Georgia Council for the Arts announces state tour

The Georgia Council for the Arts, the arm of the state economic development office tasked with specialization in arts and culture, announced this week that ten communities over the next two years will host the traveling exhibition of works from Georgia’s state art collection. Titled “Reimagine: Contemporary Georgia Artists” is the largest exhibition in more than ten years from the state collection, spotlighting folk and Georgia artists and the impact the arts and culture sector has on Georgia communities.

“Bringing selections from the Georgia State Art Collection to rural communities in all four corners of the state and showcasing the work of each community’s local, active artists is an exciting opportunity,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “We appreciate the support of the Georgia General Assembly for their support in expanding arts services to rural areas. The hard work of our Georgia Council for the Arts team highlights that Georgia is an amazing place to live and encourages pride in Georgia’s arts and cultural heritage.”

The traveling exhibit will feature 20 selected works from the state collection, along with other selections from that particular community’s local and regional artists. The ten communities won a spot on the tour through a competitive process, focused on engaging small and rural communities across the state and the impact they have on the arts and culture of Georgia. Each community will also receive a grant as part of being featured on the tour, supporting the exhibit and related community activities. The Council for the Arts will also work with each community on developing local artist workshops, educational opportunities for students and in-gallery engagement.

“This traveling exhibit provides opportunities for connection and collaboration through a unique arts experience,” said Georgia Council for the Arts Executive Director Tina Lilly. “This is more than just an art exhibit – ‘Reimagine’ shows how the arts can enhance multigenerational engagement and community development. By intentionally engaging with artists, communities can find creative solutions to problems, creating more vibrant places where people want to live and visit.”

The State Art Collection is composed of more than 600 works created by Georgia artists in the latter half of the 20th century. The collection serves as both an educational tool, spreading awareness of the art and artists in the state at that time but also for preservation, archiving a time of folk and other art from Georgia before the explosive growth we have seen in the last few decades. The exhibit features paintings, photographs and drawings by nationally known artists, but also quilting and lacemaking, something particularly resonant on the local level.

For the next year and a half, the exhibit can be found in the following communities: