Betty Foy Sanders Georgia Artists Collection
Georgia Southern marks 50th Anniversary of the Betty Foy Sanders Georgia Artists Collection
STATESBORO, Ga. — The Betty Foy Sanders Georgia Artists Collection, one of Georgia Southern University’s largest permanent collections, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To mark the milestone anniversary, a special exhibition of the Georgia Artists Collection will be on view at the Center for Art & Theatre from Sept. 25 through March 9, 2018, and a special event is set for Sept. 28.
“The Georgia Artists Collection is the cornerstone of the Center for Art & Theatre’s art exhibitions. The collection offers a wealth of styles and disciplines to exhibit for the benefit and inspiration of our students here at the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art,” said Gallery Director Jason Hoelscher, who oversees the collection. “That Mrs. Sanders had the foresight to establish the collection 50 years ago, and has kept it vital through her continued generosity, is a testament to her passion for the arts, and to her passion for exposing our students to artists and artworks from the many walks of life here in the state of Georgia.”
The 50th Anniversary Exhibition will feature a large sampling of the Georgia Artists Collection’s nearly 100 pieces of art, which ranges from textiles, woodwork, paintings, ceramics and more, and features notable artists such as John Abbott, Lamar Dodd, Betty Foy Botts, Mary Engel, Matthew Hatala, George L. Parrish and Steven Penley, among many others.
A 50th Anniversary Celebration is set for Thursday, Sept. 28, from 5-7 p.m., and will feature live music, a gallery talk and refreshments. Running in parallel with the event, former first lady of Georgia Betty Foy Sanders will present her final exhibition, “Fluid Structures,” which consists of more than 40 recent works. Paintings by Atlanta-based artist Katherine Taylor, an exhibition of Georgia Folk Art from the Smith Callaway Banks Southern Folk Art Collection, and work by Georgia Southern alumnus Timothy Earls, an art director and set designer who has worked on many popular feature films including “The Avengers” movies, also will be on view.
The Celebration will be followed by a performance of “Anon(ymous)” at 7:30 p.m. in the Center’s Black Box Theatre. Poster Artwork for the 2017-2018 Theatre season was created by Georgia Southern students and faculty artists. The original work and prints will be available for purchase in the lobby with proceeds supporting the student artists and theatre scholarships.
In 1967, Betty Foy Sanders established the Georgia Artists Collection when she donated a painting of her own, “Coastal Sand Dunes,” for permanent display. Since then, Sanders has curated the collection by adding key works of art created by notable artists. With her impeccable aesthetic sense and critical eye, Sanders chooses artworks for the collection based upon their association with Georgia—whether the artist’s origin, the indigenous materials used or the regional content of the artwork.
New artwork added to Betty Foy Sanders Georgia Artists Collection
Matthew Hatala, 2016
New artwork from artist Matthew Hatala has been added to Georgia Southern University’s permanent art collection, the Betty Foy Sanders Georgia Artists Collection, and is currently on view at the Center for Art & Theatre.
The work, a wood vessel created by Hatala, was acquired and curated into the collection by Betty Foy Sanders in May. The vessel also will be included in the Georgia Artists Collection 50th Anniversary Exhibition beginning Sept. 25.
Hatala, of Danielsville, Georgia, is one of the Southeast’s most prominent woodturners. He has been creating vessels using a variety of rare and exotic wood for nearly 27 years. The piece added to the collection was made from pippy yew wood, native to the Pacific Northwest.
“Matthew’s new piece, made this past January, is a real gem of a work,” says Jason Hoelscher, who, as gallery director at the Center for Art and Theatre, oversees the Georgia Artists Collection. “The form of the vessel is gorgeous in its sinuous quality, and Matthew’s handling of the materials creates an interesting feel of marble or some other highly polished stone, while at the same time highlighting the features inherent to his choice of wood.”
Hatala participates in dozens of national shows and crafts festivals each year. His work can be found in notable collections such as the Detroit Institute of Art, the New York Museum of Art and Design, the Bohlen Wood Art Collection at the University of Michigan Museum of Art and many private collections, including the Montalto Bohlen Collection.
Betty Foy Sanders established the Georgia Artists Collection in 1967 when she donated a painting of her own, “Coastal Sand Dunes” for permanent display. Since then, Sanders has continued to curate the collection by adding key works of art created by notable artists. Artwork is selected based on its association with Georgia–whether the artist’s origin, the indigenous material used or the regional content of the work. Now in its 50th year, the Georgia Artists Collection has grown to nearly 100 works, and is an invaluable resource to the state.
Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 118 degree programs serving 20,673 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.
Ascend Commission
Ascend, a pair of interacting 20-foot stainless steel sculptures to be permanently placed in front of the new Centre for Art and Theatre on the campus of Georgia Southern University, will distinguish the facility as a major cultural center in southeastern Georgia. The project was funded in 2001 by former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders to celebrate the wedding anniversary to his wife, Betty Foy Sanders, and will stand as a monument to Mrs. Sander’s commitment and continued support of the fine arts in southeastern Georgia.
