Exhibitions

JULY 1 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2022
Renowned artist Alma W. Thomas’ (1891-1978) artistic journey took her from Columbus, Georgia, to international recognition. Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful will offer a comprehensive overview of her extraordinary career with more than 150 objects, including her rarely seen marionettes and well-known abstract paintings.

MAY 21 - OCTOBER 2, 2022
Long before Alma W. Thomas became a beloved teacher or a celebrated artist, she grew up in Columbus, the daughter of a successful business owner and an in-demand dressmaker. Her parents turned their suburban Victorian home into a center of cultural pursuits, and Thomas's family became founding members of a nascent Black middle class in Columbus. However, they still faced discrimination and the threat of violence.

APRIL 30 - OCTOBER 16, 2022
Artists work in different ways. Sometimes they focus on singular objects that stand alone. At other times, they think in terms of groups of objects that relate to each other. This show foregrounds the latter aesthetic strategy. A series might imply a narrative, a storyline that connects the objects. Or a series might provide the artist the space to fully plumb innovative subjects, materials, or processes. Suites of objects might explore the same subject from different viewpoints or might gather singular objects whose similarities and differences create an inventive and compelling new whole. Drawing on recent acquisitions and longtime favorites from The Columbus Museum's holdings, this project seeks to provide insight into the creative process by investigating particular way of working in the studio.

February 5 - October 16, 2022This exhibition, the second of two planned installations, features quilts newly acquired from Paul M. Goggans. Goggans’ family lived in the Chattahoochee Valley for more than 150 years, and his maternal grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-aunt produced dozens of quilts that the family lovingly preserved over the years. The quilts reflect popular patterns, colors, and fabrics of the 19th and early 20th centuries and present excellent aesthetic variety with strong levels of craftsmanship. Spanning nearly 70 years, these beautiful objects also reflect their everyday use as household goods.

JANUARY 15 - OCTOBER 16, 2022
Journey Toward Justice spotlights the Civil Rights Movement in the Columbus area. Themes and topics include the beginnings of a southern freedom movement and the effects of Jim Crow segregation; the role of Black institutions as a source of community pride and a breeding ground for activists; the influence of Fort Benning; direct public actions that led to the desegregation of public and private spaces; the cycle of generational violence and intimidation that activists faced; and continued civil rights activism in the 21st century.

OCTOBER 23, 2021 - OCTOBER 16, 2022
This exhibition, co-curated by Curator of American Art Jonathan Frederick Walz and Director of Education & Engagement Lucy Kacir, explores the evolution of the meaning and function of home through photography. Throughout the chaos of the past 18 months, our relationships with our homes have changed as our lives have changed. The curators hope to document this shift and encourage reflection on the lessons to carry forward.