Museum Honors Curtis Patterson and Marie T. Cochran THE ART OF GIVING
Cochran is an artist, educator and curator with a bachelor of fine arts degree in drawing and painting from the University of Georgia (’85) and a master of fine arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (’92). Born and raised in Toccoa, Georgia, she is the founder of the Affrilachian Artist Project, which celebrates the intersection of cultures in Appalachia and nurtures a network of those committed to the sustainability of a diverse region. As Cochran accepted the award, she referred to it as “a full cir- cle moment” and reminisced on her early days as a 20-year-old first-generation college student at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. She referred to herself as the child of textile workers, the grandchild of sharecroppers and the great-great-grandchild of enslaved people and vowed to “honor the messy bittersweet contrast of my home region’s historic challenges and the courageous accomplishments of [Black and Indigenous people] there.” Shawnya Harris, the museum’s deputy director of curatorial and aca- demic affairs, presented the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award to artist Curtis Patterson. A short video on his career created with UGA student and curatorial intern Emma Grace Moore preceded the presentation of the award. The award honors African American artists who have made significant but often lesser-known contributions to the visual arts tradition and have roots in or major connections to the state of Georgia. Patterson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, as one of five siblings. But his humble beginnings and struggles growing up during the seg- regation era did not derail his path toward expression through art. He studied art at Grambling State University and Georgia State University, in Atlanta, where he became the first African American to receive a master of visual arts in sculpture. He taught sculpture at the Atlanta College of Art for 29 years. In the 1970s, he began making commis- sioned large-scale public art and went on to produce several major works of art in prominent U.S. cities.
Held for more than a decade now, the museum’s Black Art and Culture Awards continue to inspire. This year’s event, on March 22, 2024, honored sculptor Curtis Patterson and educator Marie T. Cochran.
Event chair Shanell McGoy welcomed all in attendance and thanked attendees, sponsors, event committee members and VIPs in attendance including: Lamar Dodd School of Art director Joe Peragine, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Jean - nette Taylor, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jack Hu and President Jere W. Morehead. Before award presentations, UGA President Morehead took the stage, encouraging attendees to take time to explore the galleries after the formal presentation and thanking museum patrons Larry and Brenda Thompson for their generous and longstanding support. In particular, he praised the Thomp- sons’ willingness to share their love and joy of African Amer- ican artists’ works with everyone else “so that what has been meaningful to them can now be meaningful to others.” Monica Parker, representing the Athens Chapter of the Links, Inc., presented the Lillian C. Lynch Citation to Marie T. Cochran. The award honors an African American leader who has made a significant contribution to Black cultural educa - tion and service and is named for the late Ms. Lynch, a charter member of the Athens Links.
Larry and Brenda Thompson, Curtis Patterson, Shawnya Harris, President Jere W. Morehead and the museum’s director, David Odo.
Curtis Patterson and his family
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