If you are faculty, staff or a student and are experiencing COVID symptoms please visit our COVID Reporting Form. For more information please visit our updated COVID-19 FAQs Page.
This Historic Collection Highlight features an unusual garment that belonged to an unusual woman: A Mother Hubbard owned by Francis Caroline “Aunt Fannie” Picklesimer Kerby Smith (1825-1914) of Rabun County, Georgia. Who was “Aunt Fannie,” you might ask, and what in the world is a Mother Hubbard? “Aunt Fannie” Picklesimer Kerby Smith was a high-profile […]
By Nichole Ferguson This semester, Brenau Galleries hosted Inner Worlds: Art by Alpha Andrews in the Presidents Gallery. Alpha Andrews (1932-) is a Georgia-born folk artist with many stories. It is always a privilege to work with living artists and collectors who have the opportunity to see their exhibitions in person. Throughout February, members of […]
Brenau University’s FM 242 Fashion Textiles class recently visited Noa’s Ark Alpaca Farm in Gainesville and were led on a tour of the fiber mill by Jack Noa. Starting with a fleece sent for processing by a customer, Noa demonstrated each step in processing fiber from raw fleece to finished yarn. Noa maintains and uses […]
Brenau University’s Department of Music will hold Mozart Mosaic on Saturday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Pearce Auditorium. Dr. Barbara Steinhaus is the artistic director, and Ben Leaptrott will provide musical direction. The mosaic quality of the performance begins with the fact that it is three events in one: Suzanna Durand’s senior capstone in […]
By Jill DeMarotta In February, Brenau University’s interior design students were given a tour of a multimillion-dollar home on Lake Lanier that is currently under renovation. The tour was led by Brenau trustee Jill Mansfield, owner of Jill Mansfield Interiors and an interior design alumna of the university. The students were able to see the […]
by Pam Bousquet The Center for the Arts & Design recently exhibited original works by Brenau students and faculty at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center. The center’s Hallway Invitational exhibition, held Jan. 14 through Feb. 27, showcased drawing, printmaking, painting, graphics, fashion and interior design. This special exhibition of Brenau artwork was also on display […]
By Michael Kleeman The Brenau chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers visited the beautiful Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, on Dec. 6. The ten students who made the trip — which was not only to study history but also celebrate another successful semester — toured the estate, house and grounds that were […]
Digital Graphic Design at Brenau University is open to any major as part of the liberal education curriculum. This course (GR 207) and the corresponding lab (GR207L) are an option for students looking to fulfill their Communications portal requirements. The reason for inclusion in the Communications track rather than Fine Arts is because of the […]
By Madia Cooper-Ashirifi The Brenau University Department of Dance transitioned back into the rigors of a daily groove this fall with widely attended in-person performances, robust rehearsals and classes, guest artists, and community outreach. The department also welcomed 16 first-year students from all over the eastern U.S. The department was invited for a great opportunity […]
Though in singer’s masks, the ensembles of Brenau University’s Department of Music opened the doors to our community with successful live performances in fall of 2021. The Vocal Chamber Ensemble opened our fall concert series with the first live public performance in the Redwine Lobby of the Burd Center for the Performing Arts since February […]
Anna Elizabeth Klumpke (American, 1856 – 1942),“Catinou Knitting”, 1887, Oil on canvas, Gift of Alan and Louise Sellars
Encouraged by an independent, educationally oriented mother, Anna Elizabeth Klumpke was a copyist in the Luxembourg Museum and studied at the Académie Julien in Paris. She enjoyed an education guided by the concept that women artists could compete with their male counterparts. In her memoirs of 1940, Klumpke cites a most influential moment in her […]
In November, the Brenau University Historic Clothing Collection added a large donation of exhibition materials from Lori J. Durante and the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History in Delray Beach, Florida. Charity Armstead, fashion merchandising program director and assistant professor, applied for this donation through the Costume Society of America and was delighted for Brenau […]
by Nichole Ferguson Brenau University highlighted Central America and the Caribbean during the university’s annual International Week from Nov. 15-18, 2021. There is currently a cohort of 16 Panamanian students on campus pursuing degrees in various fields, made possible through a partnership between Brenau University and the Panamanian government. These students played a big part in […]
by Charity Armstead We are currently at work in the historic collection expanding into additional storage space and continuing an inventory of the collection. As we work to digitize all the old paper records from the collection, we are uncovering gorgeous pieces. The oldest piece that we’ve located in the collection so far is this […]
by Nichole Ferguson When you think of Brenau Galleries, you may think of our three rotating exhibition spaces on the historic Gainesville campus. These galleries — Sellars, Presidents and Castelli — host public art exhibitions throughout the year. Sometimes these shows are curated from our Permanent Art Collection, but more typically they feature artwork on loan […]
by Claudia Wilburn The Center for the Arts & Design would like to welcome Andrea Skillings to the team as a new assistant professor of fashion. Skillings has rich experience in merchandising and product development that is backed by a Master of Arts in Decorative Arts and Design from Parsons School of Design in The New […]
by Jill DeMarotta This summer, six Brenau University interior design majors interned at professional interior design firms across the greater Atlanta area, working at least 180 hours with their respective firms. The internships were a great way for the students to observe professional practices in a particular design specialization, including residential, hospitality, commercial, retail and health […]
by Dr. Barbara Steinhaus The opening of fall 2021 classes in the Department of Music allows for a bit of reflection and a look ahead. This past summer, Ashley Conway, director of ensembles and coordinator of music education, was a speaker at the American Choral Directors Association conference, a combined virtual event for participants in Maryland, Washington, D.C., […]
Tatyana Hunter-Henley Dance Performance
by Madia Cooper-Ashirifi Despite the many challenges of the past year, Brenau University’s Department of Dance has continued to think big. As live performances across the country dwindled, the department forged ahead, progressively rethinking performances and collaborations with the Gainesville community to support and showcase Brenau’s dance majors. The dance faculty concluded that the pandemic […]
Studio Art. (AJ Reynolds/Brenau University)
by Huy Chu and Claudia Wilburn In February 2021, the Center for the Arts & Design hosted Tiger Toons, a virtual learning experience that included interviews with several members of the professional animation community. On the heels of that successful event, the Brenau University Art & Design Department acquired new industry standard animation software, Storyboard […]