Instructor SJ Ursrey leads Yoga in the Galleries on Sept. 19 at the Georgia Museum of Art. This free event is part of the monthly Third Thursday art event in Athens, Georgia, which encourages the public to experience local art.
Dozens of Athenians filled the “Color, Form and Light” exhibit at the Georgia Museum of Art for an hour of yoga, which is one of the many programs and venues open to the public for a free monthly event Third Thursday.
The yoga class, taught by SJ Ursrey of 5 Points Yoga, saw people who varied in skills, from beginners to intermediate, and backgrounds, from freshmen to baby boomers. In neat rows, participants lined up their mats, which were provided for those who did not have their own, between many works of abstract art.
“I have been teaching (yoga) for 10 years . . . I like bringing fun to yoga,” said Ursery.
Beyond her teaching styles, Ursrey enjoys bringing her singing and ukulele playing capabilities to yoga class and serenades everyone with a calming melody at the end of the practice.
“I have been a singer almost my whole life. I'm a professional singer, that's my other job,” said Ursrey, the lead singer of Honeychild.
Jillian Fezer, a freshman civil engineering student at UGA from Raleigh, North Carolina, enjoyed her first time attending Yoga in the Galleries.
“I liked the end when we all laid down and she was singing,” said Fezer. “She was so good. I haven’t ever been in a class where someone is singing.”
Participants stretch out in the “Color, Form and Light” exhibit at the Georgia Museum of Art on yoga mats provided by 5 Points Yoga as Ursrey leads their yoga routine. Yoga in the Galleries is one of the most attended events during Third Thursday.
Participating in the class was Callan Steinmann, the head of education at the Georgia Museum of Art and the co-curator of the exhibit.
“We've had yoga in here the past three months because it is a temporary show… I think it is a nice space for this program,” said Steinmann as she rolled up her yoga mat.
When asked about the art in the room, Steinman explained its called “Color, Form and Light.” In total there are 18 artists represented in the works, all of which are part of the permanent collection or on extended loan.
Steinmann enjoyed her experience helping to curate the exhibit, saying “It was really fun to put together because it is a temporary exhibition, so it’s a special show.”
The special shows do not stop at the Georgia Museum of Art though. The monthly Third Thursday event is an art-focused event that takes place around Athens.
In total, seven different venues open their doors to the public for free and host various exhibits, programs and activities. The Georgia Museum of Art, Lamar Dodd School of Art, Lyndon House Arts Center, ATHICA, Cine, Hotel Indigo and The Classic Center all participate in Third Thursday.
Steinmann, while teaching a class earlier in the day recalls telling her students they were lucky to live in a city with a thriving arts culture rooted in a diverse choice of venues.
She said, “and I feel like every institution sort of brings something different to the community.”
In a fashion normal to SJ Ursrey, she serenades the Yoga in the Galleries class during their final shavasana pose on Sept. 19 as a part of Third Thursday in Athens, Georgia.