The Object Space launches on Westside; CDC Museum opens Covid exhibit

Jane Jackson, who founded Jackson Fine Art in 1990, returns to the Atlanta art scene with The Object Space, a new gallery located on Atlanta’s Westside. The space will feature international fine mid-century and contemporary craft. The first exhibit, Form+Surface: European Ceramics and Tapestries 20th Century to Now, will open on January 28.

The Object Space will share exhibition space with the Sandler Hudson Gallery, located at 739 Trabert Avenue NW. The two galleries will divide their exhibition schedules during the year.

Jackson hopes The Object Space will offer a different view of contemporary craft as well as an entrée into rare 20th-century works. The gallery will represent a significant number of artists from the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. In addition to in-person exhibits, Jackson will present offerings online.

Jackson’s previous gallery, Jackson Fine Art, was and still is devoted to 20th-century and contemporary fine art photography. After selling the gallery in 2003, Jackson became the first director of The Sir Elton John Photography Collection, making it the most significant collection of photography in private hands.

In 2014, Jackson resigned and began assisting collectors with deaccessioning of artworks through auction sales and donations. That same year, on a visit to Art Basel Miami, she became convinced that ceramics and tapestries were the most inventive, unique and undervalued art forms displayed.

Form+Surface runs through March 4.

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Few people know there is a museum at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, but there is — and now may be the time to check it out. The David J. Sencer CDC Museum has a new exhibit titled Trusted Messengers: Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines Through Art.

The project was part of a 2022 collaboration between the CDC Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts that supported 30 organizations across the country, including two from Atlanta, helping them use art in creative ways to build confidence in the vaccines in their communities.

Museum curator Louise E. Shaw has been involved with the initiative from the beginning, working closely with the CDC’s Covid task force to figure out the best ways to collaborate with these arts organizations. “It has been a privilege to be involved in a project that links the arts with public health,” Shaw says.

Projects by Dad’s Garage and Out of Hand Theater are included in a video in the exhibit, along with an Out of Hand poster. The visual art works from organizations in Virginia, Missouri, Michigan, South Dakota, Massachusetts and Alabama were created in a variety of media from paper quilt designs to music videos.

Catherine Zilber, vice president for infectious disease programs at the CDC Foundation, stated in a press release: “This new exhibition features impressive art and uplifting messaging that demonstrates the crucial role the arts can play in communicating about important public-health issues.”

The CDC Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Thursdays. The museum is closed on weekends and federal holidays. Admission and parking are free. Government-issued photo ID is required for entry for all adults over the age of 18. Passport required for non-U.S. citizens. Vehicles may be inspected upon arrival.

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