MMoFA Offers Free Admission and Artist Reception on

Smithsonian Magazine’s 6^th Annual Museum Day

--Special Exhibition: UGA Making Masters--

On Saturday, September 24, 2011, the Madison Museum of Fine Art (MMoFA) will participate in the 7th annual Museum Day organized by Smithsonian magazine. At 10am, MMoFA’s doors will open free of charge to Smithsonian magazine readers and Smithsonian.com visitors. Last year, upwards of 300,000 people attended Museum Day with all 50 states represented. An artists’ reception will begin at 6pm that evening with opening remarks, refreshments, and live music. The artist reception ifrom 4-6pm is open to the public free of charge

The event will showcase MMoFA’s permanent art collection spanning 2000 years of art history. Visitors will also view the 2011 “Making Masters III: Select Works by 2nd Year Students at the UGA Graduate School of Art.” The exhibition produced by the Museum beginning in 2008 is curated by Dr. Asen Kirin, Associate Director of the UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art, in collaboration with UGA graduate student Maggy Dieters enrolled in the art history program. The exhibition will feature original art including painting, sculpture, and photography.

Says MMoFA Director Michele Bechtell, “This year we expanded our Smithsonian Day to offer graduate students in the UGA art history department an opportunity to work with their peers in the studio art program, MMoFA, and UGA faculty to learn and apply curatorial skills in a museum setting. We also added podcasts to the Museum website to enhanceviewing from afar.”

Described as a “gem of a museum,” MMoFA brings art history to life by collecting, preserving, interpreting, and imaginatively displaying original art by historically significant visual artists from around the world for the education, edification, and spiritual nourishment of all persons living and traveling in the Southeastern US. MMoFA is located next to the historic courthouse on the town square at 300 Hancock Street in Madison, Georgia. The 2011 Making Masters exhibition runs from September 24-October 24.

For hours and more info on the Saturday September 24h reception, contact 706-485-4530 or www.mmofa.org. And visit www.smithsonian.com/museumday to download your Museum Day Admission Card. The 6pm artist reception is free to the public.