Throughout her life, Betty Foy Sanders has been an exceptional leader in politics, education, and the arts. At many of her public speaking engagements, Mrs. Sanders has included a stanza from an unknown poet: My life shall touch a dozen lives before this day is done. Appropriately, this line denotes the demonstrated impact her generous spirit and phenomenal support has had on the people of Georgia regardless of their constituency. Her inspirational legacy provides the core spirit of the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art where a community of artists-both students and professionals-thrive. Keeping with Mrs. Sanders’ spirit, the department provides a quality formal visual arts education with an emphasis on social consciousness.
Georgia Southern University’s Professor of Sculpture Marc Moulton was selected from a large survey of Georgia-connected artists to design and create the sculptures. Professor Moulton has experience creating large-scale public commissions and working with stainless steel. Professor Moulton has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and has been represented by several professional galleries in Ohio, Utah, Illinois, and Iowa.
While creating Ascend, Professor Moulton drew inspiration from native southern Georgia forms including the long-leafed pine, the magnolia, and the ocean waves along the coast. In addition, Ascend incorporates the idea of the flight of an eagle, a symbol and mascot for Georgia Southern University. Ascend catches the feeling and sense of uplift, or flight, that visual arts and education can provide.
Ascend will be fabricated of stainless steel at the extensively-equipped Ceramics and Sculpture Building at Georgia Southern University. The project will be created through a process of computer modeling, automated laser-cutting, and MIG/TIG welding. An appropriate foundation will be constructed at the site to secure and distribute the sculpture’s weight and dynamic loads. With an emphasis on hands-on teaching, Professor Moulton will include select advanced students in the sculpture-making process. This will provide students with valuable knowledge of and experience with a professional commission.
The sculpture is designed to fit and enhance the entrance for the new Centre for Art and Theatre. It will serve as the aesthetic focal point for the building and celebrate the activities held there. Night time lighting will enable Ascend to act as a physical locator for this contemporary visual arts exhibition center on campus. The lighting also conceptually represents the enlightened ideals of visual arts in society.
The Arts Have Arrived
In what could be compared to a Renaissance, or at the very least a Revival, the visual and theatre arts are soaring to new heights at Georgia Southern as they move their public programming into state-of-the-art facilities in the new Center for Art & Theatre.
1. Center for Art & Theatre Building:
In July 2006, construction began on the Center for Art & Theatre at Georgia Southern University. This 30,000 square feet public facility will house three exhibition galleries curated by the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, and the Black Box Theatre managed by the Department of Communication Arts. The new Center for Art & Theatre opens its doors to the public in March 2008 and will be a beacon for the visual and performing arts at Georgia Southern University.
2.Visual Art Programming:
Exhibition Program Overview: Visual art galleries in the Center for Art & Theatre offer public exhibitions of visual art created by contemporary professional artists as well as space for display of student art. Galleries in the new Center for Art and Theatre located next to the Visual Arts Studio Building on Pittman Drive offer multiple venues to view contemporary and traditional art and design. A rotating exhibition season presents over twelve exhibitions annually of art and design created by contemporary professional artists and students in the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art.
Contemporary Galleries: The Contemporary Galleries present solo and group exhibitions in two distinct exhibition spaces of art and design by professionals and students working in a range of media, from traditional paintings to multi-media installations.
Annual Student Exhibitions: Exhibitions highlighting outstanding work created by Georgia Southern art and design students from the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art are presented throughout the year. These exhibitions are juried by an external professional and provide students with additional experiences in presenting their creative work publically. Form and Content highlights exemplary works created in foundation level drawing and design coursework; the Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition presents selected works completed under the tutelage of Georgia Southern faculty; the Graphic Design Portfolio Reveal presents the professional portfolios of senior graphic design students to the public and art directors in the region; the MFA Biennial presents a juror’s selection of art and design created by candidates in the Master of Fine Arts degree program.
The Betty Foy Sanders Georgia Artists Collection represents a diverse collection of artwork created by artists with a connection to the state of Georgia-whether the artist is native to the state, the artwork is created with materials indigenous to the state, or the imagery is about the state of Georgia. Curated by Betty Foy Sanders since 1967, the extensive permanent collection resides in its own gallery.
The Smith Callaway Banks Southern Folk Art Collection and Research Center located in the Visual Arts Studio Building, houses an extensive collection of folk art of varying genres and media from the southeastern United States.
Ascend, a public sculpture celebrating the Arts at Georgia Southern, greets visitors at the East Entrance. Created by artist and sculpture professor, Marc Moulton, with the assistance of graduate students, this monumental scale sculpture was commissioned by the Honorable Governor Carl Sanders in tribute to his wife Betty Foy Sanders for her life-long civic vision in support of the visual arts.
Sculpture Garden: The Center’s courtyard adjoins the existing Visual Arts Building with the Center for Art & Theatre and features a sculpture garden offering a fourth exhibition space for three-dimensional works of art.