Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center will be open free to everyone, locals and tourists alike, the weekend of Jan. 29-31.

In partnership with the City of Savannah, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Friday through Sunday, the museum will offer free admission to its large contemporary art space on the southwest corner of Telfair Square. Face masks are required, and occupancy limits will be enforced for social distancing. For more on Telfair’s safety procedures, visit telfair.org/hours-admission.

Visitors to the Free Family Weekend are invited to tour current exhibitions and explore art activities created by Telfair’s education team, including a limited number of free take-home art kits for children.

“We’re celebrating the start of the new year by opening our doors to everyone,” said Ben Simons, Telfair’s executive director/CEO, who joined the museum in early January. “In recent years, Telfair has offered free admission for Family Days and Weekends to just Savannah residents. This weekend, we’re also looking forward to welcoming our neighbors from Effingham, Bryan, and Liberty counties, and cities like Bluffton and beyond.”

Exhibitions currently on view include Collecting Impressionism: Telfair’s Modern Vision, which closes after Sunday; Youthful Adventures: Growing Up in Photography; Complex Uncertainties: Artists in Postwar America; and other highlights from the museum’s permanent collection.

PULSE Art + Technology Festival Opens

Also on view at the Jepson will be Telfair’s annual PULSE Art + Technology Festival, which kicks off Wednesday.

Caribbean artist David Gumbs is this year’s lead artist, with PULSE his debut solo show in the United States. His interactive pieces translate features of the Caribbean environment, impacts of global warming, and the legacy of colonialism into colorful digital landscapes that transform and respond to visitors’ movements.

“I think visitors are really going to enjoy David Gumbs’ art with its vibrant color, movement, and interactivity, but it’s also work that makes you think, and reflects environmental and social issues,” said Harry DeLorme, curator of the exhibition. 

Other PULSE highlights include works by Savannah-based artists Guanzhi Kou and Greg Finger, a virtual discussion about producing STEM projects at home with kids by prominent makers Diana Eng and Natalie Zee Drieu, and a series of virtual student workshops.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Telfair will celebrate the PULSE kickoff with a free virtual lecture by Gumbs, live from Martinique and presented on Zoom. Gumbs also will present a virtual tech talk for students on Zoom at 11 a.m. Thursday.

All events are free and open to the public. For registration links and the full PULSE schedule, visit telfair.org/event/pulse2021.