Vanessa German, a contemporary artist and vigorous advocate for children, will hold a student workshop at Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center for the Arts on March 30 from 6-8 pm. German, called a “force of nature” by members of the art community, is a sculptor, actress, performer and educator who frequently works collaboratively with her community and uses art making to build children’s self-esteem and sense of security. The participants in the workshop are between 6-and 12-years old and are sponsored by Loop It Up Savannah, a non-profit organization that brings creative art experiences to local children and families.
 
German creates captivating sculptures she’s dubbed “power figures,” by assembling found and donated items onto dolls painted black and imbues them with stories and personality. Her objective with the workshop is to have the children create their own power figures that tell their stories and serve as a way to build confidence in themselves. The figures will be placed on display in the museum as part of a community exhibit.    
 
German is one of the artists featured in the exhibition State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now at the Jepson Center until Sept 4. The exhibition was originally organized and developed by the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonsville, Ark. The artists were selected 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, including German’s studio in Pittsburgh, Penn. The show explores a snapshot of what artmaking and creative communities look like today, and also introduces the exhibiting artists to a broader public audience. Telfair Museums is featuring 40 of the original 102 artists. Two of German’s “power figures” are part of the show.
 
Serving as a strong advocate for children in her Pittsburgh neighborhood called Homewood, German creates safe spaces for art-making in an area surrounded by violence and danger. She launched Art House in a formerly derelict HUD home to offer neighborhood children the opportunity to create beauty, build self-esteem, and to offer perspectives beyond their limited circumstances.  She also acts in a leadership role for neighborhood children, whose constant visits to her porch to watch her work led her to establish the after-school studio down the street.
 
During her visit to Savannah, German will give a lecture on her work at the Jepson Center on March 31 at 6 pm. She will be delivering the lecture in a performance style she developed called Spoken Word Opera. The lecture is free to Telfair Museum members and $12 for non-members. Advance registration is available at Telfair.org/stateoftheart.
 
In announcing the opening of State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now, Rachel Reese, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Telfair Museums said, “At its core, the exhibit asserts that contemporary art is a powerful and meaningful form of communication that effectively reflects the time and place in which it was made. It also allows local audiences to interpret, understand, and connect contemporary art with issues we share.” In announcing German’s art and her workshop, Reese added, “We’re very grateful that Vanessa will share her vision and talents with our Savannah community; her advocacy and activism for children really transcends lives. That is the power her art brings: the ability to speak to and transform others directly.”