2022 Year in Review

2022 YEAR IN REVIEW

OUR MISSION

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, in service to the region and the nation, welcomes everyone to explore, experience and engage with the visual arts.

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, a cultural heart of an Alabama public research institution, is guided by a set of core values that serve its communities.

OUR VALUES

EQUITY + INCLUSION

COLLABORATIONS + PARTNERSHIPS

STEWARDSHIP + GROWTH

ENGAGEMENT + LEARNING

INQUIRY + EXPERIMENTATION

10 11 18

131 106

181

1,148

2,973 12,415

48,855

179,000

Exhibitions

Artist Visits

Streaming Episodes

Objects Used in Instruction

Objects Added to the Collection

Outreach Programs

PreK – 12 Visitors

Auburn Student and Faculty Visitors

Total Visitors to the Museum

Visitors to jcsm.auburn.edu

Accounts reached on social media

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CINDI MALINICK

Dear Friends,

“The museum makes my university complete.” This endorsement, shared by an Auburn alum with the nationally-recognized American Alliance of Museums (AAM), beautifully sums up the work of The Jule in 2022. Our fundamental purpose as an academic museum is The Auburn Experience — positioning The Jule as “a teaching instrument intended for hands-on use by students and scholars.” This definition offered by the noted art critic Holland Cotter of The New York Times serves as our guiding light.

In 2022, The Jule earned reaccreditation from AAM, the country’s preeminent museum association. This award reflects excellence in exhibitions, engagement, operations, and finance. It affirmed our role as an integral part of campus life where we are an interfidsciplinary hub to support the fluid exchange of ideas.

As you will discover in the pages within, The Jule is the cultural heart of a public research institution: university classes toured exhibitions and studied objects with varied disciplines ranging from architectural space planning to history to philosophy; government and industry visitors to Auburn’s Huntsville Research and Innovation Campus experienced the university’s art and special collections in a new exhibition outreach initiative; more than 20 remarkable and noteworthy artists, makers and thinkers presented creative scholarship in Faculty Exhibition Seven ; student gallery guides, visitor service associates and advisors welcomed their peers and proudly represented The Jule; alumni and donors invested in our growth as a campus resource.

On behalf of the museum team, thank you to alumni and donors invested in our growth as a campus resource. This time next year, we will be in full swing celebrating the museum’s 20th Anniversary — with you!

Sincerely,

Cindi Malinick Executive Director

We commend the museum for its involvement with various departments of the university, showing its interdisciplinary value. The museum is an asset to its primary audience of faculty, students and staff of Auburn University while continuing to serve the larger Auburn community.

— AMY BARTOW-MELIA Interim Chair, Reaccreditation Commission, AAM Executive Director, South Carolina State Museum November 17,

2022

AUBURN MUSEUM RECEIVES HIGHEST NATIONAL RECOGNITION

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University is again among the small number of museums accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. This advocacy group acknowledges the highest standards in the museum profession.

Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, governments, funders, outside agencies and the museum-going public. The Alliance initially recognized The Jule in 2013, and its re-accreditation continues a standard of excellence at the one-of-a-kind campus resource.

EXCERPTS FROM THE PEER-REVIEWED SITE VISIT REPORT

“The Jule is on the precipice of many positive projects that will bring more visibility and credibility as the place for creative learning outside the classroom at Auburn.”

“We also commend the museum on its excellent collections management practices, for making the collections so accessible, and for its ongoing commitment to improving Advisory Board diversity through the annual demographic survey and other initiatives.”

“There is every indication that the Jule will continue to be successful in its diligent, purposeful work to be recognized as integral to the Auburn student experience. [The Jule] has already positioned itself as an important university resource for experiential learning through collections and exhibitions, and access to the museum gives every student on campus an opportunity to engage with the visual arts.”

AAM Site Visit Committee Members: Denise Drury

Homewood, Executive Director, WCU Fine Art Museum, Bardo Arts Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina; Zinnia Willits, Executive Director, Southeastern Museum Conference, Atlanta, Georgia

The site committee also cited exemplary best practices, including programming beyond the museum, interdisciplinary collaborations, appointment of a Director of Education, Engagement and Learning, increasing representation in the collection, visitation, facilities management and strategic planning.

