ANNUAL REPORT FY18: OUR 55th Anniversary

On behalf of all of us at the LaGrange Art Museum, thank you for supporting the mission and vision of LAM in 2018. This was a year of transition with new leadership and hard work by the Board of Governors and staff. Your support allowed us to roll up our sleeves, tackle some necessary projects and reinvent our approach.

We emerge from 2018 with a skip to our step. Our house is in order and we are energized with a spark to ignite new relationships, new ideas and new possibilities. This art museum had a remarkable impact on individual’s lives as well as on our creative community this year and we will build on that momentum in 2019.

We hope that this report for FY2018 will deepen your commitment to the LaGrange Art Museum. Your support makes every day better.

With sincere thanks,

Laura R. Jennings Ethyl L. AultExecutive Director President, Board of Governors

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LAM serves a five-county region – Troup, Harris, Meriwether, Heard in Georgia and Chambers County in Alabama.

SHARED SPACES

Renowned New York sculptor Bob Clyatt partnered with the Museum to conduct a lively public art project. At its most basic level, Shared Spaces was a way for the community to participate in the creation of a lasting work of wall relief sculpture, which was gifted back to the community.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ART EDUCATION

LaGrange Development Authority and The Cochran Gallery. Community members from all walks of life brought objects that meant something to them and which somehow spoke to their understanding of being American. The objects were embedded in an American flag made of a clay and then a finished piece made of a blend of hard plasters and ground white Carrara marble.

It was a multi-generational endeavor with a West Georgia University student apprenticing with Clyatt. A high school intern also participated as well as walk-in members of the community. Local filmmaker Henry Jacobs produced a mini-film about the experience. Art Camp students partici-pated as well as students from the Ben Harvey Hill and Lucy Morgan Homes.

Clyatt is traveling around the United States putting on approximately 10 of these public art projects and they will ultimately culminate into an exhibition in New York City or Washington D.C.

To view the video follow link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV2VNyOMOWo&feature=youtu.be)

INNOVATION IN ART EDUCATION

LAM’s education department has, for many years, responded to significant needs in area public schools. Without fulltime formalized K-12 art education in the majority of schools in our service area, students are missing key components in creative, intuitive learning and LAM continually seeks to fill in gaps in visual arts instruction.

LAM partnered with the Troup County School System to provide an immersive field trip for its summer school participants- ages 5 to 8 years old. Can you imagine the liveliness of having over 250 students, grades K to 3rd, participating in art centers throughout the museum?

Students enjoying tour and activities.

Artist Bob Clyatt working with volunteers.

Finished artwork.

The three-day June event was a collabo-ration between the museum, Downtown

Partnering with the Georgia Council for the Arts, LAM received a grant to provide a multi-disciplinary program to Meriwether kindergartners that builds their verbal and writing skills through the arts. The grant also provides funding for bus transportation for two field trips to the museum and teacher training.

Program Goals

• Increase high-quality art experiences for early learners.

• Introduce early childhood educators to their local art museum and encourage museum use as a classroom resource and foundation for arts-integrated teaching and learning.

• Involve parents/guardians of kindergarten students by encouraging attendance and engagement with their local art museum and school classroom.

• The most important goal of the program is to showcase the merits of a high-quality art education program and the impact the arts have in the education of our youth. For those who don’t believe in “art for art’s sake” we have the proof --- art enhances children’s cognitive processes.

The Museum contracted with Hillside Montessori to provide art for elementary and middle high students. Museum Education Coordinator and Art Instructor Victoria Slagle spends Mondays at the school providing arts education and preparing their work for entries in regional exhibitions.

LAM’s longest running programs are made possible through grants from the Junior Service League of LaGrange. Artful Visions Summer Camp and the free Super Saturdays hit record attendance numbers in 2018. Both take advantage of the open, light-filled space of the Center for Creative Learning.

The come-and-go, hands-on art workshop Super Saturday is offered the third Saturday of each month and averages 30 participants monthly in its four-hour time frame. Parents and caregivers enjoy the program as much as the children. It is not uncommon to see a busload of children from the Benjamin Harvey Hill and Lucy Morgan Homes pull up for Super Saturdays.

Our summer camps explored more advanced mediums and techniques and even offered a session for teens. Parents are grateful to have an opportunity to supplement their children’s holistic education.

the museum had visitors and participants

in outreach projects 6,728

Students enjoying tour and activities.

Mini ArtfulVisions classroom drawing lesson.

