Inc. Lisa McDonough Spanierman Gallery, LLC Mr. & Mrs. Bascom D. Talley III Donation for African American Art Fund Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Amos Dr. & Mrs. Otis E. Tillman, Jr. Donation for general operations Aflac J. Barnett Woodruff Charitable Annuity Lead Trust Sponsorship of education programs Synovus Financial Corp. Sponsorship of Quilts from the Collection of Paul M. Goggans exhibtion Mr. Alan F. Rothschild, Jr. through The Fort Trustee Fund, CFCV Sponsorship of future exhibitions Aflac Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Amos 2020 Year End Gifts Lisa Bieber & David Winship 2021 The Fabric of Our Community Donations Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Bickerstaff III Dr. & Mrs. Hunter Champion Mrs. Erwin D. Key 2021 The Fabric of Our Community Patron Sponsors Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Amos Fred & Catalina Aranas Family Foundation Cathy & Rennie Bickerstaff Mr. & Mrs. James H. Blanchard
Mary & Bo Bradley Mrs. Donald F. Broda, Jr. Drs. Ben & Kathryn Cheek Mrs. Lovick P. Corn Mr. & Mrs. J. Robert Elliot, Jr. Page Hardaway Flournoy Mr. & Mrs. John F. Flournoy, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Flowers Mr. & Mrs. Frank D. Foley III Mellie Fountain Nora & Gardiner Garrard Mrs. Ben M. Greenblatt Greystone Properties Judye S. Harris Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Hecht Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth M. Henson, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Thornton F. Jordan Mrs. Erwin D. Key Dr. & Mrs. Edward Kinner Mr. & Mrs. Mason Houghland Lampton Mrs. Donald M. Leebern, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John C. Martin II Mr. & Mrs. Fray McCormick Mr. & Mrs. Jerry B. Newman Mr. & Mrs. W. Michael Ogie Mr. & Mrs. William R. Peek Mr. & Mrs. Alan C. Ramsay, Jr. Joan Swift Redmond Mr. & Mrs. Chandler Riley Mr. & Mrs. Edward F. Robinson Bill & Becky Rumer D. Steven Sharp Dr. & Mrs. J. Lacey Smith Missi & Jason Smith Dr. Franklin J. Star Clifford & Bobsie Swift Mr. & Mrs. William B. Turner, Jr. Dr. Amandah S. & Mr. John T. Turner Mrs. Janice M. Watson Dr. & Mrs. Sidney H. Yarbrough III
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020 –21 D. Steven Sharp, President Chris Henson, Vice President Thomas A. Wade, Jr., Corresponding Secretary Marianne Richter, Museum Director/Recording Secretary Tyler A. Townsend, Treasurer Carolynn Obleton, Immediate Past President Daniel P. Amos, Kathelen V. Amos, Eliza Brewer, Zack Bishop, Kay Broda, Lance Brooks, Lark Champion,
J. Robert Elliott, Jr., Gail B. Greenblatt, James E. Hall, Pace Halter, Robert Hecht, Helen Hobbs, Thornton F. Jordan, Dori Jones, Billy Kendall, Tricia Llewellyn Konan, Mary Lu Lampton, Martin Lyles, Sallie Martin, W. Fray McCormick, Becky Miller, Elizabeth C. Ogie, Deani Pahl, Rebecca Rumer, Gwendolyn H. Ruff, Otis J. Scarborough, Melanie Slaton, Melissa Murray Smith, Otis E. Tillman, E. Worth Williams
MUSEUM STAFF Marianne Richter, Director Lacey Yeend, Assistant to the Director
COLLECTIONS & EXHIBITIONS
Jonathan Frederick Walz, Director of Curatorial Affairs & Curator of American Art Rebecca Bush, Curator of History/Exhibitions Manager Aimee Brooks, Collections Manager
EDUCATION
Lucy Kacir, Director of Education & Engagement Jessamy South, Youth & Family Programs Manager Rachel Vogt, Academic Programs Manager Imani Jones-Pugh, Community Outreach Coordinator Brittany Merchant, Gallery Teacher
LIFE TRUSTEES:
Philip L. Brewer, Elizabeth T. Corn, Evelyn T. Crowley, Ethel W. Foley, Judye S. Harris, F. Clason Kyle, Betsy T. Leebern, Jerry B. Newman, Thelma M. Robinson, Rebecca K. Yarbrough
HONORARY TRUSTEES:
James H. Blanchard, Representative Calvin Smyre, J. Barrington Vaught
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Bridgette Russell, Director of Marketing & Public Relations Marcolm Tatum, Graphic Designer Cesar Colon Torres, Marketing & PR Coordinator
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Miles Kirkpatrick, Assistant Collections Manager
DEVELOPMENT
J. Hunter Peak, Director of Development
Cameron Faucette, Exhibition Coordinator & Designer
Paula Evans, Accounting Specialist
Kelly Cargill, Event Sales Manager
Keith Smith, Lead Preparator/Art & Artifacts Handler
Morgan Wilson, Campaign Coordinator Shivkumar Desai, Membership & Grants Coordinator
Brooke Starling, Gift Shop Manager/ Volunteer Coordinator
Yun Nye, Associate Artifacts Handler and Exhibit Preparator
Kimberly Beck, Deputy Director for Operations
Rosaline Anderson, Visitor Services Representative Rick McGowan, Security Chief Larry Hunter, Security Deputy Al Johnson, Security Deputy Edward Diamond, Maintenance Engineer Sam Willis, Maintenance Technician Custodians: Martha Culp, Alice Holmes, Dorothy James Bill Consoletti, Gardener
Jori Kent, Museum Shop Associate Joi Iverson, Visitor Services Representative
NEW EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT JOI IVERSON
CESAR COLON TORRES
Joi Iverson has joined The Columbus Museum as Visitor Services Representative. She loves the Museum because of its constantly evolving nature and the diversity of art she sees throughout the galleries. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Joi also likes that many artists from the local area are showcased in exhibitions and in the Museum shop. Joi holds a B.A. from Columbus State University in kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science and is a graduate of the Community College of the Air Force and Columbus High School.
As the new Marketing & PR Coordinator for The Columbus Museum, Cesar Colon Torres is excited to work on projects that create artistic and cultural experiences for the public to come see. Cesar is a 2018 graduate of Columbus State University, where he earned a B.A. in Communications. A freelance photographer and videographer, Cesar graduated from Harris County High School.
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The Columbus Museum is supported in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency - the National Endowment for the Arts.
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