• Coleman produced a silkscreen print of one of his drawings with Auburn students in the Department of Art and Art History.

• Coleman's Seed Bed offered visitors a spot to lie down and visualize the outdoors.

• Seventh graders created their own interpretation of Coleman’s Native series during the annual Auburn Studio Project.

• The Jule screened a five-part Independent Film Series, including 2021’s Rock Bottom Riser directed by artist Fern Silva.

• “A Conversation with Tommy Coleman” featured the artist alongside musical collaborator Ben Seretan. Contributors Lefty Bay and Sleepy Sword also performed during the run.

A New Nature

The Jule Museum Podcast: Hear from the artist in Episode 4:

Radical Naturalism – Tommy Coleman: A New Nature & my problem with the vessel

Atrium,

January 28 – July 26, 2022

Louise Hauss and David Brent Miller Audubon Galleries and Grand Gallery

• FretHaus , a collaborative exhibition, highlighted a semester’s work by Auburn Faculty in the School of Industrial + Graphic Design, their students, alumni and the museum.

• The exhibition culminated in a spring reception, where students and faculty played several guitars from the exhibition and past studios.

• Creative Cubs rocked out with their dream guitars.

• Rich Britnell is Professor of Industrial Design and Keith Medley is Professor of Practice in the School of Industrial and Graphic Design and Master Luthier and Product Development Manager for Gibson Guitars.

January 28 – July 31, 2022

Noel and Kathryn Dickinson Wadsworth Gallery

• Elijah Gaddis, Assistant Professor of History at Auburn, discussed ways to write about objects on display. Students added reflections on post-it notes.

• Filmmaker and artist Elizabeth Webb discussed artistic styles ranging from Audubon to Mose T with history students. Her visit culminated with a screening of her award-winning film, For Paradise .

• Associate Professor Rose McLarney’s Poetry II class conducted slow-looking exercises to write ekphrasis poetry. Museum staff displayed selected poems alongside the source material.

• The exhibition featured a loan by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts of Catherine Somerville’s quilt Log Cabin (Pig Pen Variation)/Checkerboard .

The Jule Museum Podcast: This exhibition inspired Episode 3: Fingerprints

Chi-Omega – Hargis Gallery

January 28 – July 31, 2022

• Art and Art History Assistant Professor Kristen TordellaWilliams prepared her site-specific work, Burnt Books, on the museum grounds.

• Student Guides demonstrated a cross-stitch data project inspired by Consumer and Design Sciences Assistant Professor Anna Ruth Gatlin’s weavings.

• For the first time, the exhibition featured objects by Consumer and Design Sciences and Engineering Faculty.

• Professor Wendy Deschene, Department of Art and Art History, installed a collaborative piece, Pollen Identification Mural, with her students.

• Faculty assigned students with self-study in the galleries.

The Jule Museum Podcast: Hear the crackle of Todrella-Williams's artistic practice Episode 2: Burned Books

Faculty Exhibition Seven

Grand Gallery, Bill L. Harbert Gallery and Gallery C

January 28 – July 31, 2022

• Auburn students researched sneaker culture in "Sneakerheads: Kicks and Culture in the Academy and Beyond” with Associate Professor of English Charles Lesh.

• Andy Yoder produced a custom shoe for Auburn using items from the University Bookstore — oh, and that other university, too.

The Jule Museum Podcast: Student Imani Poole shares insight and clips from her class podcast project in Episode 8: Sneakerheads

• RaMell Ross celebrated with attendees of the 3rd Annual Director’s Dinner, sharing a humorous and poignant viewpoint on Alabama and the American South.

• During his visit, Ross worked on the site-specific piece Earth, Dirt, Soil, Land, Alter and met with Student Guides.

• The Jule acquired two pieces from the exhibition, Typeface and Here , with support from the Mamie Hardy Memorial Endowment.

Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body: The Work of RaMell Ross was curated by Richard McCabe, Curator of Photography, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and organized by the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Louisiana. For this iteration, the artist collaborated on the interpretation and installation with The Jule’s curatorial staff.

Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body: The Work of RaMell Ross

August 23 – December 30, 2022

Grand Gallery, Noel and Kathryn Dickinson Wadsworth Gallery and Chi-Omega – Hargis Gallery

• Student guides, docents and museum staff toured the exhibition with Khalil Kinsey, Chief Operations Officer and Chief Curator.

• The exhibition served as the backdrop for Night at the Museum, where the LA-based DJ Jihari created a mix inspired by objects on view.

• In celebration of 50 years of Black Greek Life at Auburn, The Jule partnered with the National Pan-Hellenic Council for a panel on Diversity in the Workplace featuring Kinsey and others.

• Several classes made repeat visits over the course of the semester to explore The Kinsey Collection.

The Jule Museum Podcast: Khalil Kinsey reflects on American history legacy in Episode 9: The Kinsey Collection

Kinsey African American Art and History Collection

Bill L. Harbert Gallery and Gallery C August 23 – December 30, 2022

• Bellet joined Associate Professor of English Emily Friedman and Hsuan L. Hsu, Professor of English at the University of California, Davis, in a conversation about the histories and aesthetics of scent.

• Bellet worked with students in " Victorian Studies and the Ecological Turn" taught by English Professor Alicia Carroll.

• Creative Cubs produced cyanotypes and toured the exhibition.

The Jule Museum Podcast: Consider histories of scent, olfactory aesthetics and environmental justice in Episode 12: The Smell of Risk

• Manon Bellet conducted site visits to research and install the exhibition.

Radical Naturalism – Manon Bellet: A Swallow Does Not Make a Summer

Louise Hauss and David Brent Miller Audubon Galleries

August 23 – December 30, 2022

Surface to Air , an exhibition outreach initiative, is the first in a developing series to share the art collection at other campus locations. Presented in multiple phases, the exhibition tells the story of humankind’s first innovations on earth to space and advances yet to be discovered. With financial support from the College of Engineering, the museum commissioned Gamaliel Rodríguez, a U.S. Army veteran who uses felt and ballpoint pens to create photorealistic aerial views of industrial, military and civilian structures.

The Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus serves as a state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar collaboration engine, conference center and research space that extends Auburn’s expertise and next-generation resources to the defense, space and law enforcement agencies.

The Jule Museum Podcast: Gamaliel Rodríguez talks about his artwork in Episode 11: Research and Innovation

Launched October 25, 2022

Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus – Huntsville, Alabama

CAMPUS COLLABORATIONS

• Following a screening of Gordon Parks: A Choice of Weapons , Devin Allen reflected how Parks influenced his work as part of “Becoming the Beloved Community” series with the College of Liberal Arts

• Computer Science graduate student Nikolay Sargsyan conducted a high-tech study on eye-tracking in galleries.

• The Jule presented a screening of Afrikan By Way of American with the Auburn National Pan-Hellenic Council.

• Working with the university’s interior designer, The Jule earned a first-place award from the Association of University Designs for the lobby and atrium.

• Outreach Global kicked off the inaugural Global Community Day in the gardens and galleries.

• Auburn’s Advancement professionals learned about the many intersections between museum work and colleges.

The Jule Museum Podcast: Devin Allen conversation with Ernest L. Gibson, III in Episode 5: Baltimore Uprising

MUSEUM MAKERS

• The weeklong camp offered an interactive artistic growth experience for children ages 8 to 10.

• As “Raiders of the Lost Art,” campers uncovered art techniques and materials of the past and made connections across time to the work of contemporary artists. Creating paint using natural materials, working in plaster and clay and experimenting with 3D Printing.

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

• Student Affairs and a new student advisory board supported Night at The Museum as a part of the First 56 Campaign for healthy habits.

• Student employees warmly welcome and engage visitors in our lobby and store as well as assist with museum events.

