Extremely exciting news for art students, especially those studying or living in Georgia-The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to Open Major Teaching Museum Devoted to Contemporary Art and Design on October 29, 2011! This is described as “a significantly expanded and re-imagined contemporary art and design museum conceived and designed expressly to enrich the educational milieu for SCAD students, professors, and art and design enthusiasts. SCAD Museum of Art re-opens to the public on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. Inaugural exhibitions at the new museum include solo shows by Bill Viola, Liza Lou, Kendall Buster, Kehinde Wiley, and selections from the SCAD Museum of Art’s Permanent Collection, including the Evans Collection of African American Art, presented in the new Walter O. Evans Center for African American Studies within the museum.”  From the websites: “SCAD has a tradition of fostering innovative and dynamic art experiences, and the SCAD Museum of Art advances this rich tradition,” says SCAD President Paula Wallace, who initiated and oversaw the development of the expanded museum in Savannah. “Rather than a place to view artworks in isolation, our museum is a kinetic think-tank, a collaborative wellspring of ideas and inspiration for SCAD students and professors.”  In keeping with the university’s mission, a year-round program of exhibitions, installations, performances and museum programs and events will engage with SCAD’s 41 majors and more than 50 minors—from fashion and fibers to painting and sound design. This programming will also provide students and professors across all disciplines a collaborative space to experience celebrated works of art and design, and to interact with the renowned and emerging artists who create them. Check out all of the information here: http://www.scad.edu/museum/
The Georgia Museum of Art is hosting another amazing Family Day tomorrow! Come to the first floor classroom between 10-12am and partake in Abstract Adventures. Children get to make their own abstract art (parents can, too!) and tour the galleries with worksheets that make viewing abstract art an interactive experience. For more information, or if you’re interested in volunteering with future Family Days (they happen every month!), visit: http://www.georgiamuseum.org/index.php/calendar/event-all/family-day-abstract-adventures/2011/08/13
Interested in becoming a docent for the new Student Docent program at the Georgia Museum of Art? The Georgia Museum of Art is accepting applications for the first year of its student docent program. Docents are volunteer gallery teachers who facilitate discussions with groups about works of art in the museum. Applicants may be either undergraduate or graduate students and may be from any major. Student docents will gain knowledge of museum operations, its collection, and special exhibitions and have the opportunity to enhance their skills in public speaking by giving tours to PreK-12 and university students. For more information and links to the application, please visit: http://www.uga.edu/gamuseum/education/student_docents.html
From ArtNews: “Your Labels Make Me Feel Stupid” In an effort to connect with visitors who feel bored, overwhelmed, or confused, museums are using focus groups, comment boards, and even full-time evaluators to help rethink and rewrite texts in the galleries. “Just a few years ago, a visitor curious about Frank Lobdell’s 15 April 1962, in the Oakland Museum of California, could have scanned its wall label to read this description of the painting: “A tightly coiled form struggles against the confines of the canvas. Thick paint, hot colors, hard lines, and a gouged surface reinforce the sense of uneasiness. They express the artist’s view of the human condition as a struggle for meaning and dignity.But in the four years since that text was written, curators at the Oakland Museum and countless other art institutions have initiated a quiet revolution in the way they engage and converse with visitors about the treasures in their care. These institutions are working hard to move away from what Graham W. J. Beal, director of the Detroit Institute of Arts, calls “the priestly voice of absolute authority.” Their aim now is to provide information and context about the works—and then encourage people to respond to them in their own way.” http://www.artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=3013 Frank Lobdell’s 15 April 1962
“Inside/Out: Book Arts and Meaning Making” Professional Learning Unit Course, Instructed by 2010 MFA recipient Brian Hitselberger  Ever wanted to learm how to make books? Got tons of paper lying around and no good use for it? Do you need PLUs to maintain your teching certificate? Do you live in or around the area of Gainesville, GA? Take this class! Tell your friends! Sign up! Like, today! http://www.quinlanartscenter.org/classes/adult-classes/
Work from the Art Education exit show is currently up in the Lamar Dodd School of Art! Check out the work of: Nicole Levy, Elizabeth Baek, Joy Houston, Britney Harper, Mariena Lewis, Laura Fleury, Samuel Rosenstein, Abby Newland, Jessie Niager, Katie Carswell, Mia Baker, Mary Ellen Anderson, Lacey Williams, Liz Barclay, Katherine Ingui, Janet Dee Wallace, Stephanie Corrigan, Danielle Pol, Brittany Dowdell, Lauren Peters, Frankie Porter, Anna Beth Eason, Whitney Riker, Rachel Thomas, Jennifer Eaton, Danielle Mege, Morgan Rountree, and Stephanie Routier Photograph of Laura Fleury’s “The Bird” by Katherine Ingui
Art Education BFA exit show and Emergence: BFA Drawing & Painting exit show TONIGHT!  7-9pm at the Lamar Dodd School of Art RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=114361085244558&ref=ts http://art.uga.edu/index.php?pt=3&id=237# Painting by Erika Burke