Stay Awhile: Interiors in Art
Friday, March 28, 2025 - Thursday, April 30, 2026
Artists depict the indoors for many reasons. Some make the interior
the subject of their work, and the viewer is invited to explore a
real or imagined inner sanctum. For others, the interior provides
an elaborate setting that allows them to provide the viewer with
information to comprehend the work’s meaning. Sometimes, artists
render interiors more as frames or backdrops, but they remain
important for the viewer’s overall understanding. Often richly
detailed, these works encourage a longer look, or two or three.
Taking extra time to follow a line, consider a particular shape, or
ponder a color choice will steadily reveal new insights about an
artwork. This exhibition encourages us to pause, examine, and
reflect upon selections from Telfair’s permanent collection. The
prompts that accompany each of the works on view are starting
points for further visual exploration and conversation.
For example, John Ferguson Weir’s The Studio, enlarged on the
left, includes a wide range of artwork and objects. Carefully study
the larger version and see how many different objects you can
identify, or if you can spot any famous works of art. Notice the
costume that the young man is wearing, and the objects he carries
on the tray. Consider the reasons why Weir may have included all
this material in the depiction of an artist’s studio, and its implications
for the practice of being an artist in the 19th century.
Try to imagine what kind of art the person who used this studio
might create. What other new conclusions can you reach when
you linger on a work of art?
This exhibition is organized by Telfair Museums and curated by Harry DeLorme, director of education and senior curator, and Dr. Elyse D. Gerstenecker, curator of decorative arts, with assistance from Renee Kelliher, curatorial assistant for historic sites.
the subject of their work, and the viewer is invited to explore a
real or imagined inner sanctum. For others, the interior provides
an elaborate setting that allows them to provide the viewer with
information to comprehend the work’s meaning. Sometimes, artists
render interiors more as frames or backdrops, but they remain
important for the viewer’s overall understanding. Often richly
detailed, these works encourage a longer look, or two or three.
Taking extra time to follow a line, consider a particular shape, or
ponder a color choice will steadily reveal new insights about an
artwork. This exhibition encourages us to pause, examine, and
reflect upon selections from Telfair’s permanent collection. The
prompts that accompany each of the works on view are starting
points for further visual exploration and conversation.
For example, John Ferguson Weir’s The Studio, enlarged on the
left, includes a wide range of artwork and objects. Carefully study
the larger version and see how many different objects you can
identify, or if you can spot any famous works of art. Notice the
costume that the young man is wearing, and the objects he carries
on the tray. Consider the reasons why Weir may have included all
this material in the depiction of an artist’s studio, and its implications
for the practice of being an artist in the 19th century.
Try to imagine what kind of art the person who used this studio
might create. What other new conclusions can you reach when
you linger on a work of art?
This exhibition is organized by Telfair Museums and curated by Harry DeLorme, director of education and senior curator, and Dr. Elyse D. Gerstenecker, curator of decorative arts, with assistance from Renee Kelliher, curatorial assistant for historic sites.
Objects