Camp student showing off her artwork.

a record of 162 summer campers

ART CLASSES AND GATHERINGS

The Visual Artists Alliance of LaGrange (VAAL) has its monthly meetings at the Center for Creative Learning. This is a group of regional artists who banded together to promote their work and learn from one another.

A teaching studio was created for those enrolled in painting classes.

Great art was created in the studios rented by Cindy Fulks, Julie Heo, and Ashley Stewart.

Taking advantage of our demonstration kitchen, instruc-tors taught Indian Cooking, Gluten Free Cooking, Southern Cooking, and Cake and Cupcake Decorating. From week-ly classes to weekend workshops, lessons were offered in watercolor, oil, drawing and pottery.

INTERNSHIPS

This summer we were fortunate to have extra help from three interns from Georgia Southern University and LaGrange College. Cathy Estes, Celeste Crowe, and Alexis Westrick played a critical role ensuring the summer camp participants had the best experience possible.

Alongside skilled art instructors, they gained experience in planning, prepar-ing and teaching camp participants ages 3-17 years old. They also were able to assist the administrative staff with data entry, records management, and front desk reception. During the immersive field trips for Troup County summer school the interns served as docents and enjoyed the hands on learning experience.

At the end of the summer they were rewarded for their hard work with a behind-the- scenes field trip to the Columbus Museum and the Bo Bartlett Center.

This fall, a Callaway High School student, Alyssa Freeman interned through THINC Academy. Her biggest project has been updating our media contact list. She has also assisted with data entry, collections maintence, artwork installation, and served as front desk receptionist.

Erma Roberts cooking class.

Alyssa Freeman at the front desk. Celeste Crowe instructing clay campers.

Cathy Estes getting her hands dirty during camp.

ACQUISTIONS AND COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL PURCHASE AWARDS

LAM added three new works to its Permanent Collection, thanks to Callaway Foundation, Inc.’s purchase award support for the biennial Southeast Regional.

This year a purchase awards committee was established to select works from the Second Southeast. The purchase awards commitee established the nomination process and the criteria for each purchase award given, providing more strategic long-term planning to the permanent collection. These works were choosen for their artistic merit and for their educational purposes with special consideration for their long-term maintenance.

Jim Collins’ mixed media collages with assemblage frames are somewhat challenging in that the art is not finalized until the viewer completes it, continuing the rich tradition of storytelling in the South. His work can be found in many pub-lic and private collections in the United States and Ireland.

Manda Remmen is assistant professor of art and the Chair of the Art Department at Emory & Henry College. This artwork is from her series of “maps” that reveal the value of land and the understanding of ownership.

Elana Hagler was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and immigrated to the United States at the age of five. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Art at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. This artwork represents her fascina-tion with understanding people on a deeper level.

Jim CollinsClones of Etain

Mixed media20 x 43 x 3.5 inches

Manda Remmen Fresh Mown HayEmbroidery6.5 x 8 inches

Elana Hagler Lilli

Pastel on paper30 x 24 inches

Former LaGrange residents John and Mary Lane donated $88,000 worth of art from their personal collection in Atlanta. The donation is primarily comprised of works by Erte (Romain de Tirtoff) but also includes work by Victor Vasarely, Rene Gruau, Mary Victers, and Vicky Montesinos.

Dale Mallory donated a 5 foot by 5 foot oil painting done by former LaGrange resident Signe Grushevenko. This gift was made in memory of her husband, Richard H. Mallory, Jr.

Artist Gail Grice donated three of her acrylic pour paintings that now hang in the CCL.

Erte Bubbles, 1981

Color serigraph

ART DONATIONS

Best known for his Art Deco style, Erte is collected by acclaimed museums throughout the world such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. His work is among the twentieth century’s most influential art. Victor Vaserely was a painter of geometric abstractions who became one of the leading figures of the Op Art Movement.

Second LaGrange Southeast RegionalThe LaGrange Southeast Regional is a juried biennial competition, which celebrates the rich legacy of talent within our region and provides the citizens of West Georgia and East Alabama access to current artistic practices; offers artists exhibitions opportunities and purchase possibilities; and affords the LaGrange Art Museum (LAM) and the Lamar Dodd Art Center (LDAC) a means for the development of significant collections of contemporary American art. We were honored to have David Houston, Executive Director of the Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University, serve as this year’s adjudicator. In support for the LSER we were awarded a FY‘18 Georgia Council for the Arts Project Grant.

Creative Youth Art LeagueIn May the Creative Youth Art League (CYAL) celebrated 25 years of providing outreach programs for art students all of ages in Troup and surrounding counties. Middle and high school student works were in the Museum and the elemen-tary artworks were in the Center for Creative Learning.

