All of these varied and compelling artwork and events are part of the diverse and multifaceted programs at Telfair Museums over the next six months.     
 
“From the never-before-seen to all-time favorites, our goal is to provide a diverse and provocative line-up of exhibitions that make art accessible to everyone,” said Lisa Grove, Director and CEO of Telfair Museums. “At the same time, our programs are designed to help enhance the cultural life of Savannah and are made possible thanks to generous support from public and private sources. We are grateful to the thousands of members and visitors who bring excitement to Telfair Museums.”
 
Telfair Museums announces its January through June schedule:  
 
PULSE Art + Technology 2016
January 27 – January 31/Jepson Center
 
In its 10th year the PULSE Art + Technology Festival offers wildly inventive, interactive technology-based art. The five-day celebration invites the public to participate in amazing interactive art experiences and hands-on workshops. Avant-garde visual artists from around the country present electrifying performances and give lectures that teach and illustrate new art forms. PULSE is fun for all ages and includes a family day brimming with activities, artists’ demonstrations and performances.
 
Daytime PULSE events are free and open to the public. Evening events require a PULSE Pass which is free to Telfair members and $15 for non-members. The full schedule of events can be found at: www.Teflair.org/PULSE
 
State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now
February 19-September 4/Jepson Center
 
State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now presents a snapshot of the unusually diverse and nuanced range of artwork created by contemporary artists living in diverse communities across America today. Originally developed and organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark., the exhibit examines how today’s artists are informed by the past, innovate with materials old and new and engage deeply with issues relevant to their communities. The artists were selected by the Crystal Bridges’ Director and curatorial team through an ambitious year-long research process that involved traveling 100,000 miles and visiting nearly 1,000 artists’ studios in rural communities, small towns and urban centers. Telfair’s exhibit features 40 of the original 102 artists selected to reflect what’s happening in American art right now. 
 
Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer
April 22–October 2 / Jepson Center
 
Taken during the year Elvis Presley turned 21, Alfred Wertheimer’s photographs are a remarkable visual record of rock ‘n’ roll’s most enduring figure. When Elvis walked on stage in 1956, time stopped—and then exploded. The earth shook on its axis and the beat of everyday life was jolted. In an instant, mainstream America’s veneer of cultural complacency evaporated. The year 1956 was the year Elvis released his first record, made his first television appearance, and started his movie career. It was the year he became a star.
 
Landmark: A Decade of Collecting at the Jepson Center
March 11–August 14 / Jepson Center
 
Since the Jepson Center opened its doors to the public 10 years ago, Telfair Museums has added 1,267 works of art to its permanent collection. These works encompass a broad range of time periods, styles, and media, ranging from 19th-century paintings to digital interactive installations. To celebrate the remarkable strides made in collecting during the Jepson Center era, this exhibition highlights 10 of the most significant acquisitions made from 2006 to the present. The selections include silver from the 437-object donation made in 2012 by Dr. Frank A. Rizza; a 19th-century painting of Dutch peasants by Gari Melchers; an iconic Chuck Close self-portrait; and a mixed media assemblage by contemporary artist Whitfield Lovell. Also included in the 10-year celebration is an opportunity for the community to share their favorite moments at the museum through social media. #jepsoncenter #telfairmuseums #art912 #savannah @telfairmuseums
 
Expanded Tours at Telfair Academy and Jepson Center
 
Telfair Museums is pleased introduce a new guided tour offering to visitors at the Telfair Academy and Jepson Center beginning in 2016. Included with general admission, tours will be offered several times each day on a regular schedule. Beginning on January 2, general info tours will be offered four times each day at the Telfair Academy: 10 am, noon, 2 pm and 4 pm. These tours will tell a rich story about the Telfair family and the conversion of the family mansion into one of the first art museums in America. Beginning on March 10, the 10th anniversary of the Jepson Center, architectural tours will be offered twice daily: 11 am and 3 pm. These tours will augment the ongoing docent-led tours of exhibitions offered weekday afternoons.
 
Telfair Academy Historic Preservation
 
In February, the scaffolding will come down from the Telfair Academy to reveal a newly restored exterior of this National Historic Landmark building, which will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2019. The exterior will feature a new historically-accurate color scheme that has been painstakingly determined by national historic preservation experts to restore the Telfair Academy to its original 1886 appearance when the family mansion was converted to an art museum.
 
To conduct this historic paint analysis, the museum called on preservation experts Francis Ford, a conservationist from Charleston, and Matthew Mosca, a conservationist currently working on the US Capitol dome. What they discovered was astonishing. Instead of confirming the existing colors, the team’s cutting-edge techniques in paint analysis—paired with extensive research into the Academy’s recorded and pictorial history—revealed a much bolder, luxurious design. Scheduled for completion in February.