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Madison Museum of Fine Art, Inc.
PO Box 814/ 300 Hancock Street
Madison, GA 30650 mbechtell@prodigy.net |
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"Young at Art" LAKE LIFE MAGAZINE
Madison Museum of Fine Art to Host National Student Art Exhibito
Posted December 15, 2006
LakeLife Magazine
“Young at Art”
Madison Museum of Fine Art to Host National AP Student Art Exhibition
By M. Elizabeth Neal Photography by Andrea Gable
To Michele Bechtell, Director of the Madison Museum of Fine Art, art is a window that enables the viewer to travel back and forward in time.
“I’ve always wanted to bring art masters to a rural area, and to do it in an intimate entertaining way that shows people that museums and fine art are not just about objects. They’re actually vehicles for time travel - that allow us a personal glimpse of the past and a portal to the future.”
Art education for youngsters has been a special emphasis since the museum’s inception 2.5 years ago, with hundreds of students from the Morgan school system and others visiting to view the museum’s diverse collection.
“We’re a fantastic resource for art students of all ages, of course, but what I truly love is when history teachers, civic teachers, and literature teachers - even math - bring their students to illustrate the interconnection between art and other areas of study.
“A lot of what we do stimulates all five senses with a liberal arts orientation that brings art history to life,” she said.
Kelly Seagraves and her third grade Spanish class at Morgan County Elementary School are a recent case in point. She and Laura Rice, the school’s art teacher, took Seagrave’s class to observe two paintings by Salvador Dali, as well as several pieces by other Spanish artists. Seagraves’ classes spent the week prior to the museum visit studying Dali’s artwork and his life. Because both of his paintings at the museum depict Don Quixote, the teacher also introduced the famous Spanish literature character to the class.
“We talked about our dreams, surrealism, and took some time to draw “Mi Dali” (our own version of a Salvador Dali surreal work) Seagraves stated in a letter of appreciation to Bechtell. “Upon arriving at the museum, Ms. Rice aided the students in reading a painting. After looking at all the elements in English, I turned their attention toward the Dali’s. The students engaged in a conversation led in Spanish about this artwork. It was amazing to see what the students recalled about the artists, their work, and general Spanish terminology…,” Seagraves continued.
Beginning Dec.2, the opportunities for students and adults alike will expand exponentially, with the work of 30 Advanced Placement Program (AP) Studio Art students arriving at the museum for a month long exhibit. Juried from 26,402 portfolios submitted as part of the AP Studio Art evaluation, the artwork represents the highest levels of artistic AP achievement during the 2005-2006 period.
The 30 pieces represent 19 states in the U.S. and South Korea. The College Board is flying in students and their teachers from around the nation to be honored at an opening ceremony and reception at The Madison Museum of Fine Art from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2.
Madison Mayor Tom DuPree is hosting a dinner for the visiting students and their teachers at his home the same evening.
“We’re really honored to be selected to exhibit the work of these exceptionally talented international young artist, “ Bechtell said. “We know that this exhibit will be of great interest to art enthusiasts, educators, and young people across the U.S. And I am certain that Georgia’s international and welcoming arts community will embrace these young art masters.”
Add College Board President Gaston Caperton, ”The artwork in the exhibition show the sophisticated level of achievement that students can attain while taking an AP course. This exhibition…features work created in a variety of media and representing extraordinary clarity of thought, and a great diversity of content, style, and technique.”
Created in 1971, the College Board’s AP Studio Art Program encourages highly motivated students to participate in college-level study of art while still in high school. At the end of the school year, the students submit portfolios of their work for evaluation by college, university, and secondary school art instructors. These evaluations, in turn, enable colleges to grant appropriate college credit and placement.
In previous years, the AP Studio Art Exhibition has been hosted by the Contemporary Museum of Art in Miami, Fla., the Frist Art Center in Nashville, and the Queenstown Gallery in Pennington, NJ.
More than 900 Georgia students submitted AP Studio Art portfolios this year.
The Madison Museum of Fine Art was established as a non-for-profit institution. While virtually all of its exhibits were on loan at its inception, the museum has since acquired more than 50 significant pieces of art, Bechtell said.
It exhibits original works by such well loved artists as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Clementine Hunter, a fine collection of Buddhist art and artifacts dating from the 3rd century and a collection of hand-carved stone sculpture created by the founding fathers of the Shona movement in Zimbabwe.
It is located on the courthouse square in Madison. For additional information, call (706) 342-8320, or see the Website at www.madisonmusem.org
Select a Press Release
Feb 13, 2010:
"From Dust to Dirt" Retrospective
Jan 22, 2010:
Alexander Z. Kruse Exhibition
Sep 18, 2008:
MMOFA Participates in Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day
Sep 14, 2008:
MMOFA Receives Gift of Early American Primitive Painting
Aug 28, 2008:
MMOFA Preserves a Piece of Stained Glass History
Jul 31, 2008:
“Out of the Sun” Film Festival Offers Retreat From the Heat
Jul 21, 2008:
Portrait of Historic Madison Personality Clementine Turnell Rece
Feb 20, 2008:
Dec 15, 2007:
MMFA receives Gift of Paintings
Jan 11, 2007:
"Night of the Three Kings" MORGAN COUNTY CITIZEN
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