Saturday, Sept. 25, the Madison Museum of Fine Art (MMoFA) will participate in the 6th annual Museum Day organized by Smithsonian magazine. At 10 a.m., MMoFA’s doors will open free of charge to Smithsonian magazine readers and Smithsonian.com  visitors. Last year, upwards of 300,000 people attended Museum Day with all 50 states represented. An artists’ reception will begin at 6pm that evening with opening remarks, refreshments, and live music. The artist reception is open to the public and free of charge

The event will showcase MMoFA’s permanent art collection spanning 2000 years of art history.  Visitors will also view the 2010 “Making Masters: Select Works by 2nd Year Students at the UGA Graduate School of Art.” The exhibition is curated by Dr. Asen Kirin, Associate Director of the UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art, in collaboration with graduate students in the art history program. The exhibition will feature original juried art ranging from paintings to jewelry to sculptures.  

Says MMoFA Director Michele Bechtell, “This year we expanded our Smithsonian Day to offer graduate students in the UGA art history department an opportunity to work with their peers in the studio art program, MMoFA, and UGA faculty to learn and apply curatorial skills in a museum setting. The result is simply magical.” Samantha Cole, a co-curator and second-year graduate student concentrating in 19th century American art and visual culture, adds “Organizing the 2010 Making Masters exhibition has provided art history students like me with the unique opportunity to gain professional experience while collaborating with our peers in the Masters of Fine Arts program.” And Kathryn Hall, a co-curator and second-year graduate student concentrating in Italian Baroque sculpture, notes “We have enjoyed the opportunity to develop a relationship with the Madison Museum of Fine Art in the process of designing the exhibition.”

Described as a “gem of a museum,” MMoFA brings art history to life by collecting, preserving, interpreting, and imaginatively displaying original art by historically significant visual artists from around the world for the education, edification, and spiritual nourishment of all persons living and traveling in the Southeastern US. MMoFA is located next to the historic courthouse on the town square at 300 Hancock Street in Madison, Georgia. The 2010 Making Masters exhibition runs from September 15-October 15.

For hours and more info on the Saturday September 25th reception, contact 706-485-4530 or www.madisonmuseum.org. And visit www.smithsonian.com/museumday to download your Museum Day Admission Card.   The 6pm artist reception is free to the public.