• Student guides create a visitor-centered experience by asking questions and using conversation to seek new perspectives. Students may work on different projects, including assisting with PreK-12 tours and other visitors.

ARTISTS ON-SITE

TOMMY COLEMAN

MANON BELLET

KEVIN BRISCO

WALTER HOOD

RAMELL ROSS

To prepare for upcoming exhibitions, several artists conducted collections research in the collection and saw exhibition space, as well as met with faculty and students.

GAMALIEL RODRĺGUEZ

RACHEL LIEBSKIND

JIM DRAPER

AWOL ERUZKU

SAM MOYER

MUSEUM IN MOTION

Here are the buses before, and we can’t wait to share the after with you and the people of Alabama. New staff joined this year to program this outreach initiative.

ARTIST RENDERINGS

MEET US IN ....

T he Jule’s Meet Us In series connects donors and friends of Auburn with premium arts, culture and culinary experiences. The 2022 sites included Atlanta, Georgia, Highlands, North Carolina, and New York, New York. Participants enjoyed studio visits and special museum access at The High, The Bascom, and The Whitney.

Future installments include Santa Fe, New Mexico and international destinations.

Kehinde Wiley, Barack Obama , 2018, offset lithograph. © Kehinde Wiley.

Photo by Mark Gulezian, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Courtesy of Princeton University Press.

2022 SEASON PARTNERS

Thanks for your investment.

$50,000 AND ABOVE

The City of Auburn

Julia and Albert Smith Foundation for The Albert J. Smith Jr. Endowed Assistantship

$25,000 AND ABOVE

LAMAR of Montgomery

Opelika-Auburn News

$10,000 AND ABOVE

The Auburn Network

East Alabama Living

Dr. Lynn Barstis Williams Katz

Mr. Al Marzorini

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Rawson

$5,000 AND ABOVE

Alpha Beta Chi Omega House Corporation

Ms. Lillian Belle Cross '65

Mr. Lee Kirkland

Mr. Robert Neil Lauder '84

Mr. George Robert Lowry '69

Mrs. Mio H. Sewell

Mr. and Mrs. William C. Smith

Mr. Harald F. Lassen '57

$1,072 AND ABOVE

Anonymous

Mr. and Mrs. Dalton Ard

Mr. Barry Burkhart and Dr. Mary Q. Burkhart

Mrs. Janet Zickfield Burns

Mr. Paul Kyle Butler '59 and Mrs. Pallie J. Butler '58

Ms. Lucinda Samford Cannon '69

Dr. Thomas Chase '62 and Mrs. Judith Chase '63

Mr. Thomas Davis and Mrs. Phyllis Day Davis '72

Mrs. Frances Pick Dillard

Ms. Mary C. Dixon '66

Mrs. Sally Q. Gates '65 and Mr. James E. Gates

Mrs. Margaret A. Gluhman

Mr. Robert G. Hecht and Mrs. JoAnne J. Hecht '54

Dr. and Mrs. Richard Jaeger

Dr. and Mrs. James Jenkins, Jr. '74

Dr. Lynn Barstis Williams Katz

Dr. Edward E. Kern III '74

Mrs. Tee C. Kern

Mrs. Erwin D. Key '53

Dr. Barbara Pitts Larkin and Mr. Tom Larkin

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Lewis

Dr. Gerald S. Leischuck '64

Mr. Robert Ashlin Mann and Mrs. Aldona Jane

Petrenas-Mann '14

Mr. John Franklin Norton '72

Dr. and Mrs. David B. Paradice

Dr. Stuart B. Price, Jr.

Mr. Guin Robinson and Mr. Tim Parker

Dr. Peter Schwartz

Mr. Stanley Joe Sistrunk '79

Ms. Bonnie Lavonia Smith '67

Dr. Samia I. Spencer

Mrs. Elizabet G. St. Jean '70

Mrs. Peggy Stelpflug '78

Mr. Frank Stewart '77

Mrs. Clifford Swift III

Ms. Nancy Virginia Tillman '81

Mr. James M. Tucci and Mrs. Sandra M. Tucci '15

Mr. Rick Nathaniel White '87

Ms. Jane Luster Williams '69

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Mitch Wood III '78

Mr. John Hathaway Woodham '66 and Mrs. Lyn Parker Woodam '69

The museum is grateful for the funds these endowments provided this and every year to support its mission.

