Two students are responsible for curating the first-ever exhibition of north Georgia regional art pulled from the University of North Georgia (UNG) Permanent Collection, which includes pieces from a late Gainesville couple’s collection.
“The exhibition presents a thematic arrangement of works that tell the story of the connection of art with the north Georgia region,” Dr. Ana Pozzi Harris, senior lecturer, said.
Madalyn Courson, a senior pursuing a B.A. in history, along with Elizabeth Padilla Brun, a junior pursuing a B.F.A. in visual arts with a digital arts focus, spent spring break installing “Our Golden Stories,” a selection of 40-plus pieces of art, at the Library Technology Center at UNG’s Dahlonega Campus.
“The show is about art and culture in our community’s history. It’s like a big pie of all the things I love,” Courson, from Cleveland, Georgia, said. “I’ve seen a lot of exhibitions and been to a lot of museums, and this is an opportunity to see and be a part of the behind-the-scenes process.”
The experience has proven invaluable for the future. Padilla Brun said the research aspect will be key to her plan to create digital art in the film industry.
“This experience definitely helps in with the creativity aspect, and the way that we connected all the artwork to the culture of the region,” she said. “All of that helps, and so does connecting with artists and networking. It’s definitely a useful experience.”
The pieces come from two sources: what was then Gainesville State College (GSC) — with selections from the collection of James Mathis and his wife, Frances, collectors of north Georgia regional art — and what was then North Georgia College & State University (NGCSU) through donations of students and alumni and presidential purchases from the Hal B. Rhodes show, Pozzi Harris said.