He came to the Morris Museum of Art to teach, but Hasani Sahlehe has spent a lot of time learning as well.
“Prior to the pandemic, I did a lot of outreach,” said Sahlehe, who has been part of the museum staff since the summer of 2019.
Outreach included programs at memory care facilities and organizations serving those with developmental and physical disabilities as well as working with schoolchildren.
The pandemic has shifted his time to more virtual programs and some creative outreaches such as the Create With Me To Go Box, a subscription-type service offering arts projects related to an artwork or artist whose works are part of the museum’s collection. Other virtual programs include the Art Now talks, a series of art lectures held quarterly. The next one will feature Erin Nelson, the executive director of the Burnaway Foundation, in April.
MORE: Gullah Culture Represented in New Exhibit at the Morris
The native of the Virgin Islands is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. He’s used some of his pandemic time to glean from the museum’s expansive resources.
Through the Morris Museum of Art, he’s had access to books including some rare ones and other material related to Southern art plus he has access to the museum’s permanent collection and its storeroom space.
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“I’ve really enjoyed being able to learn and having access to the library. It’s a really good resource,” he said.
While the museum has a lot of material, what he’s found to be the most valuable asset at the museum is its staff particularly Kevin Grogan, the museum’s director and curator.
“He is a wealth of information. He knows all sorts of things,” he said.
A newly created program Sahlehe is excited about was just announced earlier this month. It’s the inaugural emerging artists program.
“I’m an emerging artist myself,” he said.
Hasani Sahlehe’s Your tears are just temporary, acrylic on canvas, 14 x 11 in. 2020. Courtesy of Hasani Sahlehe. 
Hasani Sahlehe’s Sun in the Morning, acrylic on canvas, 12 x 9 in. 2020. Courtesy of Hasani Sahlehe.
The goal is to work with about five to seven artists to help them as they “navigate professional challenges that they often face alone,” the museum’s website said.
Sahlehe said he wants to empower other artists and give them the knowledge they need.
Sahlehe envisions workshops and discussions to help them on their journey. The process will culminate in an exhibition at the museum in 2022. He sees this group as the first of many to come.
To learn more, visit the museum’s website, themorris.org.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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