Date/Time
Date(s) - 06/05/2026 - 07/31/2026
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location
Bowen Arts Center
Categories
Beginning June 5, the Bowen is hosting Reimagine: Georgia Contemporary Artists. This traveling exhibit is sponsored by the Georgia Council for the Arts and features 20 curated pieces from the State Art Collection. In addition, the Bowen is also featuring local artists from Dawsonville, Lumpkin, Hall, Pickens, Fulton, DeKalb and Jackson Counties in the juried western show ROUND UP which begins June 26.
Join us for a grand opening of REIMAGINE:Contemporary Georgia Artists • Friday, June 5 from 4-7pm.
“’Reimagine’ serves as a megaphone for Georgia’s homegrown talent and shows that when we leverage the arts through collaboration and innovation, we bolster community excitement, opportunity, and underscore that art is for everyone.” -Kenny Oaster, Georgia Council for the Arts, Curator of “Reimagine”
Works in this FREE EXHIBITION will feature paintings, photographs, and drawings by artists such as nationally renowned, self-taught Nellie Mae Rowe, as well as craft traditions such as quilting and lacemaking, to spotlight and connect the rich and diverse Southern art histories and communities of Georgia. Each work invites YOU to LOOK CLOSER…
On January 15, 2025, the Georgia Department of Economic Development team specialized in supporting arts and culture, Georgia Council for the Arts, announced that 10 Georgia communities were selected to host a curated traveling exhibition of works from Georgia’s State Art Collection. The exhibition, “Reimagine: Contemporary Georgia Artists,” is the first of its kind in over a decade, and will encourage additional arts and cultural activities that celebrate and increase awareness for the local community and spur tourism. At each of the selected locations, works from that community’s local and regional artists will be exhibited alongside 20 featured works from the State Collection.
The 10 destination communities earned a stop on the tour through a competitive application process that focused on engaging small and rural communities across the state, and each will receive a grant to support the exhibit and the accompanying community activities. To supplement each partner community’s contributions, Georgia Council for the Arts will also provide guides on how to incorporate local artist workshops, educational opportunities for students, and in-gallery activations.
“Bringing selections from the Georgia State Art Collection to rural communities in all four corners of the state and showcasing the work of each community’s local, active artists is an exciting opportunity,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “We appreciate the support of the Georgia General Assembly for their support in expanding arts services to rural areas. The hard work of our Georgia Council for the Arts team highlights that Georgia is an amazing place to live and encourages pride in Georgia’s arts and cultural heritage.”
The State Art Collection is an extensive, vibrant chronicle of more than 600 works created by Georgia artists from the 1970s to the 1990s. Owned and managed by Georgia Council for the Arts, the Collection is a state asset that serves multiple purposes, serving as an educational tool, preserving the state’s artistic heritage, and spreading knowledge about the art and artists of Georgia.
Over a period of 18 months, the following Georgia communities will host the exhibit for up to six weeks:
- Euharlee – Euharlee Welcome Center & History Museum (February 3-March 14, 2025)
- Greenville – Artisans on the Square (March 24-May 2, 2025)
- Waycross – Okefenokee Heritage Center (May 12-June 20, 2025)
- Moultrie – The Arts Center of Moultrie (June 30-August 8, 2025)
- Cuthbert – Andrew College (August 18-September 26, 2025)
- Douglas – Satilla Regional Library System (October 6-November 14, 2025)
- McRae-Helena – Pioneer Historical Society (January 12-February 20, 2026)
- Sylvania – Screven-Jenkins Regional Library System (March 2-April 10, 2026)
- Buckhead – Steffen Thomas Museum of Art (April 20-May 29, 2026)
- Dawsonville – Bowen Center for the Arts (June 5-July 31, 2026)
VISIT US Tuesday through Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday Noon to 4pm. The Bowen is located on Georgia Highway 9 in Historic Downtown Dawsonville between Lanier Tech College and Dawson Junior High. This beautiful 5,000 square foot vintage building was funded and built in 1941 through FDR’s Works Projects Administration(1935-1943) from locally quarried stone and white marble. It provided classes such as Home Economics, Band/Choir and Shop until 1995 when the local community suggested it be razed. The Dawson County Arts Council formed and fought to save this historic site with assistance from almost every citizen in Dawsonville! The renovated structure was reopened in 2000 as The Bowen Center for the Arts.