The Morris Museum of Art does not look like a museum from the outside. It’s on the second floor of an office building with only signs to tell you it’s there. There are locals in Augusta who have spent years not knowing about this hidden treasure trove.
The museum dedicates its collection to the preservation of Southern Art. There are various types ranging from paintings, sculptures, civil war related paintings, still-life art, contemporary paintings and landscapes.
Despite being a single-storey museum, it is a decent size of 18,000 square-feet. Collections are carefully curated into related themes and displayed as smaller collections.
There are over 5,000 pieces on permanent display dating back to the late 18th century to present. Updated exhibitions of new Southern Art are created throughout the year so whether you go once, or multiple times, the exhibits are always changing. There will be new art added that compliments existing pieces on permanent display.
Being a smaller sized museum, and located just off the Riverwalk, it’s ideally located for tourists to stop in, spend an hour or two strolling the displays and learning about the Southern culture from past to present.
The museum was originally founded in 1985, however, 1989 is when the museum began focusing exclusively on South American art after purchasing 230 paintings that belonged to Dr. Robert Powell Coggin – a collector of Southern Art. Since then, the museum has focused exclusively on collecting, and preserving art of South America and those created by artists from Southern America.
Within the museum is also the Center for the Study of Southern Art, which is a library of research on working Southern Artists.
Tours are run daily and there’s a gift shop with a wide variety of handcrafted products by regional artisans. The gift range is as comprehensive as the art collections on display. You can buy art, books, handcrafted jewelry, home decor items and even natural honey products sourced from the local Savannah Bee Company based in Savannah, Georgia.
If you’re walking along the Riverwalk, or attending the Saturday market, the Morris Museum of Art is definitely a cultural attraction well worth spending an hour or two walking around.