Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities

FAIN: CH-50406-07

University of Georgia (Athens, GA 30602-0001)
William Underwood Eiland (Project Director: May 2006 to November 2011)

Construction and furnishings for Study Centers in the Humanities, an expanded facility for the museum's fine arts library and three research centers.

The University of Georgia, on behalf of the Georgia Museum of Art, seeks a Challenge Grant of $750,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities, to be matched with $2,250,000 in private contributions. The Challenge Grant will fund the creation of the Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities. The Centers are a major component of Phase II, a $20 million addition to the museum's current building, and a key factor in the museum's realization of its ambitious goals in the humanities. The core of the Study Centers in the Humanities is an expanded facility for the museum's fine-arts library and three research centers; the study centers also include a classroom and small conference room and a designated Centers Gallery for the display of exhibitions and works of art related to the activities of the research centers, with an adjoining reading area. The Study Centers will amplify the museum's capacity to attract and serve students, faculty, and researchers.

Associated Products

McKinney-Whitehead-Rowland Research Materials (Acquisitions/Materials Collection)
Name: McKinney-Whitehead-Rowland Research Materials
Abstract: A research collection that documents the individuals and decorative arts consumption of three interrelated families from Augusta, Georgia. The museum has 17 objects from these families in its permanent collection.
Director: William U. Eiland
Year: 2011
Address: Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602-6719
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Webiste of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/learn/study-centers
Secondary URL Description: Link to the website describing the Study Centers in the Humanities, of which the Green Center is a part.

Georgia Mercantile Research Collection (Acquisitions/Materials Collection)
Name: Georgia Mercantile Research Collection
Abstract: An expanding collection of original and secondary materials pertaining to mercantile activity surrounding the decorative arts in 19th century Georgia
Director: William U. Eiland
Year: 2014
Address: Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602-6719
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/learn/study-centers
Secondary URL Description: Link to a description of the Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities, of which the Green Center is a part

Ilonka Karasz Research Materials (Acquisitions/Materials Collection)
Name: Ilonka Karasz Research Materials
Abstract: Extensive research files created by the curator for the 2004 exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art
Director: William U. Eiland
Year: 2011
Address: Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602-6719
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/learn/study-centers
Secondary URL Description: Link to a description of the Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities, of which the Green Center is a part

Henry Eugene Thomas Research Materials (Acquisitions/Materials Collection)
Name: Henry Eugene Thomas Research Materials
Abstract: The extensive research files created by the curator for the book and exhibition of 2012.
Director: William U. Eiland
Year: 2012
Address: Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602-6719
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/learn/study-centers
Secondary URL Description: Link to a description of the Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities, of which the Green Center is a part

Prizes

Museum Exhibition of the Year (Budget less than $100,000)
Date: 1/25/2013
Organization: Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries
Abstract: "Georgia Bellflowers: The Furniture of Henry Eugene Thomas" marked the first scholarship on Gene Thomas, an Athens, Georgia-based furniture maker who created distinctly regional Colonial Revival furniture and helped build important collections of antique Piedmont furniture. Little of his life and career was in print, so documenting oral history through interviews with family members and Athenians was an act of research and preservation. The catalogue and labels offered interpretation, while UGA classes studied the exhibition. It led to the museum’s acquisition of two works by Thomas, satisfying a key aspect of the mission, and will likely lead to the discovery of additional works.

