Over a decade ago, Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson donated 100 works by African American artists, both well known and obscure, to the Georgia Museum of Art. The Thompson Collection has become a vital resource for visitors exploring African American art, and works from it are always on view in the permanent collection galleries.
This January, Shawnya Harris, the museum’s Larry and Brenda Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art, worked with museum staff and two University of Georgia students to reinstall the Thompson Collection in the museum’s Boone and George-Ann Knox II Gallery. This gallery is now dedicated to 20th-century African American artists, offering visitors a permanent space to appreciate these works and for UGA classes to practice object study from original works of art in person.
Harris aimed to revitalize the gallery by including works from a prior installation of African American artists as well as other pieces that have not been on view recently. She pointed out that the museum’s permanent collection has outgrown its available space in the galleries devoted to it and that a strictly chronological presentation may not always be the best fit, given that limited space. Harris also sought to feature more sculptures to provide the gallery with a vibrant and dynamic new appearance.
Harris collaborated extensively with curatorial intern Adam Miller (UGA ’25) on the new installation. Since the fall, Miller has been researching, writing and editing labels for the gallery, providing a fresh perspective. Miller saw firsthand what reinstalling a collection entails and notes that his favorite part of the project was learning about the individual artists, most of whom were unfamiliar to him.
“I also gained experience using the Museum System [TMS, the museum’s collections database,] to manage information on the collection, which was great because I had never used it before. It’s been really wonderful to see the installation coming together and I can’t wait to see the final product,” said Miller.
Exhibition design intern Winston Lovelace (UGA ’25) also had a behind-the-scenes role in the reinstallation of the Thompson Collection, working with exhibition designer Elizabeth Marable to create what he called “a natural flow and aesthetic.”
Lovelace said, “The design team wanted to exhibit these works in an innovative way that truly enhances the viewing experience of the works in our collection.” He said the design goal was “to spark a conversation” They took inspiration from the works on view to choose paint colors that would complement their color palette. They also designed a panoramic riser “to enhance the viewer’s perspective and highlight the solidarity of the figural sculptures.”
“It was a fun experience being involved in this process and I am very excited to see the reception of the Thompson collection reinstallation,” Lovelace added.
Want to hear more from these students? Lovelace will share his work on the gallery reinstallation on February 12 at 1 p.m., and Miller will discuss his research on the Thompson Collection on April 26 at 2 p.m.
Authored by:
Rachel Dantes-Palmer
