Students curate regional art exhibition

Two students are responsible for curating the first-ever exhibition of north Georgia regional art pulled from the University of North Georgia (UNG) Permanent Collection.

"The exhibition presents a thematic arrangement of works that tell the story of the connection of art with the north Georgia region," Dr. Ana Pozzi Harris, senior lecturer, said.

Madalyn Courson, a senior pursuing a B.A. in history, along with Elizabeth Padilla Brun, a junior pursuing a B.F.A. in visual arts with a digital arts focus, spent spring break installing "Our Golden Stories," a selection of 40-plus pieces of art, at the Library Technology Center at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

"The show is about art and culture in our community's history. It's like a big pie of all the things I love," Courson, from Cleveland, Georgia, said. "I've seen a lot of exhibitions and been to a lot of museums, and this is an opportunity to see and be a part of the behind-the-scenes process."

The experience has proven invaluable for the future. Padilla Brun said the research aspect will be key to her plan to create digital art in the film industry.

"This experience definitely helps in with the creativity aspect, and the way that we connected all the artwork to the culture of the region," she said. "All of that helps, and so does connecting with artists and networking. It's definitely a useful experience."

"Thinking about what they have in common rather than what separates them," Pozzi Harris said. "That's somewhat of a metaphor for our consolidated university. What connects us, rather than how are we different. The pieces come from different origins, they were acquired in different ways, but in the end they all reflect the area of north Georgia."

Pozzi Harris said the goal of the exhibition is to show cultural value. Pieces are linked with the history of north Georgia, including Appalachia, created by professional or semi-professional artists, UNG alumni and former faculty.  

Tommye Scanlin and Win Crannell, among others, were influential because, as faculty, they educated people who then made art in the region, essentially building a system of creating art in a consistent way. Pieces by faculty at other institutions show there was an exchange between educational institutions in the region, allowing the recognition of networks that were created during that time, Pozzi Harris said.

“The two students have looked at this art with fresh eyes and have recognized several themes. They grouped the works — regardless of where they come from — in relation to those themes and then began researching and writing about them,” Pozzi Harris said.

“It wasn’t until I took a step back and looked at it all together that I saw how the collection connects all different things,” Courson said. “It’s like wow, this is really special.”

Padilla Brun said she's learned a lot about north Georgia and Appalachian culture from this experience, including learning about John Kollock.

"I'm not from here originally, so finding out about John Kollock’s watercolor paintings of Helen and how his work revitalized the town was interesting. Learning more about Art Rosenbaum's folk art and his love of Appalachia was also interesting," she said. "All of these beautiful little histories exist in the UNG permanent collection."

A love of nature and landscapes is visible in the collection, with pictures of birds, flowers, historic buildings, and mountains, Courson said, adding a few portraits, too. Her favorite piece, placed in the subcategory “Golden Light,” is a mountain meadow scene by Rachel Lietch Walker.

Padilla Brun, too, chose a landscape — by Kollock — of a house with a chimney called "Summer Scene of Farm House" that she described as "a beautiful watercolor."

After learning about the various artists and their work, each student developed a personal interest of meeting one artist. For Courson, it was Erin Holbrook, whose work reflects a shift in style after she experienced health challenges.

"I read how she had gone through health challenges and how the focus of her art and her style shifted to reflect her new passion for whole foods, health, and wellness.  You can see that reflected in her art, with the lively colors she uses and in the subject matter that she chooses. That was both interesting and inspiring to me," she said.

Holbrook’s "Katie" is part of the exhibition.

Choosing one artist was a bit of a struggle for Padilla Brun, but she shared that she was struck by photographer Emily Lancaster’s "Barn I"

"She did a beautiful photograph of a family barn and just the way she captured the light," Brun said. "I would like to talk with her about that because I took a photography class last semester and would like to hear how she captured the light and developed the image."  

The exhibition runs from March 19-April 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. A reception and research presentation will be April 1 from 5-7 p.m. in room 382 of the Library and Technology Center at the Dahlonega Campus.