May 16, 2021–4:36 p.m.
NEWS RELEASE
Booth Western Art Museum and Tellus Science Museum, each programs of Georgia Museums, Inc., received awards at the most recent Georgia Association of Museums (GAM) conference held in Statesboro in April 2021.
Lynnette Torres Ivey, Program Manager of Special Projects at Booth Western Art Museum, received the GAM 2021 Emerging Museum Professional Award. Lynnette was nominated by Booth Museum’s Director of Education Patty Dees and Lynnette’s previous supervisor at the Zuckerman Museum of Art, Katie Ericson. Patty says, “Lynnette provides an enthusiasm for learning and art that is infectious! FB Live! Art Lessons with Ms. Lynnette is one program in which she connected with participants of all ages from all areas of the country throughout the pandemic. During these weekly lessons, Lynnette encouraged the audience to follow along with her to create their own unique art; all while learning about color, shading, line, shape, and information on the artists themselves.”
Tellus Science Museum received the award for the 2021 Education Program for its Madd Scientists demonstrations. The Tellus Madd Scientists engage learners of all styles with live science demonstrations for school groups and museum event attendees. Nominated by Tellus’s former Director of Education Cantey Smith, she says the Madd Scientists, “encourage participants’ learning while having fun. Through these types of demonstrations, we aim to provide education and entertainment – we call it ‘edutainment’ – by presenting science using all types of props and antics to encourage audience interaction. Guests learn fun and fascinating science concepts from the states of matter, how magnetism works, to the basics of electricity.”
Lastly, Tellus Science Museum Volunteer Bill Montante received the 2021 Volunteer of the Year Award. Bill started contributing volunteer hours to the museum before it even opened to the general public. He has assisted in developing and influencing Tellus Science Museum’s programs and exhibits. He has donated a dozen specimens that are on exhibit in our Fossil Gallery and used in our educational research study collection. Additionally, he does fossil restoration for the museum. When Bill volunteers, he can often be found in our Fossil Gallery where he sets up a kiosk loaded with specimens, maps, photographs, and tales of his amazing adventures. He has also been very generous with tangible bits and pieces of the past as he gives chunks of dinosaur bones to attentive children and their parents. Bill has begun many a child’s (and adult’s) fossil collection with his sharing of prehistoric fossils and nurtured their fascination with the topic as he shares his amazing stories. “Life is all about discovery,” said Montante, who described his life’s role as, “planting knowledge seeds in fertile minds. When I place a piece of dinosaur bone in the hand of a curious child or adult, it often has profound changes in their lives. No telling what that small relic from the past will inspire. I encourage children and adults to be life-long learners. There is so much to discover out there, regardless of the path taken; a whole universe of discovery.”
Booth Western Art Museum and Tellus Science Museum are programs of Georgia Museums, Inc., which also includes Bartow History Museum and Savoy Automobile Museum. The Smithsonian Affiliate museums are located in Cartersville, just north of Atlanta. For more information about Booth Western Art Museum, call (770) 387-1300 or visit www.boothmuseum.org and for more information about Tellus Science Museum, call (770) 606-5700 or visit www.tellusmuseum.org.
Booth Western Art Museum Program Manager of Special Projects Lynnette Ivey teaches virtual art lessons. Photo courtesy of Booth Western Art Museum
Tellus Science Museum Madd Scientists excite and delight while teaching about the science behind fireworks. Photo courtesy of Tellus Science Museum
Bill Montante (right) teaches his friend Avery Rylander (left) about fossils. Photo courtesy of Cady Schulman