On Sept. 26, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art (MCMA) opens “Legendary Georgia Musicians,” a watercolor exhibition by Athens-based artist Jackie Dorsey that pays homage to performers who have called Georgia home.
The exhibition runs through December 13 and features 22 portraits, representing “an intersection of living musicians who made their name in Georgia, musicians who I like, musicians whose management forwarded my request, and then the musicians who said yes,” Dorsey said.
Most pieces were created following a similar arc. Dorsey photographed subjects as they performed, at home and in the studio. The process was collaborative. Dorsey shared favorite shots, let the musicians weigh in and then offered final approval on their watercolor portraits.
One portrait, however, holds a particularly unique and poignant backstory — Dorsey’s portrait of Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band. The two had met a few times, and when Dorsey began planning “Legendary Georgia Musicians,” Allman topped the list of musicians she wanted to paint. He passed away before she could shoot him, though. Instead, Allman’s portrait is based on a reference image shot by photographer Patricia O’Driscoll, an image chosen, Dorsey said, because it “captured his gentle nature.”
Most of the portraits are for sale. The exception is a portrait of Vanessa Briscoe Hay, on loan from its owner, George Fontaine Sr. Dorsey is donating half her profits. Beneficiaries will include the Georgia Music Foundation; Nuci’s Space, a mental health resource for musicians or, in some cases, the musicians themselves.
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Why Georgia, and why now?
Dorsey isn’t a Georgia native. But she’s lived in Athens for about 14 years. Her early solo shows paid homage to her favorite local barista, the manager of the Georgia Theatre, a Flagpole arts columnist, the owner of Kelly’s Jamaican, the host of WUGA’s “African Perspectives,” — and local musicians.
“Over the last decade living in Athens, I have developed a deep appreciation for the music coming out of Georgia,” Dorsey said. “Regardless of genre, there is something unique about the music here, a quality that seems to cross all genres. Is it grit? Soul? I can’t name it, but it is extraordinary and worthy of celebration.”
Bringing “Legendary Georgia Musicians” to MCMA, Dorsey said, puts it closer to Atlanta audiences and makes it easier for Atlanta-based musicians in the exhibition to attend.
Asked which sittings stayed with her, Dorsey pointed to Chuck Leavell playing Christmas music at his home before a Rolling Stones tour, watching the Dungeon Family’s final rehearsal before meeting Big Boi, and hearing Rutha Mae Harris’s story while visiting Harris’s childhood home. What she hopes visitors take from the show, she said simply, is joy.
The opening reception for “Legendary Georgia Musicians” runs 6 – 8 p.m., September 26, with free admission for MCMA members.
