TIFTON — “Special Art from Special Folks: The Art of Autism 2,” an exhibit at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture’s gallery, has brought home a first place award from The Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries.

The exhibit, which grew from a collaboration between Museum Curator Polly Huff and Donna Johnston, a local mother and advocate for children with special needs, won the Best Exhibit Award for their category.
“This exhibit provides a safe and celebratory space to display art made by artists with various special needs,” said Huff, who accepted the award at the annual GAM conference in early February. “It has been a privilege to watch it unlock enhanced communication through creative expression, and to improve imagination and motor skills in some of our artists. Additionally, the project aimed to build stronger relationships within families with differently-abled children in the Tifton community.”
Huff said that the project originally started in 2022 with the first Art of Autism exhibit, which showcased more than 60 pieces from 30 artists. It has now become an annual event for the Gallery, expanding to include not only artists on the spectrum, but all differently-abled artists.
“Built with pieces created by local artists of all ages and abilities, the project ‘s purpose is to let art positively impact those individuals, and those who love and care for them,” said Huff.

This artistic collaboration has led to other changes at the GMA to make the museum experience more friendly. Huff has recently implemented quiet spaces and designed a social story for visitors with ASD, which provides additional documents to give visitors with ASD a better understanding of the museum space. Huff has also collaborated with the GMA’s Interpretation and Education Office to host Sensory Friendly Days at the museum, which included special programming at all of the museum’s sites and accommodations for guests with sensory sensitivities.

The award recognizes “an art, historical, or science exhibition of note that demonstrates scholarship and originality contributing to the cultural fabric of the state. The exhibition is an example of excellence in theory, planning, and implementation and has effectively reached and broadened the museum or gallery audience,” according to the GAM.

“This exhibition, which has become a beloved annual event for the Tifton community of differently-abled folks, would not be possible without the work of Donna Johnston, our participating artists, The Conner Group for Pediatric Therapies, Tru Colors, the Arc of SW Georgia, ABAC Dining, The Trophy Shop, Montgomery Printing, and other community partners who have anonymously assisted with funding,” said Huff. “We are honored to receive this recognition from our peers at the State’s Association of Museums.”