Larry Walker’s, Journey Home (LAM Permanent Collection) was loaned to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) as part of a retrospective exhibition of the highly acclaimed visual artist, art professor and mentor Larry M. Walker. It was also be featured in a scholarly monograph, depicting Larry Walker’s impact on both Georgia and the national art scene, adding it to the literary cannon of art in America.

Take Your Time: Works from the Permanent Collection and Sculptures from Deborah McNeil, RL Hughey, Jr. and Chuck MooreInspired by the slow art movement, viewers were encouraged to spend more than the average time of 17 seconds viewing artworks. The sculptures chosen for this exhibition were interactive and child-friendly so that families and campers could enjoy the time spent at the Museum.

TWELVE MONTHS OF ART

The continued partnership with Columbus State University provides the Museum with the touring exhibition In the Land of Pasaquan: The Story of Eddie Owens Martin, curated by Fred Fussell. Terms of the loan allow LAM to travel the exhibition throughout the state and nation. The exhibition toured from December 4, 2017- March 11, 2018 to the Intuit: Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago, Illinois, and then in October 2018 to the Lyndon House in Athens, GA.

TRAVELING ART

The late Morrill Hutchinson’s family pictured with the winner of the Morrill Hutchinson Best in Show Award recepient.

Dr. Nick Vlachos generously donated a lithographic print from his Eugène Carrière Collection for public auction this fall.

Artist Chuck Moore donated several of his wood and soapstone sculptures to LAM’s permanent collection.

Victoria Slagle and Lauren Oliver hanging Southeast Regional artwork by Thea McElvy.

LAM gallery during Southeast Regional.

Society of SevenThe Society of Seven is a group of realist plein air and studio painters based in and around Newnan, Georgia. Their work promotes and educates the theories and practices of the modern day plein air and realist art movement. Painting from life in oil paint is at the core of their work. Members include David Boyd, Jr., Sue Christman, Millie Gosch, Dana Johnson, Martin Pate, Elsa Sibley and Brenda Sumpter. All the works are for sale and the artists have agreed that a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the Museum.

Vive CarrièreIn conjunction with the VAAL exhibition we also participated in the town’s celebration honoring the Marquis de LaFayette and France by having works on display from Dr. Nick Vlachos’ Eugène Carrière Collection. During this exhibition we had visitors from the French Consulates Attaché (Kathryn Miner and Becca Milfeld) and the High Museum’s Curator of European Art (Claudia Einecke).

7th Annual VAAL: Visual Artists Alliance of LaGrange ExhibitionThe seventh annual Celebrate the End Summer show featured the works by VAAL: Visual Artists Alliance of LaGrange. Each year, the Museum partners with the Alliance to provide a venue where local artists can showcase their works. The Museum remains an enthu-siastic partner.

Generosity from organizations fulfilled LAM’s programming needs and the museum

thanks the following for their gifts to art education and exhibition sponsors:

Jackson DentistyChildress DentistryPiedmont Hospital of NewnanCity of LaGrangeThe family of Morrill HutchinsonKiwanis Club of LaGrangeHiggins LaGrange Chapel Funeral HomeThree Points FrameKey and Gordy, P.C.

Callaway Foundation, Inc.West Point Fund Georgia Council for the Arts National Endowment for the Arts Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee ValleyJunior Service League First People’s Bank, Pine Mountain, GAWest Georgia Technical CollegeLaGrange College

Artwork by VAAL artist Lanora Pierce Yates. Artwork by VAAL artist Terri Codlin.

Gallery Talk with Dr. Nick Vlachos.

Artwork from Society of Seven Exibition.

THE MESSAGE MATTERS

The museum does not have a marketing budget so we rely heavily on our media partners who generously promote us.

Thanks to Katie VanSchoor with the City of La-Grange, Alicia Hill with the LaGrange Daily News, Brad Stewart with The Local Buzz, the Troup County News reporters, Alton West with the City of LaGrange’s TV19, LaGrange-Troup Coun-ty Chamber of Commerce, Patrick and Jackie Terrail with 85 South Out and About, and Jake Behr with Round & Bout.

Miserable and unsafe! Thanks to a grant from the Callaway Foundation we:

-Installed a new heat and air conditioning system for this 126-year-old building.-Added a surveillance system throughout the building.-Installed a new ADA-compliant hand rail at our entranceway.-Added directional lighting in the Center for Creative Learning’s rear parking lot. -Installed a security barrier from the parking deck to the CCL’s parking lot.

WHAT WOULD OUR MUSEUM BE WITHOUT THE CALLAWAY FOUNDATION?

