Columns:: UGA Guide

Columns::August 11, 2003

UGA Guide

19th-century sorrows on exhibit at Georgia Museum of Art

One of the 30-plus verses hand-inscribed in ink on a chintz appliqué quilt in the collection of the museum reads “Leaves have

their time to fall/And flowers wither at the north wind’s breath/And start to set--but all/Thou has seasons for thine own, Oh! Death!” The quilt, made in Philadelphia for a woman from Georgia, circa 1847, is covered with words and images which commemorate lost loved ones and warn of the fleeting nature of life. Although morbid by today’s standards, these sentiments were considered fashionable in the 19th century.
The ritual of mourning played a significant role in the lives of most Americans, and affected the design of clothing, jewelry and many other decorative arts for generations. “Leaves Have Their Time to Fall”: Reflections of Mourning in 19th-Century Decorative Arts features objects that embody the act of mourning through color, inscribed or embroidered verses, and use of mourning symbols such as weeping willows.
In addition to the ink inscription of the poem, the Philadelphia quilt features one of the most widely used symbols of mourning in the 1800s, the willow tree. There are also appliqués of floral sprays and floral wreaths, with numerous handwritten verses.
Mourning jewelry was also extremely popular. Its most fascinating aspect for a 21st-century viewer is perhaps the use of the deceased’s hair, either woven into a “chain” for jewelry or sealed inside a gold locket. Hair was also ground and mixed into pigment for an artist to paint a mourning scene honoring the deceased. This exhibition at the museum includes a necklace of human hair by an unknown maker, probably from Georgia, and a printed advertisement for an itinerant hair braider who set up shop briefly in Athens to produce such mementos. The advertisement, which is undated, has been lent by the Hargrett Library.

Ongoing
Art exhibitions.
Old Worlds, New Lands. Through Aug. 31. Georgia Museum of Art. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 542-4662.
This exhibition focuses on images of Native Americans made by European artists from the 16th century onward. Such views shaped ideas about the New World’s bounty.
They also mark a long history of colonization during which different European powers competed with each other for control of North America.

Becoming a Nation: Americana from the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State. Through Aug. 31. Georgia Museum of Art. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday; and1-5 p.m. Sunday. 542-4662.
This exhibition includes 130 objects from one of the nation’s least-known cultural treasures, the period settings of the diplomatic reception rooms at the State Department. The objects represent the finest craftsmanship and artistic talent of the golden age of American decorative and fine arts, from approximately 1750 to 1825.

“Leaves Have Their Time to Fall”: Reflections of Mourning in 19th-Century Decorative Arts. Through Sept. 14. Georgia Museum of Art. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 542-4662. See story above.

After Many Years: The Paintings of Wilmer W. Wallace and Lamar Dodd. Through Sept. 14. Georgia Museum of Art. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 542-4662.
As an undergraduate student in art at UGA in the early 1940s, Wilmer W. Wallace studied under Lamar Dodd, founder of the School of Art. After graduation, Wallace entered the U.S. Army but continued his active interest in art while stationed in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., during World War II. Following the war, he returned to UGA as a graduate student.
After Many Years brings together several early works by Wallace (including the award-winning Landscape with Tanks), a few paintings by Dodd from the 1940s, and some of Wallace’s most recent paintings, in which the influence of Dodd and the 1940s art school at UGA may still be seen.

George Denninger. Through Sept. 7. Conservatory. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sponsored by State Botanical Garden. 542-1244.
Denninger works in a variety of media, from bronze to wood to stone, but this exhibit will feature computer-manipulated photographs. He does not use the computer to fool the viewer with subtle enhancements but to create impressionistic interpretations.
An engineer with degrees from Rutgers and Stanford, Denninger has worked since 1971 as a freelance designer.
He heads his own product design company, Denninger Designs, and has been recognized for his work in exhibit design.
Three of his piano sculptures are in the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Tuesday, August 12
New Faculty Colloquium.
Room K-L, Georgia Center for Continuing Education. Sponsored by Academic Affairs. 542-1355.

Lecture.
“The Evolution of the Georgia State Flag: A Historical Perspective.” Ed Jackson. $5 (free for Georgia Historical Society members and UGA faculty, staff and students). 7 p.m. Seney-Stovall Chapel, Lucy Cobb Institute. Sponsored by Institute of Government. 542-2736.
No state has flown as many different state flags as Georgia. UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government and the Georgia Historical Society cosponsor this educational program. Jackson is an Institute faculty member and a state flag expert who testified during this year’s legislative flag debate. He will discuss the story behind each of the state’s flags.

Wednesday, August 13
Workshop for New Deans, Directors and Department Heads.
8 a.m. Student Learning Center. Sponsored by Academic Affairs. 542-0415.

Museum Lecture.
“Edward Vason Jones and the Georgia School of Classicists.” William R. Mitchell Jr. 5:30 p.m. Griffith Auditorium. Sponsored by Georgia Museum of Art. 542-4662.
Mitchell is a cultural historian and historic preservationist and author of many books, including Classic Atlanta. A reception follows the lecture.

Open Studio: Life Drawing.
$3. Live models; no instruction; participants must provide their own supplies. 5:30 p.m. Forio Studio Classroom. Sponsored by Georgia Museum of Art. 542-4662.

Concert.
Nickel Creek. $5 (free students). 8 p.m. Legion Field. Sponsored by Student Activities. 542-7774.

Thursday, August 14
Orientation for Graduate Teaching and Laboratory Assistants.
9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. North psychology-journalism auditorium. Sponsored by Instructional Support and Development. 542-1355.

Lambda Alliance Picnic.
2-5 p.m. Reed Quad. Sponsored by Student Activities. 542-7774.

Friday, August 15
New Student Welcome Day.
2 p.m. Memorial Hall Ballroom. Sponsored by Minority Services and Programs. 542-5773.

Friday Tours.
4 p.m. Georgia Museum of Natural History. Not suitable for children under five; tour group size is limited. 542-1663.

Dawgs after Dark.
Comedian Dave Attel with Sean Rouse. $5 (free students). 8 p.m. Legion Field. Sponsored by Student Activities. 542-7774.

Dawgs after Dark.
10 p.m.-2 a.m. Tate Student Center. Sponsored by Student Activities. 542-7774.

Dawgs after Dark: Midnight Movie.
Chicago. 11:30 p.m. Tate Theater. Sponsored by Student Activities. 542-7774.

Saturday, August 16
2003-04 parking permits required.

Family Day.
“Muppets and Puppets.” 10 a.m.-noon. Georgia Museum of Art. 542-0448.

Sunday, August 17
Opening Convocation.
4 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum. Sponsored by Academic Affairs.

Monday, August 18
Classes begin.