FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2014
Contact: Michelle Riley
Director, Marketing and Public Relations
912.790.8890, [email protected]
Telfair Museums Reveals Private Art to the Community
A celebration of beloved private treasures opens at the Jepson Center
SAVANNAH, GA…Private art collections usually remain just that—private. These very personal
possessions are rarely revealed beyond close family and friends. However, the opening of a
new exhibit called Savannah Collects at the Jepson Center on October 3 will give the
community an inside look at some of the most distinguished private art collections in the
Savannah area.
Savannah Collects spans three centuries and features works in many different media, from
antique silver to contemporary art. The common thread is that each work is a cherished treasure
on loan from a private home in Savannah.
“Lenders to the exhibition have each graciously spared one beloved object from their collection
for the duration of the show,” said Lisa Grove, Telfair Museums’ director and CEO. “The exhibit
reflects this city’s wonderfully eclectic tastes in fine and decorative arts and celebrates its
passion for collecting and living with original art works. We learn so much from the collections
and the people who are devoted to them.”
Rather than an exhaustive survey of local art collections, this installation reflects a sample of
Savannah’s wide-ranging and diverse appreciation of original art in all its forms. Objects range
from a small 18th-century tea caddy made by the English female silversmith Elizabeth Godfrey
to whimsical objects, such as a former environmental section of art from the property of famed
Georgia self-taught artist Howard Finster. Also on display is a bright orange bulbous sculpture
by contemporary artist Roxy Paine.
“For over 125 years, Telfair Museums has been providing the community, both regionally and
nationally, a place to view wonderful works of art,” said Grove. “Savannah Collects furthers this
mission and history, honoring the artists who enhance our lives and the local collectors whose
passions support art and its makers.”
While capturing a glimpse of hidden Savannah, visitors are encouraged to ponder the concept
of collecting and displaying art in various domestic and museum settings—perhaps inspiring the
addition of original works of art to their own homes. To help encourage and explain this passion,
many of the lenders who contributed objects to the exhibit offer insights to their collections:
“We think art is shared between the artist and the observer, allowing everyone who sees the
work a chance to participate in the vision and creativity of the artist. This engagement is a way
to be part of a time, a place, or an emotion that the viewer might otherwise never experience.”
--Cheri and Ben Roach who contributed: Reclining woman under a shade, oil painting by Walter
MacEwen (American, 1858-1943)
_______
“Our family has had a tradition of collecting objects that usually connect to Savannah history.
This piece was found in Savannah and has a Savannah provenance. Very likely the piece
originally came to the city with its intended purpose for storage. This piece is especially
important because it documents an enslaved man’s ability to read and write because he
frequently signed the pottery pots and jars he created…”
--Jacky Blatner who contributed: Storage Jar, Inscribed: February 14, 1863, alkaline-glazed
stoneware by David Drake (American: Edgefield District, South Carolina, 1800-c. 1870).
Collection of Mary Daniell DeValinger Blatner
_______
"I do not collect silver, nor do I have a collection, per se, but I have inherited some fabulous
pieces and love them. When there is a need for a particular piece in the house or to entertain, I
search for one in silver—old, beautiful and with a personal significance. So maybe I am a
collector! And this piece is one of my most treasured!"
--Linda McWhorter who contributed: Silver tea caddy, 1751-52, by Elizabeth Godfrey (English,
active c. 1720–1758)
_______
Photo credit for attached images:
Photo 1:
Roxy Paine
(American, born 1966)
Collection of Alice and Tom Tisch
Photo 2:
Elizabeth Godfrey
(English, active c. 1720–1758)
Tea caddy, 1751-52
Silver
Collection of Mrs. Thomas R. McWhorter
Related Program:
Savannah Collects Members Opening and Collectors Panel October 2
6 pm / Jepson Center
Join three prominent collectors from Savannah area – Eleanore De Sole, John Duncan, and
Waler O. Evans – to learn what motivated them to collect and how their collections have
evolved over time. Followed by a reception for general membership and guests with paid
admission. Includes light appetizers and cash bar for beer and wine.
About Telfair Museums:
Opened in 1886, Telfair Museums is the oldest public art museum in the South and features a
world-class art collection in the heart of Savannah’s National Historic Landmark District. The
museum encompasses three sites: the Jepson Center for the Arts, the Owens-Thomas House,
and the Telfair Academy.
The Jepson Center is home to Telfair’s impressive traveling exhibitions, such as “Whitfield
Lovell: Deep River,” and the upcoming “Monet and American Impressionism” in 2015. The
delicious Jepson Café is a locals’ favorite, and many art classes, Free Family Days, movie
screenings, lectures, and parties take place at the Jepson Center. Kids enjoy the two-story
interactive children’s museum, and adults enjoy the great shopping offered at the Jepson store.
The Owens-Thomas House and the Telfair Academy are both National Historic Landmark
Buildings. The Owens-Thomas House is one of Savannah’s most-visited attractions and
regularly wins “Best Historic Building” in readers’ polls. Built 1816-1819, the Owens-Thomas
House is considered by architectural historians to be one of the finest examples of English
Regency architecture in America. The site includes an original carriage house, which contains
one of the earliest intact urban slave quarters in the South.
The Telfair Academy is a former mansion built from 1818-1819 for Alexander Telfair, son of
Revolutionary War patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair. In 1875, Alexander’s sister
Mary – heir to the family fortune and last to bear the Telfair name – bequeathed the house and
its furnishings to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum. The Telfair
Academy is the only historic art museum in Savannah, and visitors can see how the great
mansion was converted into a museum. It also is home to the “Bird Girl” statue, made famous in
the book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
For a fee of $20, visitors may purchase a triple-site pass that expires a week after purchase and
gives one-time entry to the Jepson Center, the Telfair Academy, and the Owens-Thomas
House. Group tours are available for groups of 10 or more.
Hours:
Telfair Museums’ sites are open Sunday and Monday 12-5 pm, Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm.
For more information, call 912.790.8800 or visit www.telfair.org.
Jepson Center - 207 W. York Street, on Telfair Square
Telfair Academy - 121 Barnard Street, on Telfair Square
Owens-Thomas House - 124 Abercorn Street, on Oglethorpe Square
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