Download Telfair Museums Announces Upcoming Schedule of Exhibitions and

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2016
Contacts: Kayla Medina
Public Relations Coordinator
912.790.8837
[email protected]
Vicki Scharfberg
Director of Marketing and PR
912.790.8890
[email protected]
Telfair Museums Announces Upcoming
Schedule of Exhibitions and Events
Exhibitions focus on Savannah folk art, American portraits, Russian decorative arts,
landscape photography, a mandala by Tibetan Monks, and more
SAVANNAH, GA….Telfair Museums announces its exhibition and event schedule for the
remainder of 2016. Highlights include portraits from Telfair’s permanent collection, a mandala
sand painting by Buddhist Monks from Tibet, and two hundred years of decorative arts under
the Romanovs.
Telfair Museums’ exhibition schedule:
Stick Men: Savannah Folk Art Canes and Wood Sculpture
June 11 – November 27 / Jepson Center
Since the early 20th century, woodcarvings and carved walking sticks were noted in writings
and photographs about the Savannah area. Sometimes discussed in terms of a lingering African
aesthetic in the traditional arts of the American South, these works were explored by scholars
and later featured in exhibits in the 1960s through the early 1980s. Largely drawn from Telfair
Museums’ permanent collection of folk art, Stick Men celebrates this rich artistic heritage in a
focused exhibition.
Face to Face: American Portraits from the Permanent Collection
June 25 – May 2017 / Telfair Academy
Spanning the period from the American Revolution to World War II, the paintings in Face to
Face: American Portraits from the Permanent Collection demonstrate the broad range of
American portraiture found in Telfair’s permanent collection.
Face to Face also marks the debut of two new acquisitions. “James Wright” (1716-1785), the
only known portrait of Georgia’s third and final royal governor, depicts the governor of Georgia
from 1760 to 1782, whose tenure included the turbulent years of the American Revolution. His
royal governor’s mansion was located on the spot where the Telfair Academy now stands, and
nearby Wright Square is named in his honor. The portrait of George Johnson Baldwin by Gari
Melchers, recently donated by the great-grandson of the sitter, is a striking testament to
Melchers’s mastery of portraiture and coloration. George Johnson Baldwin was a member of
Telfair’s board during the early decades of its existence.
Historic Cottons to Modern Polyesters: Quilts from Telfair’s Collection
July 30 – November 6 / Telfair Academy
Telfair Museums’ small but important collection of quilts are presented in Historic Cottons to
Modern Polyesters. Ranging from 19th-century examples of pieced patchwork, to an appliqué
story quilt made in the 1980s, the exhibition spans nearly two centuries of quiltmaking. This
long, historical view allows the museum to highlight the larger story of artistic expression passed
through generations of quiltmakers.
One Hundred Years of Harmony: Paintings by Gari Melchers
August 26 – December 11 / Jepson Center
Artist Gari Melchers played an invaluable role in shaping the collection of Telfair Museums.
During his tenure as fine arts advisor from 1906 to 1916, Melchers facilitated the purchase of
many of the best-known works in the permanent collection, including iconic canvases by artists
such as George Bellows, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, and many others. Yet Telfair did not
acquire a single work by Melchers himself until after he stepped down from his official role in
1916. To commemorate that occasion, Telfair’s board arranged for the purchase of Melchers’s
The Unpretentious Garden, a painting that is now one of the most beloved works in the
museum’s collection.
Telfair will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the acquisition of The Unpretentious Garden
with a presentation of this treasured painting alongside seven additional canvases that
demonstrate Melchers’s virtuosic ability to capture blissful, domestic scenes.
Mystical Arts of Tibet / Drepung Loseling Monastery
Sand Mandala Residency
September 13 – 18 / Jepson Center
The Tibetan Buddhist monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery return to the Jepson Center to
create an exquisite sand mandala painting as part of a weeklong residency. This Tibetan
Buddhist tradition involves the creation and destruction of a mandala made from colored sand.
The sand mandala is ritually destroyed once it has been completed, and its accompanying
ceremonies and presentation symbolize the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of
material life.
The Tsars’ Cabinet: Two Hundred Years of Russian Decorative Arts under the Romanovs
September 30 – January 6, 2017 / Jepson Center
The Tsars’ Cabinet provides a rare, intimate glimpse into the lives of the tsars through two
hundred years of decorative arts under the Romanovs, from the time of Peter the Great in the
early eighteenth century to that of Nicholas II in the early twentieth century. The exhibition is
drawn from one of the finest private collections of Imperial Russian porcelain and decorative
arts in the United States.
Complex Uncertainties: Artists in Postwar America
September 30, 2016 – ongoing / Jepson Center
Complex Uncertainties: Artists in Postwar America, is an evolving exhibition grounded by works
in Telfair’s modern and contemporary collection. This presentation brings forth undercurrents
that permeate artmaking from the global eruption of World War II until today—events that
challenge artists to explore unknowns, react to power, and construct narratives.
Watershed: Contemporary Landscape Photography
October 14 – January 29, 2017 / Jepson Center
Watershed examines landscape photographs produced after 1970, particularly works that
evidence mankind’s undeniable and often negative impact on the land. Establishing a firm split
from the pristine worldview of earlier landscape photographers such as Ansel Adams, the
photographs in this show reveal landscapes as activated spaces imprinted by mankind and
marked by social performance. The exhibition features works by artists such as Gregory
Crewdson, Dan Graham, and Sally Mann.
Telfair Museums’ event schedule:
Masquerade in the Mansion
Friday, October 28, 9 pm / Telfair Academy
Guests don their masks for an unforgettable Masquerade in the Mansion, presented by Telfair’s
William Jay Society. Intrigue and revelry await guests as they wander the historic Telfair
Academy and enjoy unusual entertainment, music, dancing, libations, late night treats, and lots
of surprises. This event is open to anyone 21 years or older. Attire is cocktail/black tie.
Telfair Art Fair
Saturday, November 12, 10 am – 5 pm / Telfair Square
Sunday, November 13, 12 – 4 pm / Telfair Square
Art Fair is an outdoor event in the heart of historic Savannah featuring 85 national and local
artists set up around Telfair Square. The Fair showcases a wide variety of original art for sale in
a broad range of prices and media, offering something to suit every taste and budget.
Arty Party
Friday, November 11, 6 pm / Telfair Square
Guests can kick off the Telfair Art Fair weekend with Arty Party, a preview bash in Telfair
Square. This highly anticipated event gives guests an exclusive opportunity to preview and
purchase the featured art and meet the artists at a chic cocktail reception.
Funding for Telfair Museums’ programs is provided by the City of Savannah's Department of Cultural
Affairs and by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly.
GCA is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
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