It is open, transparent, has the ability to surprise the gazer, and blurs the line between interior and exterior spaces. This describes the structure of the Jepson Center for the Arts but also the intent of the building when it was opened in 2006. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Jepson Center continues its goal of making art accessible, inspiring and inclusive with a “greatest hits” exhibition from March 10 to August 14, along with commemorative events to mark the anniversary.

“Over the past 10 years, the Jepson Center has had a very central role in our community, both physically as a landmark and as a conduit for art appreciation and education,” said Lisa Grove, Director and CEO of Telfair Museums. “The center serves as a place for once-in-a-lifetime traveling exhibitions, such as the recent Monet and American Impressionism, and as the current State of the Art exhibition illustrates, it’s a spot to explore what’s happening in the art world today. We’re also very proud to serve our community through our children’s education programs and making art accessible to everyone. With all that in mind, we have focused the celebration on the special moments from the Jepson Center’s history.”

The schedule includes:

Landmark: A Decade of Collecting at the Jepson Center (exhibition)

March 11–August 14

To celebrate the remarkable strides made in collecting during the Jepson Center era, Telfair Museums will offer an exhibit that highlights 10 of the most significant acquisitions made from 2006 to the present. The selections, made from more than 1,200 works of arts acquired in the past 10 years, 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.

Landmark Opening Lecture and Reception

Thursday, March 10, 6pm

The community is invited to join Telfair’s team of curators and a few special guests as they celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Jepson Center with this fast-paced presentation, spotlighting some of the museum’s collection acquired over the past decade and special moments from Jepson history. This fast-paced presentations gives each participant five minutes to highlight some of their favorite pieces and recollections that formed the foundation of this landmark museum.

1.    Bob Jepson: “The Collision of Vision and Need"
2.    Sonja Wallen, Buildings Curator: Architectural significance of the Jepson Center
3.    Courtney McNeil, Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions: Growth of fine art collection/Melchers Society collecting inspired by exhibitions
4.    Harry DeLorme, Senior Curator of Education: “Education, Empowerment and Wonder” (Education programs and PULSE)
5.    Gwen Glover Starks, President of Friends of African American Arts: FAAA member growth and programs
6.    Tania Sammons, Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and History: Growth of decorative arts collection (via video)
7.    Grace Win, Teen Council member: Teen Council programs /learning at the Jepson Center*
8.    Shannon Browning –Mullis, Assistant Curator of History: Slavery and Freedom
9.    Rachel Reese, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art: A vision for modern/contemporary art at Telfair Museums
10.  Lisa Grove, Director/CEO: examples of how we’ve achieved national excellence/local relevance
 

After the lecture, guests are invited to enjoy birthday treats and other festivities in the atrium.

Members free, non-member $12. RSVP at [email protected] or Telfair.org/10

Free Family Day: We’re Turning 10!

March 11–August 14

Visitors are invited to celebrate the Jepson Center’s 10th anniversary with musical performances, architectural tours, scavenger hunts, and activities led by the museum’s staff members. A performance by Harvard’s oldest coed acapella group, Harvard Opportunities, begins at 1 pm followed by a performance by the Spelman College Glee Club at 3 pm. Architectural tours are offered every hour starting at 1 pm and a scavenger hunt starts every hour starting at 1:30 pm. Telfair’s Buildings Curator, Sonja Wallen, will show blueprints of the Jepson Center and explain the preservation of the building. Lashaundra Jackson, Housekeeping Supervisor and Jani-king, housekeeping staff member, will explain the work and care that goes into maintaining the building on a daily basis with fun cleaning activities for kids. Margaret Hallinan, Assistant Registrar, will showcase preserving art work with a hands-on children’s activity.  Other activities include building towers and bridges out of unconventional materials, designing digital 3D models on the computer, and more.

All Free Family Days are free and open to the public thanks to the sponsorship of the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs

Celebrate on Social Media

While it has been 10 years since the opening, there have been thousands of moments of shared experiences at the Jepson Center.  The community is invited to share its favorite moments through social media: #jepsoncenter #telfairmuseums #art912 #savannah @telfairmuseums

10 facts about the Jepson Center for the Arts:

1.    …it’s one of three sites of Telfair Museums, the oldest public art museum in the South, located in a National Historic Landmark District.
 
2.    ….it’s designed by Moshe Safdie, an internationally renowned architect, who describes his projects as “inspired by, and woven into, the historic culture and social fabric of their site.”
 
3.    …it has welcomed over 680,000 people since it opened and has provided tours to more than 54,800 students from kindergarten to college.
 
4.    …it has featured 126 exhibitions during the last 10 years, from Claude Monet to Ansel Adams to Andy Warhol and Botticelli.
 
5.    …it has benefited over 100,000 people through educational programs, including school tours, Free Family Days, community outreach, lectures, studio classes, and more.
 
6.    …it serves as the home of the nationally-acclaimed PULSE Art + Technology Festival, which offers wildly inventive, interactive, technology-based art, workshops, and performances.
 
7.    …it added 1,250 works of art to Telfair’s permanent collection, encompassing a broad range of time periods, styles, and media, ranging from 19th-century paintings to digital interactive installations.
 
8.    …it houses the notable Kirk Varnedoe Collection, assembled in honor of the late Savannah native and MoMA curator, which includes works by Chuck Close, Frank Stella, Kiki Smith, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, and others.
 
9.    …it’s home to the original, iconic Bird Girl statue, made famous in the Jack Leigh photograph on the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

10.  …$20 admission (free for kids 12 & under) includes access to all three sites, as well as daily architectural tours and guided tours of its collections and special exhibitions.