Skip to main content

Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961–Now

March 13 to September 6, 2026 Jepson Center
Facebook (external link) Twitter (external link) Email (external link)
"Tex" Schiwetz's Sharks (c. 1958), in front of the Main House, Ossabaw Island, Georgia, c. 1962. Photograph by Clifford B. West. © Estate of Berthold Schiwetz

Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961–Now is the first major exhibition to explore the profound impact of an undeveloped, 26,000-acre barrier island off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, on artists working in the United States. The exhibition focuses on the Ossabaw Island Project (OIP) and Genesis—a pair of revolutionary multidisciplinary residency programs that ran on the island from 1961–1982—and their legacies in its examination of Ossabaw as a site for creative experimentation. Taking its name from a poem written by celebrated poet and former Genesis member Henri Cole, Off the Coast of Paradise features the work of internationally renowned artists, past and present, who have considered the island through myriad lenses in their work, including the historical, the environmental, the social, the cultural, and the personal. They include Harry Bertoia, Agnes Denes, Marcy Hermansader, Suzanne Jackson, Ellen Lanyon, Doris Lee, Sally Mann, Michael Mazur, Ross McElwee, Athena Tacha, Betty Tompkins, and Anne Truitt, among many others, as well as a major new commission by Allison Janae Hamilton.

 

the Genesis artist group posing for a photo on Ossabaw Island
Genesis members on South End Beach, Ossabaw Island, Georgia, 1978. Photograph by Helen Hamada.

This exhibition is organized by Telfair Museums and is curated by Beryl Gilothwest, guest curator, and Erin Dunn, curator of modern and contemporary art.

Off the Coast of Paradise is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated scholarly publication that complements the exhibition and takes an in-depth look at the history of Ossabaw Island during the 20th century. The book considers the island in the context of the artists who spent time there, providing a rich understanding of a little-known place with lasting significance on a national scale. By challenging what we think we know about American residency programs during the last century, this volume shines a light not only on how artists used Ossabaw to retreat from their lives and concentrate on their work, but also as a wellspring of creative experimentation. A series of essays and remembrances reveals how various aspects of the island enabled artists to reconnect art to the American landscape beginning during a period of rapid postwar transformation. This publication also features an expansive chronology that highlights both the evolution of the Ossabaw Island Project and Genesis programs and their legacies. Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961–Now is published by Telfair Museums.

 

GET YOUR COPY

 

  • View image 1 in lightbox:

    Harry Bertoia (1915-1978); Untitled, 1966; bronze and stone; The Ossabaw Island Foundation; © 2025 Estate of Harry Bertoia / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

  • View image 2 in lightbox:

    Michael Mazur (1935–2009); Palmetto, 1975; pastel on paper; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Gift of Jim Dine; © 2025 Estate of Michael Mazur / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

  • View image 3 in lightbox:

    Betty Tompkins (b. 1945); Ayrshire Class D, 1979; gouache on cardboard; Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio, Art Rental Collection Fund, RC1979.5; © Betty Tompkins

  • View image 4 in lightbox:
    Secrets of the Heart by Marcy Hermansader

    Marcy Hermansader (b. 1951); Secrets of the Heart, 1983; colored pencil, crayon, acrylic, mosquito netting, and thread on black paper; Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Lambert Purchase Fund, 1984.4; © 1983 Marcy Hermansader

  • View image 5 in lightbox:
    a photograph by Sally Mann of the Ossabaw Island Gates

    Sally Mann (b. 1951); Georgia, Untitled (Ossabaw Gates), 1996; gelatin silver print; collection of the artist; © Sally Mann

  • View image 6 in lightbox:
    Suzanne Jackson watercolor titled Origins, Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island

    Suzanne Jackson (b. 1944); Origins, 2010; watercolor, acrylic on inkjet photo-paper, nylon, D’Arches 300 lb paper; Collection of Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg; © Suzanne Jackson

  • View image 7 in lightbox:

    Jack Leigh (1948–2004); Oak Limb Reflections, 2002; pigmented inkjet print; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Purchase with funds from Paul Miller, Mrs. Robert 0. Levitt, Phillip and Patricia Laney, and V. Tomm Frungillo, 2021.364; © Jack Leigh Collection

  • view more images

    Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Off the Coast of Paradise installation shot. Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Venus of Ossabaw, "Street View." Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

  • Venus of Ossabaw, "Street View." Photo credit: Stephen Harmon

Major exhibition funding provided by Bob Faircloth and Linda McWhorter.

