In 2013, Georgia Council for the Arts in partnership with the Georgia Tourism Division and the Georgia Humanities Council was pleased to offer a curated exhibit of selected pieces from the State Art Collection, available for the first time in decades.  The exhibit, “Inspired Georgia: 28 Works from Georgia’s State Art Collection” highlighted the diversity of styles, media and techniques in the collection.  Nine Georgia communities were selected to host the exhibit: Gainesville, Monroe, Toccoa, Summerville, Tallapoosa, Jonesboro, Dublin, Tifton and Kingsland.   The exhibit was intended to serve as a springboard for additional arts and culture activities that serve to celebrate and increase awareness for the local cultural community and increase tourism.

Exhibit Details
In an effort to inspire and inform Georgian’s about the power, purpose and necessity of art, 28 of the most significant pieces from the expansive 600+ piece state collection were selected to represent and celebrate the long history of art and culture in Georgia. Included in the exhibit were original works by renowned Georgia artists such as Benny Andrews, Lucinda Bunnen, Herbert Creecy, Howard Finster, Ruth Laxson, and Nellie Mae Rowe. Georgia Council for the Arts, Georgia Tourism Division and the Georgia Humanities Council offered additional arts programming to each community participating in the project through collaborations with the Georgia Museum of Art, Living Walls and gloATL.