Piedmont University Invites Community to Jan. 11 Reception Celebrating the Regional African American Museum

Piedmont University Invites the community to celebrate the Regional African American Museum with a reception at the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art on Jan. 11.

“Making & Celebrating History: The Regional African American Museum of Northeast Georgia” will be on view Jan. 8-16. A public reception will take place on Jan. 11 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Both the exhibition and reception are free to the public.

Founded in 2010 in Cornelia, the museum preserves the cultural heritage of communities who attended the Cornelia Regional Colored School, an “equalization” school built and maintained by Boards of Education in Banks, Habersham, Rabun, and White Counties from 1955 to 1966. Prior to Brown v. the Board of Education, equalization schools were created to racially segregate students.

The exhibition celebrates the forthcoming addition of RAAM’s materials to the Digital Library of Georgia and the recently endowed Piedmont University scholarship in RAAM president Audrey Davenport's honor. Special guests from the community and The Digital Library of Georgia will discuss the contribution of RAAM to Northeast Georgia at the January 11 reception.

The MSMA is located at 567 Georgia Street, Demorest, GA 30535. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 12–5 p.m. For more information, please contact Rebecca Brantley at rbrantley@piedmont.edu.

About Piedmont University

Founded in 1897, Piedmont University is a private, comprehensive liberal arts institution offering a personalized higher education experience focused on student success, academic achievement, and professional development. Offering a variety of career-oriented majors in the arts and sciences, business, education, and nursing, Piedmont’s supportive learning environment is defined by small class sizes, with a 12:1 ratio, that allows students to create meaningful relationships with their professors, classmates, and the campus community. Piedmont’s idyllic, 390-acre residential campus is nestled in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains, with a satellite campus situated in the heart of downtown Athens. For more, please visit www.piedmont.edu or follow us on Facebook, and X (Twitter).