Annual Exhibition Support provided by Director’s Circle Council Members: Mrs. Cynthia Willett, Leslie and Angus Littlejohn, Mr. and Mrs. Steven J. Sayer, Mr. and Mrs. Alan Sheriff, Mrs. Inge A. Brasseler, Kerry and Lillian Breitbart, Mr. Robert F. Faircloth, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Gantt, Ms. Lori Judge, Pamela and Marek Lewanda, Wilson Morris, Thomas V. and Susan G. Reilly, Cathy and Philip Solomons, Mr. and Mrs. Austin P. Sullivan Jr., Pamela L. and Peter S. Voss, Ms. Susan A. Willetts and Mr. Alan K. Pritz

Please contact giving@telfair.org if interested in learning more about supporting this exhibition.

Related to this exhibition

All(17)
exhibition

Venus of Ossabaw

 Jepson Center
Venus of Ossabaw is a new short film commissioned by Telfair Museums for Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961–Now. On view during museum hours in the exhibition gallery, Telfair Museums offers a special public viewing of the film every evening through June 21.
Event

Art Start: Stroller & Toddler Tour
March 19 at 10:30am–11:30am Jepson Center
Once a month, our youngest patrons are invited to the Jepson Center for story time, a special tour, and an art activity. Strollers, crying babies, toddlers, and older siblings are all welcome here.
Event

“Street View”
Screening of Venus of Ossabaw
sponsored by Telfair Contemporaries
April 1 at 7:30pm–8pm Telfair Square
Join Telfair Museums to experience special screenings of Venus of Ossabaw on the facade of Telfair's Jepson Center. This newly commissioned short film by artist and film director Allison Janae Hamilton is on view outside nightly from March 13-June 21, 2026. These gatherings encourage a communal viewing of the film to experience the journey of Venus across Ossabaw into Florida.
Event

“Street View”
Screening of Venus of Ossabaw
sponsored by the Friends of African American Arts
April 29 at 7:30pm–8pm Telfair Square
Join Telfair Museums to experience special screenings of Venus of Ossabaw on the facade of Telfair's Jepson Center. This newly commissioned short film by artist and film director Allison Janae Hamilton is on view outside nightly from March 13-June 21, 2026. These gatherings encourage a communal viewing of the film to experience the journey of Venus across Ossabaw into Florida.
Event

Director’s Circle Day Trip
to Ossabaw Island
May 8 at 9am–4:30pm
DC Members are invited to a fascinating day trip to Ossabaw Island where they'll be treated to personalized tours and a first look of the interior of the recently rehabilitated Torrey West House where the residents of the Ossabaw Island Project stayed as well as transportation to Middle Place, the site of Genesis.
Event

Members’ Day Trip
to Ossabaw Island
May 16 at 10am–5pm
Telfair Members are invited by the Ossabaw Island Foundation for a fascinating day trip to Ossabaw Island. The program will consider the history of the island through the lens of the Ossabaw Island Project and Genesis, the subject of the exhibition Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961-Now on view at Telfair.
Event

“Street View”
Screening of Venus of Ossabaw
sponsored by the Friends of the Owens-Thomas House & the Gari Melchers Collectors’ Society
May 27 at 7:30pm–8pm Telfair Square
Join Telfair Museums to experience special screenings of Venus of Ossabaw on the facade of Telfair's Jepson Center. This newly commissioned short film by artist and film director Allison Janae Hamilton is on view outside nightly from March 13-June 21, 2026. These gatherings encourage a communal viewing of the film to experience the journey of Venus across Ossabaw into Florida.
Event

Telfair Contemporaries
Studio Visit with Betsy Cain
June 9 at 6pm–7pm Offsite
Artist Betsy Cain welcomes TC members to her studio to share her independent studio practice of over 40 years including her work related to Ossabaw Island featured in the exhibition Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961-Now.
Event

Lunch & Learn:
Gallery Talk with Elizabeth DuBose
June 26 at 12pm–1pm Jepson Center
Join us for the Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961-Now Lunch & Learn Gallery Talk with Elizabeth Dubose, Executive Director for the Ossabaw Island Foundation since 1998.
Event

Art of Ossabaw Free Family Day
April 18 at 10am–5pm Jepson Center
Enjoy an afternoon of art and nature-themed activities, demonstrations by artists who have worked on Ossabaw Island including plein air painting and activities inspired by Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961 – Now.
Event

Art Start: Stroller & Toddler Tour
June 18 at 10:30am–11:30am Jepson Center
Once a month, our youngest patrons are invited to the Jepson Center for story time, a special tour, and an art activity. Strollers, crying babies, toddlers, and older siblings are all welcome here.
Event

2026 Lawrence Lecture with Allison Janae Hamilton
September 17 at 6pm–7pm Jepson Center
For the 20th year of the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Lecture, Telfair presents a screening of Venus of Ossabaw followed by a conversation with artist and filmmaker Allison Janae Hamilton, who is represented by a work in the exhibition Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961–Now.
exhibition

