Regional artists fill MMCC galleries with diverse portrayals of the modern day farm. 

On August 26th, the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will open its doors to the community for the FARM 2022 exhibition. Featuring original works of art from seven Georgia artists, the exhibit explores the current state of the agrarian way of life in the south. Come mingle with the artists while enjoying light hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour from 6 PM - 8 PM. The FARM 2022 exhibition will be on display in the MMCC galleries during regular hours from August 26-October 29, 2022.

The MMCC is delighted to present this diverse collection of regional artists and their distinct points of view on modern farm culture. Curated by Mitzi Prochnow, each artist was paired with one or more local farms and asked to create an original artwork inspired by their locations.

A wide array of working artists were selected for this show: Keith Bennett, Chris Cook, Lee Harper, Mollye Daughtry, Elizabeth Collins Hanes, Charmaine Minniefield, and Teresa Bramlette Reeves. Each was chosen for their distinct styles and personal experiences with rural farms in Georgia. FARM 2022 is an artistic expression of farms and lifestyles in our evolving rural economy and its changing aesthetic.

Chris Cook, a self-taught artist residing in Madison, took great care in contemplating the mission of this exhibit. He was drawn to "the idea that the people and the farmland itself are one but separate." Cook explored this concept in his paintings of Levity Farm, Big Sandy Creek Dairy Farm, and Noland Plantation. Cook felt that "the land is just land without those to work it, so there is a beautiful synergy between the two. With this in my mind, I painted the land first and decided to physically separate the people, animals, and some structures by painting them on paper and attaching them to the main painting to illustrate this concept." His final pieces represent the duality of dependency on and separation from the land. Also inspired by Levity

Farm is Keith Bennett, a graphic designer from Athens who used bold illustrations to characterize the pastoral setting.  

Lee Harper, an accomplished dancer-choreographer turned oil painter, uses rich colors to illuminate farms in Georgia, including Godfrey, Pennington, Little River, Vason Tree Farm, and Hunts Cattle Farm. A longtime resident of Atlanta, Harper shared her thoughts on becoming a painter late in life with her hometown paper, The Mountain Times of North Carolina. She quipped, "I became a painter because after 70 years of dancing, especially as a choreographer, I learned how to design space and the importance of light when you are performing." Her glowing portrayals of Georgian farms are layered with feelings of nostalgia.

Elizabeth Collins Hanes is a ceramic sculpture artist living in Morgan County. For Farm 2022, Hanes explores the aesthetic and environmental changes of the land where she raised her family—Jenkins Farm in Rutledge. Once a bucolic place for her children to roam free, it is now an electric transmission station and the future site of the Rivian Automotive Plant. Hanes tells the story of its changing landscape through her clay sculptures, adorned with the natural treasures and discarded items found there. 

She states, “The lovely rural landscape that I call home will be forever changed as industrialization consumes what we know and love; the aesthetic changes will be most obvious in the initial stages, but long term, we know that we can expect environmental destruction.” Hanes hopes that you will “converse with [her] creations” and that they will inspire you to “cherish, savor, and honor the beauty that Morgan County, and rural spaces all over the world, provide for us.”

We see Yellow Rose Goat Farm through the camera lens of Mollye Daughtry, a Madison resident originally from Alabama. Set against a backdrop of dramatic skies and green fields, her photography shows us the tender side of farm animals as they peacefully ramble through their days. 

Charmaine Minniefield tells the lore of the land through bold, vivid colors in her large, acrylic paintings. An artist-activist splitting her time between Atlanta and Gambia, she conveys the historical and contemporary sagas of African-American women carrying their culture around the world.

Teresa Bramlette Reeves reveals the story of The Pastures of Rose Creek through the art of the current owner's mother, who grew up on the farm. An Atlanta-based art curator, Reeves thoughtfully assembled a collection of original paintings, photographs, scrapbooks, and ceramics that detail the history of Rose Creek as it adapted to an ever-changing world.

The MMCC invites our Madison-Morgan community to experience modern agrarian culture through the eyes of these seven talented artists. The FARM 2022 exhibit highlights our deeply rooted connection to the land and celebrates the traditions that carry it forward.

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM, and Sunday 2 PM - 5 PM. General Admission to the museum includes entry to the FARM 2022 exhibit, which will be on display August 26 - October 29, 2022. Admission prices are: Adults $5, Seniors $4, Students $3, Children 6 and under are Free. Museum admission is also free for "Friends of the Center." For additional information, please visit our website at MMCC-ARTS.ORG or contact us by phone at: 706-342-4743. 

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center is a non-profit foundation with a mission to enrich the lives of the residents of its immediate community and the broader region by presenting high-quality programming and educational opportunities in the fields of visual and performing arts, history, and other humanities. MMCC will preserve and interpret its historic buildings and will cooperate with other organizations that have mission-compatible goals.