ENDOWMENTS

The Milton J. and Helene R. Alexander Endowed Fund for Acquisitions

Art Changes Lives Endowment

The Elizabeth A. and Thilo D. Best Endowed Fund for Excellence

The Carlisle Endowment Fund for Museum

Administration

The Dunlop Family Endowment for Museum

Acquisitions

The Robert Ekelund and Mark Thornton Endowment for Museum Acquisitions

Martin Moss Freeman '77 Endowed Fund for Excellence in Memory of Dr. Alfred and Shirley S. Freeman

The Grisham Endowed Fund for Museum

Administration

The Mamie L. Hardy Memorial Endowment

The Joan Cousins Hartman Fund for Museum

Maintenance and Preservation

Dr. Charles M. Hendrix and Dr. Rebecca Compton Hendrix '11 Endowed Fund for Excellence

The Netty Murphey Jordan Museum Endowment

The Betty Coston Lassen Endowed Fund for Excellence in Education

The Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Fund for Museum Acquisitions

Shelia J. McCartney Endowed Fund for Art Collection Maintenance

The Martin-Perricone Endowed Fund for Excellence

Louise Hauss Miller Audubon Endowment

The Dr. Douglas L. and Mrs. Anita Nielsen Endowed Fund for Excellence

The Susan Phillips Endowment

The Sigma Lambda Kappa Delta Endowed Fund for Exhibitions

The Albert J. Smith Jr. Endowed Assistantship

Jule Collins Smith General Fund for Excellence

The George C. and Nan cy S. Thompson Endowed Fund for Excellence

The Williams-Mason Endowed Fund for Excellence

PLANNED GIFTS

Mrs. Patricia P. Disque '63 and Mr. James Disque

Mr. Preston Phillips, Jr. '73 and Mr. Charles Forthofer

Mr. Guin Robinson '86 and Mr. Tim Parker

MARTIN MOSS FREEMAN '77 FUND FOR EXCELLENCE IN MEMORY OF SHIRLEY AND DR. ALFRED FREEMAN

Through a major gift to Auburn University, Martin Freeman established an endowment to acquire work by Jewish artists. Freeman’s generosity and service as an advisory board member exemplify the example set by his beloved late parents. By expanding the collection in this area, Auburn students benefit from a more well-rounded education. Scholarly research is enhanced locally and nationally and the collection’s reach extends through campus loans and partnerships.

INVEST IN THE ARTS AT ANY

ANNUAL SEASON PARTNERSHIPS

Discover ways to share your passion for the arts, and savor new experiences as a season partner.

CHARITABLE GIFTS TO MUSEUM PROGRAMS

Charitable, tax-deductible gifts in support of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art or other programs at Auburn are made through the Auburn University Foundation, which receives such gifts on the university’s behalf. Your philanthropic donation to the museum may be tax-deductible as a charitable contribution. No goods or services have been provided to you in exchange for the gift.

QUESTIONS?

Contact Ellen Killough '92 850.258.9437 | elk0033@auburn.edu

Camille Billops, I am Black, I am Black, I am Dangerously Black , 1973, etching; museum purchase with funds provided by TenSeventyTwo – A Campaign for Collecting and Conserving Art.

ANY LEVEL

LEVERAGING THE COLLECTION

• Doris Alexander Thompson’s Darker Sister from the Imprinting the South Collection graced The Witness Prize edition of the Southern Humanities Review .

• Coach Bruce Pearl checked out the Auburn Oak Bowl on temporary display during Women’s Gymnastics and Men’s Basketball.