Certificate of Excellence, Exhibition (budget more than $25,000)
Date: 10/20/2012
Organization: Southeastern Museums Conference
Abstract: Peer award for exhibition and catalogue

Bookout Papers (Acquisitions/Materials Collection)
Name: Bookout Papers
Abstract: Professor Tim Bookout of Georgia State University is a distinguished scholar of Southeastern Native America n basketry and midwestern Kentucky Shaker furniture. This collection documents his scholarship and exhibition activity in both realms.
Director: William U. Eiland
Year: 2014
Address: Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602-6719
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/learn/study-centers
Secondary URL Description: Link to a description of the Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities, of which the Green Center is a part

The Colonial Dames Georgia Decorative Arts Survey (Acquisitions/Materials Collection)
Name: The Colonial Dames Georgia Decorative Arts Survey
Abstract: Sponsored by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia and executed over three years from 1986 to 1989, the survey documents more than 4,300 objects dating from 1733 to 1915 at approximately 870 sites in 73 counties in Georgia. The objects include furniture, metalwork, ceramics and textiles. The museum received the collection in 2000 but it only became readily accessible when the Study Centers in the Humanities opened in 2011.
Director: William U. Eiland
Year: 2011
Address: Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602-6719
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/learn/study-centers
Secondary URL Description: Link to a description of the Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities, of which the Green Center is a part

William and Florence Griffin Research Materials (Acquisitions/Materials Collection)
Name: William and Florence Griffin Research Materials
Abstract: The Griffins were pioneer collectors of vernacular Georgia furniture and pottery. This collection contains files for the extensive research that led to the watershed 1982 exhibition “Neat Pieces” at the Atlanta History Center.
Director: William U. Eiland
Year: 2013
Address: Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602-6719
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/learn/study-centers
Secondary URL Description: Link to a description of the Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities, of which the Green Center is a part

Kress Interpretive Fellowship (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)
Name: Kress Interpretive Fellowship
Abstract: The Kress Interpretive Fellow will work directly with the curator of education to develop and implement programming, especially gallery teaching, that contributes to the overall interpretation of the European collection and creates connections through shared stylistic, historical, and cultural influences between the museum’s collection of European art and the rest of the permanent collection, especially American and decorative art. The Fellow will develop a new series of art history gallery talks focusing on various periods represented by works in the permanent collection. He or she will also plan programs such as lectures and film series in conjunction with temporary exhibitions organized by GMOA or other museums.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Secondary URL Description: The Kress Fellow is involved in all aspects of the museum's teaching mission.

Daura Center Graduate Intern (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)
Name: Daura Center Graduate Intern
Abstract: The Daura Center offers one paid internship to a graduate student each semester.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: The website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/learn/internships
Secondary URL Description: Link to information on applying for the Daura Center Internship.

Cercle et Carre and the International Spirit of Abstract Art (Exhibition)
Title: Cercle et Carre and the International Spirit of Abstract Art
Curator: Lynn Edward Boland
Abstract: Supporting the museum’s research mission, this was the first major exhibition on the subject of Cercle et Carré, a group of 80 artists centered in Paris 1929-1930 and devoted to the idea of abstraction as a source of truth and a universal language. The project sprang from the establishment at the museum of the Pierre Daura Center for the Study of European Art, with the archives of Catalan artist Pierre Daura (1896-1976), founding member of the group, and a collection of his works from this period. The Daura Center’s focus on European modernism has fostered new scholarship and cross-disciplinary opportunities.
Year: 2013
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/art/exhibitions/past/cercle-et-carre-and-the-international-spirit-of-abstract-art
Secondary URL Description: website for the exhibition

Prizes

CurCom Exhibition Commendation
Date: 10/24/2014
Organization: Southeastern Museums Conference
Abstract: An award for the exhibition and catalogue "Cercle et Carre and the International Spirit of Abstract Art"

Honorable Mention, Exhibition Catalogues
Date: 5/20/2014
Organization: American Alliance of Museums
Abstract: Award for the catalogue of the exhibition "Cercle et Carre and the International Spirit of Abstract Art"

Category Finalist
Date: 5/1/2014
Organization: Eric Hoffer Book Awards
Abstract: "Cercle et Carre and the International Spirit of Abstract Art was named a Category Finalist in the 2014 Eric Hoffer Book Awards for Independent Books. Finalists fall into approximately the upper 10% of all books that entered the contest.

