SCAD Museum of Art facts for kids
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The Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art building in 2021
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| Established | 2002 |
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| Location | 601 Turner Blvd., Savannah, Georgia United States |
| Type | Art museum |
The SCAD Museum of Art is a cool place to see art in Savannah, Georgia. It opened in 2002 as part of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). It was first called the Earle W. Newton Center for British American Studies.
The museum has a huge collection of over 4,500 artworks. You can see amazing fashion, drawings, paintings, sculptures, photos, and prints there.
The SCAD Museum of Art is a teaching museum. This means it helps students from SCAD learn about art. It also welcomes everyone else who wants to visit and enjoy the art. A special part of the museum is the Walter O. Evans Center for African American Studies. This center helps people learn about and appreciate African American culture, art, and literature. There's also the André Leon Talley Gallery, named after a famous fashion editor.
On October 29, 2011, the museum reopened after a big makeover. It got new art galleries and classrooms. There's also a theater with 250 seats and an outdoor screen for movies. You can find a studio for art repair and a museum café. A giant 86-foot-tall glass lantern now lights up the Savannah skyline.
Contents
History of the Museum
The museum is in a very old building from 1856. It's a Greek Revival style building, which means it looks like ancient Greek temples. It was once called the Gray Building. This building used to be the main office for the Central of Georgia Railway. This historic railroad complex is the only one of its kind left in the country from before the Civil War.
The museum started in 2002 as the Earle W. Newton Center for British American Studies. It was named after Earle W. Newton, who gave a large collection of British and American art in 2001. In 2006, the museum changed its name to the SCAD Museum of Art. This new name showed that its art collections were growing bigger.
More work was done on the outside of the building in 2007 and 2008. They fixed the brick walls and windows. They also improved the drainage and replaced the old 150-year-old roof. Today, SCAD is still working to restore the old train depot next door, which was built in 1853.
How the Museum Grew
In January 2010, work began to expand the museum. SCAD architects and designers worked hard to mix the building's history with its future. They studied the old parts of the building to make sure new parts matched perfectly. They even looked at the chemicals in the 19th-century mortar!
Today, the museum uses energy-saving lights. It has special climate control to keep different areas at the right temperature. It also uses water-saving toilets and special glass that blocks heat from the sun. The outdoor areas use xeriscape planning, which means they use plants that don't need much water.
You can see old bricks and original pine wood throughout the museum. Many of the high ceilings were kept. These tall ceilings help keep the building cool and make a great background for displaying art.
Amazing Artworks to See
The SCAD Museum of Art has many different collections. One of the most important is the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art. It's one of the biggest collections of African American art in the United States. It includes famous works by artists like Edward Mitchell Bannister, Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, and Jacob Lawrence.
The Earle W. Newton Center of British and American Art has old books, antique maps, and paintings. You can see art by famous painters like William Hogarth, Sir Anthony van Dyck, and Thomas Gainsborough.
SCAD's main collection has over 4,500 pieces. It includes art by well-known artists like Salvador Dalí, Willem de Kooning, Annie Leibovitz, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol. The museum also has amazing fashion from designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Oscar de la Renta.
When the museum reopened in 2011, it showed new art from famous modern artists. These included Alfredo Jaar, Liza Lou, Bill Viola, and Kehinde Wiley.
Meet the Curators
Curators are like the experts who choose and care for the art in a museum.
- Daniel S. Palmer (chief curator) since 2022
- Ben Tollefson (curator)
- Brittany Richmond (Assistant curator)
Special Art Collections
Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art
This collection is very important for showing African American art. It has artworks from the 1700s all the way to today.
Parts of this collection have been shown in many art museums across the country. These include museums in New York, South Carolina, Michigan, and Washington.
In 2006, some of this collection was given to the SCAD Museum of Art.
Earle W. Newton Center for British and American Studies
This collection was started by Earle W. Newton in 2001. It has many books and materials that show how Britain and America were connected in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. It also has hundreds of portrait paintings by artists from both countries.
The SCAD Costume Collection
The SCAD Costume Collection is full of amazing clothes. It has garments given by Cornelia Guest, whose mother was a fashion icon. It also features fancy fashion from famous designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, and Givenchy.
The Modern and Contemporary Art Collection
This collection has a wide range of modern art. You can see works by major artists from the 1800s and 1900s, like Goya, Renoir, Rauschenberg, Dalí, and Picasso. It also includes art from today's artists, such as Nicholas Hlobo, Wangechi Mutu, and Carrie Mae Weems.
The 19th- and 20th-century Photography Collection
This collection focuses on photographs from the 1800s and 1900s. It includes works by famous photographers like Cartier-Bresson, Mapplethorpe, Leibovitz, and Warhol.
