The Georgia Museum of Art marked its 75th anniversary with a day full of special events. Visitors were met by staff and refreshments. The festivities included various family-friendly activities and a proclamation by the Athens-Clarke County mayor Kelly Girtz.
Downstairs, families painted miniature canvases and decorated birthday hats. Both rooms were filled with stickers, paint and origami paper. Outside, people colored the concrete with chalk and children had their faces painted under the sun. Shannon Hinson attended with her two children.
“We love coming to family day at the Georgia Museum of Art,” Hinson said. “When we heard about their big birthday party we decided to come. We knew that there would be fun activities for the kids”.
Upstairs, visitors collected buttons for the scavenger hunt as they viewed the permanent collection. Here, staff shared information and videos on each piece. After collecting all the pins, posters were given as prizes.
Samrawite Fitsum, a sophomore, nursing major at the University of Georgia, said her favorite collection was “Nancy Baker Cahill: Through Lines.”
Throughout the event, visitors were supported by the museum’s knowledgeable and dedicated employees. Kaitlyn Loyd is a UGA alumni and interned at the museum while in school. Now, she has been working at the museum for the past two weeks.
“I think it’s really fun to have kids and adults come and express their creativity to celebrate 75 years of art,” Loyd said.
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.”
The mayor’s speech was followed by the serving of anniversary cake. The winner of Museum Madness was also announced at the event. Over the past few weeks, visitors have voted for their favorite piece in the permanent art collection with a puffball. The winner was “La Confidence” by Elizabeth Jane Gardner.
“I think it’s a gem of the community that we sometimes overlook,” Loyd said. “It’s just fun to see all the love and appreciation for it.”