By 1967, the permanent collection had grown to over 2,000 works and the museum hired William D. “Bill” Paul Jr. as its first curator and, in 1969, as its director when Holbrook retired. More than 16,000 visitors were recorded in 1966 and that number continued to increase. There were also efforts to improve the aesthetic of the building, inside and out. Holbrook had six ab- stract paintings symbolizing phases of the university’s develop- ment and campus life painted on its facade of the building.
Growth and Struggles: 1970s and 1980s
The museum continued to build on its progress in the early 1970s, but storage for an ever-growing permanent collection — nearly 5,000 works by 1979 — stymied its ability to acquire more art. Lack of storage and budget cuts resulted in staff reduction, with some office space allotted to storing collection works, and half as many exhibitions on view each year. A projected price tag of more than $8 million made the likelihood of a new museum un- likely at the time, Paul told campus newspaper the Red & Black in a 1979 interview. Under the next director, Richard Schnei- derman, who assumed the role in 1981, there was renewed hope in the possibility of building a new museum on North Campus, with the UGA Bicentennial Campaign as an ideal fundraising opportunity for the effort. Famed architect Edward Larrabee Barnes even drew up some concepts, but Schneiderman left in 1986 to head the North Carolina Museum of Art, fundraising efforts fell short and plans to build the proposed new museum were abandoned.
Museum founder Holbrook died in 1974, at the age of 99. His death was marked by loving tributes in the campus newspaper, many noting his zest for life and considerable donations. Dodd described Holbrook as “an incredible person, unselfish, a man of deepest loyalty to the University” in one Red & Black tribute, and Paul said he believed that “without Mr. Holbrook, we surely wouldn’t have a museum.” In his eulogy, Paul said, “Those of us who have worked closely with Mr. Holbrook have been inspired by his wit, his patience, his knowledge, his will and determi- nation, and by his enduring conviction that his dream would become reality.” In 1973, Paul collaborated with M. Smith “Smitty” Griffith, Edda Agee and Mel Fuller to found the Friends of the Georgia
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