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Join us July 8–9 for the grand opening celebration of the Telfair Children's Art Museum!
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Early drawing of the Jepson Center from the building's architect, Moshe Safdie
Early drawing of the Jepson Center from the building's architect, Moshe Safdie

Jepson Center: History and Harmony

 

After a century of collecting, exhibiting, and educating Savannah and its visitors about art, history, and architecture, Telfair Museums’ Director and Board of Trustees identified the need for a new, larger facility. Their primary objectives were to increase the capacity for traveling exhibitions, continue an emphasis on education and community involvement, and increase archival storage for a growing collection. The museums’ Board of Directors envisioned a building representative of its time but also open, welcoming, and inviting. They also understood that, in a National Historic Landmark District, it would be challenging to express these ideals in architecture.

Five internationally recognized architectural firms presented their ideas to the trustees in 1998. The trustees unanimously chose Moshe Safdie and Associates. Safdie offered an outstanding international track record of responsible, compelling designs in historic settings, and he excited them with his passion about the possibilities of the new project. Safdie also offered a clear and stimulating vision of a building that would harmonize with its surroundings and welcome the community.

What nobody envisioned was a two-year controversy surrounding the proposed project as the design team made its case before Savannah’s Historic Review Board. Only the passion and dedication of countless individuals enabled the grand vision for the Jepson Center to endure, providing Savannah with a truly iconic structure that, in the words of Safdie, is “vital, contemporary, appropriate to the expression of art to come … and a building you cannot conceive of anywhere else but Savannah.”

Exhibitions

Bold Expressions: The Collection of Lorlee and Arnold Tenenbaum

Jepson Center
Bold Expressions: The Collection of Lorlee and Arnold Tenenbaum celebrates collecting and living with original works of art through a presentation of the collection of the late Lorlee and Arnold Tenenbaum. Remembered for their business acumen, love of community, and generous philanthropic efforts, the Tenenbaums were deeply invested in art and education, which extended to their colossal efforts to raise funds to construct Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center.

Sensitive Contacts: Interactive Art by Scenocosme

Jepson Center
Telfair’s PULSE Art + Technology Festival returns for 2023 with an exhibition of interactive installations by Gregory Lasserre and Anais met den Ancxt, two French artists who work as a duo under the name Scenocosme. Interactivity is integral to their work, which encompasses software, sound, visuals, a variety of materials, and architecture. They also explore invisible relationships within our environment responding to the energetic variations of living beings. This exhibition includes four signature works that allow participants to interact in surprising ways.

ookee: Duff Woon Yong

Jepson Center
ookee—from the term 烏奇, which loosely translates to “dark strange,” in Chinese Mandarin— is an #art912 exhibition of works by Savannah-based artist Duff Yong. Yong's practice typically includes black-and-white painting on wood panels, paper, and recycled materials that have personal significance.

Earth Angel

Jepson Center
It’s hard to miss the large, shiny sculpture soaring over your head when you enter the Jepson Center’s atrium. Titled Earth Angel, the reflective butterfly is a site-specific installation by the collaborative Los Angeles-based duo FriendsWithYou, aka artists Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III.

Telfair Children’s Art Museum – Opening at the Jepson Center in 2023

 

The Telfair Children’s Art Museum will address a significant need identified through our strategic planning process to provide an updated museum experience that offers our members, visitors, and our local school communities transformative learning experiences for all ages and styles of learning using modern technologies, immersive environments, and low-tech and hands-on activities. The new Children’s Art Museum will also serve as a major attraction for the thousands of visitors to our area, and for local families and school children seeking educational experiences that address the needs and expectations of contemporary audiences.

#art912

#art912 is an initiative dedicated to raising the visibility and promoting the vitality of artists living and working in Savannah through exhibition opportunities, public programs, and outreach.

Exhibition Opportunities

Boxed In/Break Out Artists are invited to submit proposals for a public art installation in the windows of the Jepson Center that face Barnard Street.

#art912 on Social Media

Telfair Museums encourages anyone who is making art, looking at art, or talking about art in Savannah to use #art912 on any social media platform to talk about art or artists in Savannah.

Upcoming #art912 Events

TC Tour & Talk with #art912 artist Duff Woon Yong

June 29 at 6pm8pm Jepson Center
Join Duff Woon Yong for a special tour of his exhibition ookee. At the end of the night, a special prize will be awarded to one lucky participant!

Sharon Norwood Artist Talk

August 8 at 5:30pm7pm Jepson Center
This summer, Savannah-based artist Sharon Norwood will create an installation in the Drawing Room at the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters that will investigate the story of unpaid labor, violence, and resistance in a way that counters the idealized, romanticized narratives often associated with Southern pre-Civil War homes.
Mailing Address
Telfair Museums
PO Box 10081
Savannah, GA 31412
Phone Number
912.790.8800
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