Meet Art Educator Laura Rice!

in , , , /by

STMA is excited to host Laura Rice, one of two winners of The Charlie Boner Award for the Advancement of Art Education for Founder’s Day 2024!

Laura became an art teacher when her three children were small because most of her study was in the Visual Fine Arts, and she felt teaching art was the perfect way to use these skills in combination with her interest in preparing children for their future. She believes Morgan County is a wonderful place to teach art because the children are bright and curious, and the community values and supports the arts.

For several years, Laura collaborated with the MCCSS art teachers to curate and hang student artwork in the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art’s “Georgia in Bloom” exhibits. She brought the entire 4th grade on field trips to STMA for the full museum experience of respectfully viewing important art pieces, learning about the artist and his work, and creating an artwork inspired by Steffen Thomas.

She is passionate about the role of art education in developing the 21st century skills of creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking in students through their exposure to engaging activities using a variety of media. Planning lessons, helping each student realize their artistic ideas, and exhibiting their wonderful artwork was so satisfying for Laura!

In 2022, Laura retired from Morgan County Elementary School after almost 30 years of teaching art! She looks forward to shifting her energies to think about developing her own art in retirement as a lifelong learner.

Meet Art Educator Marjean Meadow!

in , , , /by

STMA looks forward to hosting Marjean Meadow, one of two winners of The Charlie Boner Award for the Advancement of Art Education for Founder’s Day 2024!

When Marjean thinks about her journey as an art educator, she recalls fond memories of creating with her mother and grandmothers. Whether it was painting a Palomino horse or modeling salt dough figures, creating was a valued hobby and an enjoyable pastime in her life.

After attending the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art, she considered teaching as her future profession. Inspired by many wonderful art professors, she learned first-hand the importance of art education programs. She especially loved the “never-a-dull moment” of teaching adolescents and the versatility to plan lessons to meet their unique and ever-changing interests and needs. She taught in multiple schools throughout her career, even in Fukuoka, Japan. Thousands of students and thirty years later, Marjean and her students collectively gained deeper insights into themselves and the world around them through the arts.

Recently retired from Morgan County Middle School (2021), she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, walking, yoga, gardening and learning to play the mandolin. Most of all, she enjoys making art with her granddaughters. She has earned a BSEd (‘85), MAEd (‘89), and Ed.S (2010) in Art Education from the University of Georgia.

Guest Speaker for Founder’s Day 2024!

in , , , /by

STMA is thrilled to have Yu-Kai Lin, Atlanta arts advocate and owner/director of KAI LIN ART, as our speaker at this year’s Founder’s Day Celebration.

Yu-Kai graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia with a Bachelor of Art in Music: piano performance. In 2018, he gave a TED TALK at Emory, entitled Living Creatively Through Art and Music, and was honored as Emory University’s Alumni of the Year. Awarded by Atlanta Business Chronicle as a 40 Under 40, selected by Common Creativ as a Top 50 Most Creative Atlantan and voted by Jezebel Magazine Best of Atlanta, Yu-Kai maintains an active role in the Atlanta arts community.

KAI LIN ART is a contemporary art gallery cultivating creativity, conversation, and connection through art. Founded by Yu-Kai in 2008, the gallery is dedicated to promoting emerging and established artists in the Southeast and beyond. KAI LIN ART has been recognized by regional, national, and international publications for being on the cutting edge of art in America and is located in the booming West Midtown District in Atlanta, GA.

Happy Birthday, Sara!

in , , , /by

Today is Sara Douglass Thomas’ birthday! She would have been 117 years old.

Sara met and married Steffen Thomas in 1933 after a six-week courtship. They lived in Atlanta until 1941, at which time they moved to Stone Mountain where they built their home and raised their four children. She was always loving, kind, and patient woman. Sara also embraced her role as Muse to her great artist.

In 1997, Sara’s dream of building a museum to honor her late husband and his 60-year career as an artist came to fruition when the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art opened in Buckhead, GA on Steffen Jr.’s farmland.

She spent her remaining years surrounded by the art that she loved so dearly and oversaw daily operations.

Celebrate Sara and her legacy at our Founder’s Day Celebration on Sunday, July 21st. Funds raised will help keep admission free for local public schools and support our in-depth art programs. Sara taught in the city of Atlanta school system for 23 years, so by supporting STMA we honor her life.