In its 26th year, the M. Smith Griffith Volunteer Award, lovingly known as the “Smitty,” has been awarded to Dr. Freda Scott Giles.
The award, named for founding member of the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art Smitty Griffith, focuses on acknowledging outstanding museum volunteers and contributors. With a history of excellence in the arts and involvement with the Georgia Museum of Art, Dr. Giles seemed a natural pick.
Griffith was an integral force in developing the museum’s success in the city and served as a shining example of what it means to support the arts. After moving to Athens in the early 1960s, Griffith made it her goal to increase museum outreach through a number of community-centered programs. In 1973, she helped found the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art and organize the first Elegant Salute, the museum’s biennial fundraising gala, in 1986. Her efforts with the museum opened doors for future volunteers to follow in her footsteps and impact visitors to an even greater degree.
Dr. Giles is a former Associate Professor of Theater and Film in University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Outside of teaching and contributing to the Georgia Museum of Art, Dr. Giles has worked professionally as both an actor and a director.
Much of Dr. Giles’ work is centered on uplifting Black artists. Formerly, she worked as the Associate Director of University of Georgia’s Institute for African American Studies and chaired the Georgia Museum of Art’s Black History Awards Celebration. A doctor of theater and drama, she has published a number of articles focused on “various elements of African-American theatre and drama, particularly during the Harlem Renaissance period.”
Dr. Giles’ volunteer work has also earned her a spot on the Georgia Museum of Art’s Board of Directors. Alongside Lacy Middlebrooks Camp, who with co-recipient Gordhan Patel won the 2021 Smitty Award, Wes Cochran, and Sylvia Hillyard Pannell, Dr. Giles was welcomed to the Board in July of this year.
A former member of the Friends Board of Directors, Dr. Giles shares the passion of promoting research, teaching, and service through community outreach to maximize the public’s involvement in the museum and its programs as outlined in the Board of Advisors’ mission. After an exciting year of work with the Georgia Museum of Art, we can’t wait to see what Giles will do next.
By Josie Lipton