LAM facade 2018.

Gallery Tour.Adult workshop participants.

The Board of Governors are looking ahead to the new year with great enthusiasm. The board members will dig deep once again at the January 26, 2019 board retreat to chart the course for the years ahead. LAM looks to lead the regional conversation on the importance of the arts while maintaining a high level of excel-lence in art education and exhibitions.

LaGrange-Troup County is embarking on the creation of a new strategic plan and LAM wants to advocate for a significant role for the arts to provide solutions to identified challenges.

We will continue providing resources to meet needs of area educators and magnifying learning for in-gallery visitors of all ages. The benefits of highly accessible art education and a focus on implementing creativity as a workforce development skill are areas of long-term impact that LAM will continue to communi-cate to partners in regional school systems and in the business community.

FULL STEAM AHEAD INTO 2019

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

President: Ethyl L AultSecretary: Jenni SampsonTreasurer: Leigh Newman1st Vice President: Al Brannon2nd Vice President: Holly WinnerMembers at Large: Connie Boccucci, Jackie Terrail

Brent BrownTricia DimonJoyce Ellis-JohnsonSteve GriffinMichael HutchesonNanci LechaczSandy Lee

David A. LockMichael McFallsTeresa PhillipsMartha PirkleApril PrichardCynthia N. Welch

“People realize the arts are a big economic develop-ment piece. When a company decides where it’s going to move or grow, it looks at arts and culture. Creativity is at a higher premium than it has been probably ever. People understand the arts are not only good because they are wonderful; they’re great because of lifestyle, of quality-of-life issues. As we are growing technology companies, growing our entrepreneurial sector, we’ve got to have good, solid creative arts organizations.”

– Doug Shipman, Woodruff Arts President and CEO,

in Georgia Trend Magazine, December 2018 issue

Student with Chuck Moore sculpture.

Artist Annie Greene giving a yarn art demonstration.

Abbott and Associates, LLCMr. and Mrs. Marc E. AcreeMr. and Mrs. David ArnoldMs. Ethyl L. AultMs. Marilyn Austin-CarterDr. and Mrs. Mike BainNikki BarnesPatricia BartonMs. Joanna B BaxterMr. and Mrs. Amos T. BeasonMr. and Mrs. Ed BiggsMr. and Mrs. David BlencoeMr. and Mrs. Ken BoatwrightMs. Connie BoccucciMr. and Mrs. Bill BowlingMr. Al BrannonMr. and Mrs. Carl BroganDr. Brent BrownClara and James BrownDr. Jennifer BrownKaren BryantMs. Lauranne BuchananR. William BuchananMr. and Mrs. H. Speer Burdette IIIMr. and Mrs. Grant CagleMr. Bobby CammonMr. and Mrs. Robert CampanaleMary CarrollLee CatheyMrs. Lillian C. CaubleMr. and Mrs. David Zimri Cauble IIIDarrell and Diane ChambersMs. Linda ChristianMr. and Mrs. Jerry P. Cleaveland, JrMs. Mary Jane CleavelandMr. and Mrs. Stephen CloseMr. and Mrs. Wesley CochranMs. Jane Alice CraigMr. and Mrs. Jerald CraigMary Lou DabbsMrs. Paula DardenPaula DardenMr. and Mrs. John Pratt DavidsonMr. Deion L. DeanDelta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.Tricia DimonMr. and Mrs. Tommy DouglasMr. and Mrs. Fred DurandDrs. Julian and Sue DutteraMr. and Mrs. Marvin EdelsonMr. and Mrs. Edward W. EdgeMr. Arthur B. Edge, IIIRebecca EilandMr. and Mrs. Bob EllisMs. Joyce Ellis-JohnsonKathleen Ernest

