board of ADVISORS
B. Heyward Allen Jr.* Corinne C. Allen Amalia K. Amaki** June M. Ball Linda N. Beard Karen L. Benson** Richard E. Berkowitz
Mark G. McConnell Marilyn M. McMullan Marilyn D. McNeely
Isobel Parker Mills David R. Mulkey Jr. Carl W. Mullis III* Betty R. Myrtle ** Gloria B. Norris*** Deborah L. O’Kain Randall S. Ott Gordhan L. Patel, past chair Janet W. Patterson Christopher R. Peterson, chair-elect Kathy B. Prescott Rowland A. Radford Jr.* Margaret A. Rolando* Julie M. Roth Alan F. Rothschild Jr.* Jan E. Roush Bert Russo Sarah P. Sams**
Governor and Sandra Deal, WilliamUnderwood Eiland and Gloria Ricks Taylor.
Jeanne L. Berry Sally B. Bradley
from the DIRECTOR
Devereux C. Burch* Robert E. Burton** Debra C. Callaway** Shannon I. Candler* Faye S. Chambers Harvey J. Coleman Rep. Sharon M. Cooper James C. Cunningham Martha R. Daura*** Annie Laurie Dodd*** Sally Dorsey** Howard F. Elkins Judith A. Ellis Todd Emily James B. Fleece Phoebe G. Forio*** John M. Greene** Helen C. Griffith** Barbara Guillaume Judith F. Hernstadt Marion E. Jarrell** Jane Compton Johnson* George-Ann Knox* Shell H. Knox* Andrew F. Littlejohn D. Hamilton Magill III David W. Matheny, chair
Recently, during a conversation between Lonnie Bunch, secre- tary of the Smithsonian Institution, and Rick West, the retiring director of the Autry Museum of Western Art, the latter said of museum collections that they should not be ends in themselves but means to an end. Collections have been called many things — lifebloods to the past, essential to understanding the present and provoking inspiration for the future. Indeed, many of us believe the origin of the word “museum” arises from “musaeum,” or a gathering of artists, writers, philosophers and thinkers in Alexan- dria, Egypt, supposedly founded by Ptolemy I Soter. The musaeum was a storehouse of texts, but also the home of music and poetry, and with its emphasis on critical thinking and the nexus between philosophy and the fine arts, it is indeed the earliest forerunner of the modern museum. Today, we hope, museums continue to inspire thought, nurture genius and encourage creativity. They do so both through the programs they undertake and through the objects they collect and present. Thus, of one thing I am sure, collections include objects that can change lives. At the risk of being too personal, one such work — a film — on our recent exhibition schedule certainly transformed my vision, not only in emotional terms, but also in appreciation of a medium that is becoming increasingly important as an art form in museums. “Whitman, Alabama,” by Jennifer Crandall, is such a work, one that, given my Alabama roots, particularly speaks to me through its various protagonists as they read Walt Whitman’s life-affirming poetry. The people in this film laugh and dance and play and sing; often, I noticed our audiences tearfully joined them in this poetic descrip- tion of what it means to be human, and, yes, American. These denizens of Alabama are profoundly human, and big-city sophis- tication is generally foreign to them. But, as they read Whitman’s poem, they became — even if just for a little while — the captive of the poet’s muse, and all of us, for that same short while, under- stood the symbolic, the allegorical and the beauty of art. Perhaps — indeed, I hope so — our audiences were as moved as I to hear the folk of Alabama recite, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself. And what I assume, you shall assume. For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”
D. Jack Sawyer Jr.* Henry C. Schwob** Ronald K. Shelp Margaret R. Spalding Dudley R. Stevens Carolyn W. Tanner** Anne Wall Thomas*** Brenda A. Thompson William Torres C. Noel Wadsworth* Carol V. Winthrop Gregory Ann Woodruff
* Lifetime member
** Emeritus member
*** Honorary member
Mission Statement: The Georgia Museum of Art shares the mission of the University of Georgia to support and to promote teaching, research and service. Specifically, as a repos- itory and educational instrument of the visual arts, the museum exists to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret significant works of art. Partial support for the exhibitions and programs at the Georgia Museum of Art is provided by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. Individuals, foundations and corporations provide additional museum support through their gifts to the University of Georgia Foundation. The Georgia Museum of Art is ADA compliant; the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium is equipped for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors. The University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic informa- tion or military service in its administrations of educational policies, programs or activities; its admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-admin- istered programs; or employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Equal Opportunity Office 119 Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD). Fax 706-542-2822. https://eoo.uga.edu/
WilliamUnderwood Eiland, Director
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