Scholarly exhibition at Georgia Museum of Art depicts atrocities of war Let Loose Upon Innocence: George Bellows and World War, a small, scholarly exhibition built around the opportunity presented by a loan from a charitable foundation of Bellows’ painting The Return of the Useless, will be on view at the Georgia Museum of Art through July 30. In 1918, Bellows produced a series of paintings, drawings and lithographs in response to World War I and the reports of German atrocities in Belgium. The Return of the Useless depicts a group of Belgians being returned to their homeland after their German captors had rejected them as no longer fit to work for the war effort. At the time American artists rarely confronted the horrors of war; instead, they focused on the heroic qualities of soldiers and generals in battle. Bellows’ depictions of the atrocities reflected the influence of many European artists, including the Spanish Romantic painter, Francisco Goya y Lucientes. Goya’s Disasters of War, painted in response to Napoleonic France’s invasion of Spain in 1808, documents the horrors of that particular conflict and contains themes similar to Bellows’ work more than 100 years later. Bellows was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1882 and studied at the New York School of Art, earning popularity and recognition through sales and awards. An admitted socialist, Bellows contributed free illustrations to the left-wing journal The Masses as an avenue to challenge inequalities in the American racial and class structures of the time. It was his dedication to speak out against injustice that ultimately led to his works dealing with World War I. The exhibition includes the loan of The Return of the Useless as well as several works from the Georgia Museum of Art’s permanent collection. It also brings together as many of Bellows’ War series and related work as possible. Let Loose Upon Innocence features five of the seven war subject paintings he created in 1918, including both works featuring “Peace.” This is the first time since the 1983 exhibition George Bellows and the War Series of 1918, which was on view at the Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield, Mass., that so many of the 1918 Bellows images have been on display at the same time in the same venue. —Johnathan McGinty

Art exhibitions.
Let Loose upon Innocence: George Bellows and World War. Through July 30. 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. (706) 542-4662.

Woven Jewels from the Black Tents: Baluchi, Aimaq and Related Tribal Weavings of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Through July 30. Georgia Museum of Art. (706) 542-4662.

Arcadia Revisited: The Architecture of Landscape. Through July 30. Georgia Museum of Art. Sponsored by the Georgia Museum of Art. (706) 542-4662.

This exhibition sheds light on the prevailing vogue for the ruin and entity caught between humankind’s drive to build and nature’s capacity to destroy. On another level, Arcadia Revisited examines the theatrical spectacle of imaginary architectural spaces drawn and printed by such luminaries as Piranesi and the Bibienas.

Exhibit.
“Power to the People—Rural Electrification in Georgia.” Through Sept. 30. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., weekdays; Saturday, 1-4:45 p.m. Russell Library. Sponsored by the Russell Library and UGA Libraries.

The exhibit presents life in rural Georgia before electricity was widely available. It considers the efforts by state and federal leaders to bring rural electrification to these communities through the Rural Electrification Administration and looks at the role technology plays in shaping society.

Monday, June 12
Drop/add for summer thru term and short session I.
Ends June 14 at noon.

Tuesday, June 13
Bulldog Breakfast Club.
Host: Michelle Garfield, associate dean, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. $10 ($5 non-members). 7:45 a.m. Wray-Nicholson House. Sponsored by the Alumni Association. (706) 542-8199.

Concert.
Tim Easton. 7 p.m. $15 ($10 members). Tickets must be purchased in advance. Sunflower Music Series. State Botanical Garden. (706) 542-6156.

Wednesday, June 14
Open Studio: Life Drawing.
$3. Live models; no instruction; participants must provide their own supplies; ages 17 and younger must have parental permission. 5:30 p.m. Forio Studio Classroom. Sponsored by the Georgia Museum of Art. (706) 542-4662.

Film.
Gabbeh. Farsi with English subtitles (75 minutes). Foreign Film Series. 7 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. (706) 542-4662.

A beautifully filmed fable about the nomadic Ghashghai tribe of Iran, noted for the handicraft of their carpets.

Monday, June 19
Junior Explorers’ Camp.
Session one of two. Through June 23. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. $100 ($95 members). Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. (706) 583-0894.

Children ages 8-11 become investigators while they learn about the fascinating world of plants.

Tuesday, June 20
Conservation and Education and Coffee Tasting.
8:30 a.m. Free but pre-registration required. Callaway Building, State Botanical Garden. (706) 542-6014.

A quarterly event designed for volunteers and others curious to learn about what is happening behind the scenes at the State Botanical Garden.

Retirement reception.
For Hank Huckaby, senior vice president for finance and administration. 3:30-5:30 p.m. Herty Field.

Wednesday, June 21
Midterm and midpoint withdrawal deadline for summer short session I.

Workshop.
“Dealing with Nuisance Wildlife,” Michael T. Mengak, wildlife specialist, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. 10 a.m.-noon. $12 ($10 members); pre-registration required. Callaway Auditorium, State Botanical Garden. (706) 542-6156.

Have you ever wondered how to minimize damage from common backyard visitors such as deer, squirrels, birds, rabbits, snakes and small mammals like voles, moles, armadillos, beavers and groundhogs?

Learn the basics of nuisance wildlife damage prevention. Rules and regulations, a simple management model, a brief biology of each species, signs of damage and repellents will be discussed.

Saturday, June 24
Family Day.
Invent Your Own Landscape. 10 a.m.-noon. Georgia Museum of Art. (706) 542-4662.

Come and create a landscape representing a real or an imaginary place you would like to visit.

Sunday, June 25
Exhibit.
Surreal photography by Mike Couzins. Through July 30. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. (706) 542-6130.

Monday, June 26
Junior Explorers’ Camp.
Session two of two. Through June 30. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. $100 ($95 members). Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. (706) 583-0894.

Coming up
Open House.
June 28. Animal Health Research Center. 4-6 p.m.

Open Studio: Life Drawing.
June 28. $3. Live models; no instruction; participants must provide their own supplies; ages 17 and younger must have parental permission. 5:30 p.m. Forio Studio Classroom. Sponsored by the Georgia Museum of Art. (706) 542-4662.