I knew the High Museum had a respected photography collection, but I didn’t know much more about the Institution until I visited Atlanta last month.
The exhibition space is outstanding, much larger than I expected. I also like the flow and layout of the museum. The High also has a youth interactive room that looked amazing. One thing that really stood out was how everyone associated with the museum I met was nice and seemed to really enjoy being at work; they seem to have a good culture there.
I liked most of the work in the exhibitions, most of which I wasn’t familiar with. Deana Lawson’s photographs were in the photography gallery downstairs, I am reviewing her work in a separate blog post.
In preparing this post I researched more information about the High. I learned the formation of the museum began in 1905 with the formation of the Atlanta Art Association. In 1926 Mrs. Joseph M. High donated her family home to be their first permanent space. In 1962 a plane crash in Paris took the lives of 122 Art Association members who had travelled to Francer to tour galleries and museums. Incredibly in 1968 the Atlanta Memorial Arts Center, which includes the High Museum, opened. I think this is an incredible accomplishment after losing so many area supporters just six years earlier. In 1979 Coca Cola seeded money to expand the High Museum to 135,000 and that project was completed in 1983. In 2005 another expansion was completed adding three new buildings and bringing the High to 312,000 Square feet.
Atlanta based collector and photographer Lucinda Weil Bunnen donated the core of the High photography collection which now has over 600 objects. In the 2000’s the High began to focus on collecting civil rights era photography and has and collection of photographs by an impressive roster of photographers including the following greats: Gordon Parks, Leonard Freed, Danny Lyon, Bruce Davidson, Charlie Moore, Bob Adelman, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lary Fink, James “Spider” Martin, James E. Hinton, Steve Shapiro, Burk Uzzle, Daoud Bey, and William Christenberry.
On the High’s web page, I found what I believe may be their mission statement:
“The High is dedicated to reflecting the diversity of its communities and offering a variety of exhibitions and educational programs that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of artists and the creative process.”
From what I saw the High is accomplishing the goal of the mission statement. I saw a diverse population of visitors walking through the galleries and it looked like most everyone was finding different works of art to connect with. This was especially true in the Deana Lawson photography exhibit.
I particularly enjoyed some of the reflective pieces in the upstairs gallery, including Anish Kapoor’s “Untitled” (2010) which was constructed with mirror fragments on a concave steel dish. I always enjoy interactive works like this where my positioning changes the experience with the work.
I was impressed with the High Museum and I definitely want to get back there again soon. If you live in the region or if you will be visiting Atlanta the High should be on your list of places to visit.
