FREE - The Word with
Heather René Dunaway
Oh, hey there friends. It’s me, Heather, local artist. I’m here to talk to you about your car’s extended warranty.
Not really, but wouldn’t that be just awful?
No, I’m here to talk to you about the Morris Museum of Art in Downtown, Augusta and their FREE Sundays. If you aren’t taking advantage of them, you totally should be.
As an artist, I personally understand the struggles of being able to afford things. Whether its art supplies, trips or the various expenses that comes with the craft, it all can add up. Being creative is expensive. Who knew? So, taking advantage of those free things when and where they arise is an absolute must. Free to enter, free to join, free to attend, the emphasis is on free. If you know where to look, the word is a pretty common occurrence.
That’s why I appreciate the Morris Museum hosting free Sundays. Not that they are expensive at all during the rest of the week. Tuesday through Saturday their adult, non-member entry is all of $5.00, but $5.00 can be a burrito to a college kid. Actually, burritos aren’t even $5 any more. But you catch my meaning.
Whenever I step into a museum I always find myself being flooded with new ideas and inspiration. The act of seeing artwork in person is a huge motivator. As an artist, I feel its incredibly important to immerse yourself in your contemporaries works. One thing I took away from art school was the comradery and creativity that came from working in close quarters. The Morris does a great job of exhibiting artists who are alive and still in the hustle, though a lot of them are taking the long nap.
The Morris is first and foremost, a southern Art Museum. The good, the bad, the ugly and the weird; all the artwork featured in its galleries stems from people who have lived in similar surroundings as we did. Whether they grew up down here, or just visited. Some are from different times, some are from different backgrounds, but all very much, the south. (They all experienced this humid heat and lived to paint the tale. Respect.) Seeing those different perspectives and translations of what that means is an experience in and of itself. And, pro-tip, if you do a bit of additional research on top of what the Morris provides, of the art or artist, it adds so much context and intrigue to the works you are looking at. I, for one, live for those “ah, now that makes sense” moments.
Starting July 30th, the Morris will be host to an exhibition of Savannah’s Women artists of 1915 – 1945. Sponsored by Bobbi Adams, this showcase highlights the work of such artists as Emma Cheves Wilkins, Hattie Saussy, Myrtle Jones, Margaret A. Murphy, Mary Hope Cabaniss, Andrée Ruellan, and Augusta Oelschig. Savannah, in the 1920s was seeing some amazing things happening, art-wise, and these artists helped to facilitate a lot of growth with that. And, hey, it’d be free to see on Sundays. Just sayin’.
Well, that’s the word. Now get out there and see some art!
–Heather
P.S. If you know of any free arts events that you would like to include on the Greater Augusta Arts Calendar, please submit them here. Our Calendar Coordinator, Olivia, is always looking for new things to include!