Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier arts and living editor

The Oak Hill and Martha Berry museum is located just outside of Berry’s sprawling campus seeking to tell the history of Martha Berry and the founding of her school. While the museum contains many historical artifacts related to Berry’s history, the museum often has the opportunity to show a variety of art exhibits. From March 11- June 8, the museum will be hosting an exhibition titled “Prolific and Experimental: The Art of Steffen Thomas.” The exhibit is in collaboration with the Steffan Thomas Museum of Art, located in Madison Georgia. Thomas passed in 1990, and he is known for his work in a wide array of mediums, including oil painting, drawing and sculpture. One of his most relevant works in relation to Berry College is the stone bust he created of Martha Berry.

Curator of the Oak Hill museum, Rachel McLucas said that the exhibit is being hosted at Oak Hill alongside a screening of the film, “Steffen Thomas: Rock and Chisel.” This film has been touring around the state of Georgia for the past year, and Oak Hill had the opportunity to host the film. According to McLucas, the museum requested to host some of Thomas’ work in order to be able to present the film to the local community with proper context. 

“This is a really fun chance for us to share with the Berry and Rome community more about this artist who we have appreciated for his classical mastery of sculpture,” McLucas said. “This is also a chance to learn more about him, given that he had that connection with Berry.” 

The process of installing and preparing this exhibit involved a lot of collaborative work with the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art. McLucas said that the Oak Hill Museum has been working closely with Thomas’ family members and museum associates. Thomas’s daughter Lisa Connor has worked to select pieces to be on display, and to determine the message that the exhibit would convey. 

Senior Isabella Decker works at the Oak Hill Museum, and has assisted with the set-up of the exhibit. The items were shipped to the Oak Hill Museum, and they needed to be unpacked and set up in specific ways to preserve the safety of the pieces. 

“I know our staff has been really excited to get a glimpse, and to learn more about Steffen Thomas and his art,” Decker said. 

Junior Bella Mccauley also works at the Oak Hill Museum and has assisted with the setting up of this exhibit as well. Through working at the museum during the preparation process, Mccauley said that she has learned a lot more about the history of Thomas’ work. Prior to this exhibit, Mccauley knew Thomas for his bust of Martha Berry, but she has enjoyed the opportunity to see more of his work. 

“A lot of what we have in the museum is portraits, or traditional art,” Mccauley said. “I’m excited that we get to show off more experimental work to the public.” 

While Thomas is most known to the Berry community as the creator of the Martha Berry bust, his collection demonstrates a wide range of mediums. According to McLucas, along with viewing the array of techniques, guests will also be able to learn more about the messages and history behind his art. His work contains a lot of experimental techniques as Thomas worked with bronze and marble sculptures, as well as glass and oil painting. 

“We have only really experienced him from one point of view, but look at this incredible variety and imagination that he had as an artist,” McLucas said. “I think if you are an art lover, you will enjoy the variety and experimentation of which he approached his art. If you are a historian, you will appreciate it because he was speaking about a lot of current events and really interesting ideas about social justice, which speaks to a very wide audience.” 

“Prolific and Experimental: The Art of Steffen Thomas” will be open to the public at the Oak Hill Museum from March 11 through June 8, 2024. The exhibit is free to the public and open weekly on Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The showing of “Rock and Chisel” will take place on March 20 at 6:30 p.m at the Oak Hill Museum for a CE credit, and a second showing that will be open to the public will take place on March 21 at 6:30 p.m.