The Georgia Museum of Art is kicking off the fall semester with the special exhibition “Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone,” open now through January 3, 2027. Featuring marble sculptures of abolitionists and social reformers, the exhibition explores Indigenous identity and pictures religious and mythological figures.
Born in Greenbush, New York, in 1844, Lewis became the first sculptor of Indigenous (Mississauga) and Black descent to be internationally recognized for her work. Though she broke traditional racial and gender boundaries, her expert use of marble was not largely recognized until after her death in 1907. Her legacy endured in Black communities long before her greatest masterpieces were rediscovered years later.
To celebrate the opening of “Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone,” the museum will host a free community open house (10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) and ticketed reception (4:30 – 7 p.m.) on August 22. The day-long celebration will include a variety of activities and opportunities for engagement.
Festivities begin with Family Day from 10 a.m. to noon, then continue with a host of interactive activities, including door prizes, drop-in art activities and a photo booth. Athens sculptor Stan Mullins will be on site with examples of marble sculpture to chat about the carving process, materials and tools. Amanda Corbett of Salvage Sparrow will offer tintype photography sessions ($70), demonstrating the 1850s photographic technique of wet-plate collodion to visitors. And the Cafe Racer food truck will be selling refreshments outside from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Later in the afternoon, Shawnya Harris, the museum’s Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art, will give a short talk on Lewis, followed by a special performance. Between 1866 and 1872, Lewis completed a series of marble sculptures based on the popular folktale of the tragic romance between Ojibwe hero Hiawatha and his Dakota bride Minnehaha, drawing inspiration from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem “The Song of Hiawatha” (1855). In 1898, Black British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor premiered a trilogy of cantatas based on Longfellow’s poem. The open house will showcase the debut performance of a new arrangement of Coleridge-Taylor’s piece, created and performed by doctoral students at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music.
The arrangement will be played by Jet Chong and Eva Panagou. Panagou is a pianist from Piraeus, Greece, who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in musical arts in piano performance under the guidance of Dr. Emely Phelps. Chong is a Filipino pianist who is pursuing a doctoral degree in musical arts while working with the UGA Arts Collaborative and teaching at UGA’s Community Music School.
Peter Underhill, a composer and pianist from Washington, was commissioned to transcribe the orchestral overture of Coleridge-Taylor’s The Song of Hiawatha into a new piano four-hand transcription. “Before the advent of early recording technologies, hearing a symphony or symphonic poem in a piano arrangement was a primary way that many listeners became familiar with the orchestral works of the day,” says Underhill. “The creative joy and challenge of such transcriptions lies in translating the total effect of the orchestra to something that will be idiomatic and effective on the piano. So, I spend a good amount of time thinking about how to capture the characteristics of the oboe or the horn or the string section at the keyboard. . . . I’m very grateful to the Georgia Museum of Art, to Eva Panagou, to Jet Chong and to everyone involved in this project. It’s such a privilege to be involved in presenting a new arrangement of Coleridge-Taylor’s work.”
The celebration will continue after the curator talk and musical performance with a reception including beverages and light bites provided by the Lark Winespace as well as donuts (Lewis’ favorite) from Cafe Racer. Raise a glass, connect with fellow art lovers and join the museum in celebrating an extraordinary artist. The reception is a separately ticketed event and registration is required.
Check out the schedule of events below:
Community Open House, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Family Day, 10 a.m. – noon
Sculptor Stan Mullins, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Café Racer Food Truck, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Tintype Photography with Salvage Sparrow, 1 – 6 p.m. ($70. Email salvagesparrow@gmail.com to book a session.)
“Harmony in Stone: The Song of Hiawatha in Sculpture and Sound,” 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Reception, 4:30 – 7 p.m. ($15 per person, complimentary for Reciprocal-level members and above. Register online.)
Authored by:
Tatum Ozment
