Mars: a color study, Amanda Burk
Artist Commissioned Bathroom
On view through 2028
Opening Saturday, Jan 17
with Beverly’s Athens
Media and VIP preview: 3-4pm
Public reception: 4-6pm
The Athenaeum is excited to announce two new projects as additional opportunities to engage with and support contemporary artists in our building and programming. With the prompt to create “the wildest bathrooms in Athens” the Athenaeum invited two Athens-based artists—Amanda Burk and Elinor Saragoussi—to design, envision, and transform our two ordinary bathroom spaces into artistically inspired installations. Burk’s minimalist room titled Mars: a color study, and Saragoussi’s maximalist installation titled threshold (true): finding comfort in hidden worlds, offer a spectrum between personal approaches while both remaining highly immersive visitor experiences. These commissions will remain on view for the next two years. We are excited to create more experiences with contemporary art in our building for the visiting public whether in our galleries or bathrooms, as the Athenaeum is committed to the visions of artists.
The opening debut of these new commissions concurs with the public reception for our spring exhibition Beverly’s Athens, curated by Mo Costello and Katz Tepper, which is the first major solo exhibition of Buchanan’s work in Athens, GA, situating her expansive practice from this period within the local and lived conditions that shaped it. Beverly’s Athens is supported by a 2024 Single Project Grant from Teiger Foundation—a private foundation devoted exclusively to supporting contemporary art curators. Beverly’s Athens will host a closing symposium on Saturday, March 21st.
Artist Bios
Amanda Burk is a printmaker and mural painter. In 2025 she completed a 100-foot mural along the Athens Greenway as part of a SPLOST public art project in addition to many mural works around the Athens area. Her work uses bold colors, humor and her painting style often mimics her repeated mark-making she utilizes in her printmaking. Burk has a background in long form and stand-up comedy in Chicago and New York. She holds an MFA from the University of Georgia and currently resides in Athens, Georgia.
Elinor Saragoussi, from Denver, Colorado, is currently based in Athens. She works with a variety of mediums, including felt, installation and illustration to create fantastical, colorful works. During the day, Elinor works as a carpenter and leads a cozy life with her dude Reggie and their sassy cat Jude. For more information, contact Rachel Waldrop, Director and Curator, Athenaeum: rachel.waldrop@uga.edu and athenaeum.uga.edu Opened in 2021, The Athenaeum is University of Georgia’s contemporary art space, a 5,000 square foot non-collecting contemporary art venue in downtown Athens. The Athenaeum supports artists through exhibitions and public programming examine the cultural and social contexts around us, providing a framework for intellectual and creative inquiry.