• Teaching with Collections, a series exploring how museum offer cross-disciplinary teaching and learning on campus, kicked off with spring and fall installments, including scholars from Northwestern’s Block Museum and Skidmore College alongside Alabama Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones.

• Assistant Professor Jennifer Smith brought Environmental Design students to study museum collection storage and public spaces.

The Jule Museum Podcast: Mimi Hellman conversation with Chris Molinski in Episode 6: Teaching Museum

COLLECTION

Museum Purchases with Funds Provided by The Mamie Hardy Memorial Endowment

Untitled/Baltimore Uprising

Devin Allen

Untitled/ Time Cover 2020

Devin Allen

Untitled/Fragile Like a Bomb

Devin Allen

Here

RaMell Ross

Typeface

RaMell Ross

Gift of Robert "Bo" Lauder in Memory of Peggy Foreland Lauder '60

Colour Chart (Glitter)

Damien Hirst

The Milton J. and Helene R. Alexander Endowment

Vessel fused with stone Masaomi Yasunaga

Museum Purchases with Funds Provided by The Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowment for Museum Acquisitions

Advancing Impulses

Mildred Thompson

Museum Purchases through TenSeventyTwo –A Campaign for Collecting and Conserving Art

Untitled (No. #III)

Mildred Thompson

Untitled (No. #VIII)

Mildred Thompson

Skylight

May Stevens

Something That Could Not Be Contained by a Confessional Faith

Shikeith

For Japanese with Mirrors

Camille Billops

I am Black, I am Black, I am Dangerously Black

Camille Billops

Little Men #82

Vivian Browne

The President of the university appoints the Advisory Board, who voluntarily serve the museum as advocates, advisors and fundraisers.

joyce

Guin

Martin

Judy

Bo

Tenley

Michael

Katherine

Dixie Torbert

Ann Tucker

Lisa Van Der Reijden

Whitney

LEFT TO RIGHT:

gillie gossom (chair)

Robinson (co-chair) '86

Freeman '77

M. King

Lauder '84

Lewis

O'Neill '74

Smith '17

Wood Bailey '05

LIGHTS! CAMERA! MUSEUM!

The museum partnered with The Media Production Group, a sub-unit of the Harbert College of Business, serving as a location for a statewide public safety campaign. As part of a larger grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the grant is given to the Alabama Governor’s Office and distributed by the Law Enforcement and Traffic Safety Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). This campaign, along with the “Click It or Ticket” campaign, is part of a 1.1 million dollar grant to Auburn which includes all print, tv, radio and outdoor campaign creative as well as all media buys across the state.

WILDFLOWER RESEARCH EXPERIMENT

The museum grounds are part of a research experiment led by Kelly Homan, an assistant professor in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction’s Environmental Design program. Over the next five years, this space will transform into an experimental wildflower garden, testing how a diverse seed mixture responds to adding carbon-rich biochar to the soil. Professor Homan aims to determine whether this application influences species richness, flower production and seed health in the southeastern United States in support of bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

ALABAMA BOYS

The stars came out, and The Jule said "Break a Leg" to distinguished alumni Thom Gossom '75 and Michael O'Neill '74 (JULE Advisory Board) for the preview party of Alabama Boys . With themes of African American history and the Black Experience, the exhibitions on view provided an ideal backdrop for reflecting on the play's themes. Penned by Gossom and O'Neill, and produced by Walt Woltosz '69, '77, Alabama Boys featured honest reflections about coming of age in the Civil-Rights-era South. The actors traced their time at Auburn and how the experience shaped their lives. Alabama Boys is the first theatrical work produced and presented by the Gogue Center.

1161 WEST SAMFORD AVENUE BUILDING 8

901 SOUTH COLLEGE STREET

AUBURN, ALABAMA 36849-0001

WANT TO ADVANCE THE ARTS AT AUBURN? MAKE A GIFT TODAY AT AUBURNGIVING.ORG/JCSM

Charitable, tax-deductible gifts in support of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art or other programs at Auburn are made through the Auburn University Foundation, which receives such gifts on the university’s behalf.

Auburn University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Educational Institution.