Ms. Page EstesMr. and Mrs. Charles FergusonMs. Georgia FlowersMrs. Jane R. FosterValerie FraserDiane FrazierDr. and Mrs. Richard FreemanMr. and Mrs. Jerry FulksMr. and Mrs. Vincent GadrixMr. and Mrs. Orren GilbertMs. Judy GilliamMs. Gail GordonLaura GordySelma M. Gore and Thomas B. GoreMr. and Mrs. Oliver GreeneMr. and Mrs. J. T. GreshamMr. and Mrs. Perry GriceMr. and Mrs. Ralph S. GriffinMr. and Mrs. Russell GrizzleMs. Kathy GunnDr. and Mrs. Dan GuyCindy HardyMr. and Mrs. Bob HarrisDr. and Mrs. Thomas Harris IIMs. Zsa Zsa HeardRev. Helen and Dr. George HenryJulie HeoMs. Erika HessMary HicksMr. and Mrs. Jeff HigginsKay HillCecelia HiltonMr. and Mrs. Pat HolderMr. and Mrs. John S. HolleCatherine HolmesMrs. Charlotte HouzeMr. and Mrs. Ralph Howard, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Nicky HullMrs. Gail HunnicuttMr. and Mrs. Wayne HunterR P JabaleyMs. Yolanda K. JabaleyMr. and Mrs. J. Lee JacksonDr. John M. Jackson, Jr.Ms. Donna JarzenLaura JenningsMr. and Mrs. Clark JohnsonDr. Sandie JohnsonMrs. Shannon Gavin JohnsonSandra JonasEvette JonesMr. and Mrs. Chris JosephJudge and Mrs. Allen KeebleMrs. Sallie KeithMr. Patrick M. KellyGordon Kester

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald A. KeyMr. and Mrs. Mitchell KeyDr. and Mrs. James G. KillebrewIsabelle KnightMr. and Mrs. Walton H. KnightCapt. Robert KustermannDr. John and Mrs. Mary LaneJoey LanierMs. Judy LawrenceDr. and Mrs. George LechaczMr. and Mrs. Daniel W. LeeSandy LeeMrs. Werner A. LinzDavid LockMr. and Mrs. Thomas MahaffeyMallory AgencyDr. Nina Dulin-MalloryMr. and Mrs. Kendrick MattoxLisa McCoyMs. Amy McDowMs. Thea McElvyElizabeth and Michael McFallsMs. Peggie McGeeGwendolyn McIntoshMr. and Mrs. John C. McKibbenEllen McLaughlinMr. and Mrs. Alfred McNairJudith and Taylor MerrillTeresa MoatKathy MooreMr. Bob MurphyDr. and Mrs. Madhav NaikMr. and Mrs. Chunk NewmanMr. and Mrs. Roy NicholsRebecca Roth NicksLauren Keith OliverMr. and Mrs. Bobby PadgettLisa ParkerDiana PhillipsMr. and Mrs. Mike PhillipsMr. and Mrs. Tom PirkleApril PrichardMr. and Mrs. Louis RachmuthMs. Pam RamsayDr. and Mrs. Joseph RandMs. Mary Ann RasmussenMs. Margaret RenekeMr. and Mrs. Ken RhodesMr. and Mrs. William RiceMs. Erma RobertsMr. Don RussellMr. and Mrs. Jay RussellMs. Jenni SampsonJocelyn ScottDr. Laine ScottMr. and Mrs. Richard Sheppard

Ms. Stephanie SheppardRose SherrerDrs. Sandy and Debbie SimmonsMs. Elizabeth S. SimsAshley SkipNicole SmithMr. and Mrs. Charles W. SmithMs. Nancy SmithMr. Ken SpikesSplash Kitchens & BathsMr. and Mrs. William T. SquiresMr. and Mrs. William StankiewiczJulie StengerMr. and Mrs. Jeffrey T. StephensMrs. Charles StevensMrs. Sue StewartDrs. Mel and Ashley StewartMs. Anne H. StichMs. Shelley StricklandMary SumnersKarin TaylorMr. and Mrs. Patrick TerrailMr. and Mrs. Horace ThomMs. Martha Sue ThomasonMr. and Mrs. Dean ThompsonMr. and Mrs. Dale TownsendDr. and Mrs. Wes TurtonKilsup Van LieuTara VaughnMs. Trish VaughnMs. Martha C. VawterKerri ViceMs. Jennie WadsworthColonel M. Reid WallisMr. and Mrs. Bob WaltersGreg and Karen WattsCynthia N. WelchJason and Stacy WeldonMr. and Mrs. Tim WielandMr. and Mrs. James R. WilburnAngie WilliamsMr. and Mrs. J. Frank WilliamsonWillowood Garden ClubJulia WilsonMeredith WilsonHolly WinnerDr. Frank A. WojciechowskiMr. Carleton Wood and Ms. Michele RaphoonMr. Kenneth Worthington and Mr. Gerald McGeeJanet WycheLanora and Mark YatesMrs. Nancy C. YatesDr. and Mrs. Eric Zerla

LAM’s Board of Governors and Staff give sincere thanks to the companies and individuals who financially support the museum’s mission, and who advocate for LAM’s role in the community. Listings in this section reflect memberships, donations, and in-kind donations from January 1, 2018 - December 27, 2018. Support received outside this timeframe will be listed in the FY19 Annual Report.

SUPPORT