Venus of Ossabaw

 Jepson Center
Venus of Ossabaw is a new short film commissioned by Telfair Museums for Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961–Now. On view during museum hours in the exhibition gallery, Telfair Museums offers a special public viewing of the film every evening through June 21.
Event

Art Start: Stroller & Toddler Tour
March 19 at 10:30am–11:30am Jepson Center
Once a month, our youngest patrons are invited to the Jepson Center for story time, a special tour, and an art activity. Strollers, crying babies, toddlers, and older siblings are all welcome here.
Event

“Street View”
Screening of Venus of Ossabaw
sponsored by Telfair Contemporaries
April 1 at 7:30pm–8pm Telfair Square
Join Telfair Museums to experience special screenings of Venus of Ossabaw on the facade of Telfair's Jepson Center. This newly commissioned short film by artist and film director Allison Janae Hamilton is on view outside nightly from March 13-June 21, 2026. These gatherings encourage a communal viewing of the film to experience the journey of Venus across Ossabaw into Florida.
Event

“Street View”
Screening of Venus of Ossabaw
sponsored by the Friends of African American Arts
April 29 at 7:30pm–8pm Telfair Square
Join Telfair Museums to experience special screenings of Venus of Ossabaw on the facade of Telfair's Jepson Center. This newly commissioned short film by artist and film director Allison Janae Hamilton is on view outside nightly from March 13-June 21, 2026. These gatherings encourage a communal viewing of the film to experience the journey of Venus across Ossabaw into Florida.
Event

Director’s Circle Day Trip
to Ossabaw Island
May 8 at 9am–4:30pm
DC Members are invited to a fascinating day trip to Ossabaw Island where they'll be treated to personalized tours and a first look of the interior of the recently rehabilitated Torrey West House where the residents of the Ossabaw Island Project stayed as well as transportation to Middle Place, the site of Genesis.
Event

Members’ Day Trip
to Ossabaw Island
May 16 at 10am–5pm
Telfair Members are invited by the Ossabaw Island Foundation for a fascinating day trip to Ossabaw Island. The program will consider the history of the island through the lens of the Ossabaw Island Project and Genesis, the subject of the exhibition Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961-Now on view at Telfair.
Event

“Street View”
Screening of Venus of Ossabaw
sponsored by the Friends of the Owens-Thomas House & the Gari Melchers Collectors’ Society
May 27 at 7:30pm–8pm Telfair Square
Join Telfair Museums to experience special screenings of Venus of Ossabaw on the facade of Telfair's Jepson Center. This newly commissioned short film by artist and film director Allison Janae Hamilton is on view outside nightly from March 13-June 21, 2026. These gatherings encourage a communal viewing of the film to experience the journey of Venus across Ossabaw into Florida.
Event

Telfair Contemporaries
Studio Visit with Betsy Cain
June 9 at 6pm–7pm Offsite
Artist Betsy Cain welcomes TC members to her studio to share her independent studio practice of over 40 years including her work related to Ossabaw Island featured in the exhibition Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961-Now.
Event

Lunch & Learn:
Gallery Talk with Elizabeth DuBose
June 26 at 12pm–1pm Jepson Center
Join us for the Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961-Now Lunch & Learn Gallery Talk with Elizabeth Dubose, Executive Director for the Ossabaw Island Foundation since 1998.
Event

Art of Ossabaw Free Family Day
April 18 at 10am–5pm Jepson Center
Enjoy an afternoon of art and nature-themed activities, demonstrations by artists who have worked on Ossabaw Island including plein air painting and activities inspired by Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961 – Now.
Event

Art Start: Stroller & Toddler Tour
June 18 at 10:30am–11:30am Jepson Center
Once a month, our youngest patrons are invited to the Jepson Center for story time, a special tour, and an art activity. Strollers, crying babies, toddlers, and older siblings are all welcome here.
Event

2026 Lawrence Lecture with Allison Janae Hamilton
September 17 at 6pm–7pm Jepson Center
For the 20th year of the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Lecture, Telfair presents a screening of Venus of Ossabaw followed by a conversation with artist and filmmaker Allison Janae Hamilton, who is represented by a work in the exhibition Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961–Now.
Become a Member
Telfair Museums
Jepson Center & Telfair Children's Art Museum
Telfair Academy
Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters
Telfair Academy (View On Google Maps - external link)Jepson Center (View On Google Maps - external link)Owens-Thomas House (View On Google Maps - external link)
Mailing Address
Telfair Museums
PO Box 10081
Savannah, GA 31412
Phone Number
912.790.8800
eNewsletter Signup
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Signup
Social Media
© 2026 Telfair Museums. All rights reserved.