Telfair Museums awarded $20,000 grant by Georgia Council for the Arts

Telfair Museums awarded $20,000 grant by Georgia Council for the Arts

SAVANNAH, GA (July 7, 2021) — Telfair Museums has been awarded a $20,000 Bridge Grant by the Georgia Council for the Arts, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, to support its exhibitions and outreach programming in Savannah. The museum is one of 135 organizations in the state to receive a Bridge Grant for GCA fiscal year 2022, which begins this month.

“As we emerge from this past year’s quarantine, the arts sector is vital to restarting the economy by attracting tourists, assisting with classroom learning, and igniting events to bring communities back together,” said Tina Lilly, GCA executive director. “The grants we have awarded will help cities and organizations leverage additional funds and bring people back to work while providing fun and educational opportunities for Georgians across the state.”

Funds awarded by Georgia Council for the Arts include appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Telfair’s grant will support its free outreach programs for at-risk Savannah youth and adults, as well as major upcoming exhibitions including Sonya Clark: Finding Freedom and Noel W Anderson: Heavy Is the Crown, which will open at the Jepson Center this October.

“We’re grateful for Georgia Council for the Arts’ continued, expanded support,” said Jason Kendall, Telfair’s senior writer and public relations manager, who administers the museum’s grant program. “This is the largest grant Telfair has ever received from the state, and it’s a peer-reviewed process, so the fact that GCA Council members and our fellow arts professionals think so highly of our programming, the arts and cultural and tourism importance of our city and its residents—we don’t take it lightly. We’re excited to put this grant to work for the people of Savannah.”

Telfair recently expanded its days and hours as it continues to pare back limitations enforced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. All three of Telfair’s sites—the Jepson Center, the Telfair Academy, and the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters—now are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Tuesdays. Telfair’s sites are closed on Wednesdays. The museum’s award-winning cafe partner Joe’s at the Jepson, the No. 1-ranked Savannah restaurant on TripAdvisor, is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days per week.