Finalist, Art
Date: 3/13/2014
Organization: Foreword Reviews' IndieFab Book of the Year Award
Abstract: Each year, Foreword shines a light on a small group of indie authors and publishers whose groundbreaking work stands out from the crowd. Foreword’s awards are more than just a shiny sticker on the front of a book; they help connect the best indie books to readers eager to discover new stories written by previously unknown authors.

Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts (Center)
Name: Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts
Abstract: The Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts is part of the Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities, a state-of-the-art facility funded by an NEH Challenge Grant and opened to the public in January 2011. The Green Center was established at the Georgia Museum of Art (GMOA) in 2000 to address a burgeoning interest in the decorative arts of Georgia and to promote scholarship in this heretofore little-studied area of Georgia's history. The center honors Mr. Green (1909-2003), the acknowledged pioneer in the study and collection of Georgia’s decorative arts, furniture in particular. The Green Center conducts original research, which it makes public through exhibitions, publications, symposia, colloquia and workshops; and assists scholars and laypersons who study and investigate the decorative arts. It has established links with colleagues and scholars, including those in other units at the University of Georgia, in the fine arts, historic preservation, sciences, and humanities, as well as with museums, scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts all over the state and beyond.
Director: William U. Eiland
Year: 2011
Address: Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602-6719
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/art/collections/green-center
Secondary URL Description: Description of the Green Center and its collections

Prizes

Governor's Award for the Arts and Humanities
Date: 10/2/2013
Organization: Georgia Humanities Council and Georgia Council for the Arts
Abstract: Linda Crowe Chesnut, chair of the Decorative Arts Advisory Committee of the Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts received the prestigious award for her volunteer leadership of the Green Center.

Pierre Daura Center (Center)
Name: Pierre Daura Center
Abstract: Established at the Georgia Museum of Art in 2002 as a gift from Martha Randolph Daura in honor of her father, the Pierre Daura Center contains a collection of paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures by the Catalan-American artist Pierre Daura (1896–1976), who co-founded the important artists’ group Cercle et Carré. The gift included the artist’s archive, with important material relevant to modern art from the 1920s through the 1960s, and an endowment to support both the center and a Pierre Daura Curator of European Art. This gift facilitates and broadens the presentation and study of European art at the museum. The Daura Center is part of the Georgia Museum of Art Study Centers in the Humanities, with a facility funded by an NEH Challenge Grant that opened in January 2011.
Director: William U. Eiland
Director: Lynn Edward Boland
Year: 2011
Address: Pierre Daura Center Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602-6719
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: The website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://hmfa.libs.uga.edu/hmfa/view?docId=ead/gmoa001-ead.xml;query=;brand=default
Secondary URL Description: Link to the finding aid for the Daura Center produced by the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, UGA Special Collections Also, the museum's web page on the Pierre Daura Center: http://georgiamuseum.org/art/collections/daura-center

Jacob Burns Foundation Center (Center)
Name: Jacob Burns Foundation Center
Abstract: The Study Centers in the Humanities include the archives of British-American painter and printmaker Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (1890-1978), through an arrangement with the Jacob Burns Foundation. In 2002, the foundation made a major gift of works by Brockhurst and funding in support of Phase II for the establishment of the Burns Foundation Center for the study of Brockhurst and his contemporaries, including Burns himself. Jacob Burns (1902-1993), a Russian-born philanthropist, was the lawyer of Gerald Brockhurst, as well as his friend and student.
Director: William U. Eiland
Director: Sarah Kate Gillespie, curator of American art
Year: 2011
Address: Jacob Burns Foundation Center Georgia Museum of Art University of Georgia 90 Carlton Street Athens, GA 30602
Primary URL: http://www.georgiamuseum.org
Primary URL Description: Website of the Georgia Museum of Art
Secondary URL: http://georgiamuseum.org/art/collections/burns-foundation-collection
Secondary URL Description: Link to web page on Burns Foundation Center

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