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Hillary Brown
November 8, 2023
Attendees enjoyed making chalk art in the Sculpture Garden at our 75th Anniversary celebration Nov. 5.
Partying like we’re 75: A Museum Birthday Celebration to Remember
The museum celebrated its 75th birthday in style Nov. 5, with a crowd of more than 550 in attendance for Sunday afternoon festivities that did not disappoint.
The museum was lucky to have some celebratory help from some well-known community figures at the event. Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz joined museum director David Odo in welcoming the crowd and reading a proclamation to honor the museum’s 75-year legacy of providing free inspiration to the public. UGA’s Hairy Dawg mascot surprised guests by rolling out the museum’s birthday cake and spent the rest of his time at the celebration posing for photos with guests.
Family art activities for the young and young at heart were in abundance thanks to the Material Arts and Culture Foundation. Guests painted their own mini canvases, complete with tiny easels, and decorated party hats. Guests contributed to chalk art in the Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden, under a banner made by K.A. Artist Shop, and left heart-shaped birthday wishes on sticky notes that multiplied on the large windows leading to the sculpture garden throughout afternoon festivities. The collaborative art on view served as yet another reminder of the importance of the museum’s 75-year history of providing free inspiration.
The galleries, on the second floor of the building, were busy throughout the event. Volunteer docents manned museum Art Carts to share their knowledge about works in the collection with visitors, and attendees enjoyed a scavenger hunt in the permanent collection that offered prizes upon completion.
The museum also announced the winner of Museum Madness, its 64-work March Madness style bracket contest. Since March, museum visitors and fans have been voting, both in person and online, to see which work would be named the ultimate collection favorite. The results were close, but Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau’s “La Confidence” edged out Art Rosenbaum’s “McIntosh County Shouters” by a mere dozen votes.
Another special treat for guests at the celebration was the premiere of the museum’s new collaboration with Jittery Joe’s Coffee. In need of some inspiration? Pick up a can of the museum’s own coffee blend: Cup of Inspiration. Cans of the 100 percent Arabica blend are currently available exclusively in the Museum Shop.
Just outside of the museum doors, the beautiful autumn afternoon provided the perfect backdrop for other nearby Spotlight on the Arts Family Day activities and the kickoff to the month-long festival lineup of UGA arts events. In the Performing and Visual Arts Complex quad, guests enjoyed a performance from the Georgia Children’s Chorus. Over at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, an instrument petting zoo also captured the attention of visitors in the area. Feel like you missed out on all the fun? Don’t fret. The rest of the month includes a full lineup of arts events across campus and the museum galleries are open Tuesday to Sunday each week. View the Spotlight on the Arts calendar at: arts.uga.edu/spotlight-on-the-arts/
While the museum’s beloved Family Day events regularly bring families and children, guests at our anniversary celebration knew no bounds. As the Red & Black noted in an article about the festivities:
While the 75th anniversary resembled the museum's monthly family day, many of the visitors came without families.
Demece Harvey and Darlene De Sheers came together after an afternoon walk.
“Every time I come out I see something different,” Harvey said. “[Today] I’ve seen some African art that I hadn’t noticed before.”
. . . . “I think it's a gem of the community that we sometimes overlook,” [museum employee Kaitlyn] Loyd said. “It's just fun to see all the love and appreciation for it.”
Museum staff were glowing from the wealth of compliments from guests about how much fun they had at the event and overall appreciation for the museum. Many guests signed up to become Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art, a sign of how much they enjoyed our celebration.
Not a Friend yet? It’s not too late. Become a Friend for free at jointhemuseum.com and stay in the loop about all the museum’s happenings.
Thank you to everyone who came to the party and helped us celebrate the 75th year of our wonderful institution. Here’s to the next 75!