ATLANTA, April 16, 2018 – The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is pleased to announce plans for a major reinstallation of its collection galleries, set to debut in October 2018. This project marks the first comprehensive revision of the galleries since the High’s transformative expansion in 2005.
The reinstallation will involve all seven of the High’s curatorial departments and highlight the collection’s growth and core strengths while creating dynamic and engaging experiences for visitors and improving accessibility throughout the High’s facilities. The Museum is working with internationally renowned architectural firm Selldorf Architects to develop all aspects of collection gallery design and space planning.
Concurrent with the collection reinstallation, the Museum will double the footprint and complete a total redesign of the Greene Family Learning Gallery in collaboration with Roto design firm.
Gallery closures for the reinstallation have begun and will continue through the end of April. The Museum will close the Stent Family Wing, the High Café and the Greene Family Learning Gallery on May 20, 2018. Special exhibition galleries will remain open for the duration of the reinstallation, and the Museum will continue to present public programs including First Fridays, Friday Jazz and Second Sundays. The new gallery presentations will debut in October 2018.
“As the Atlanta community and the Southeast have grown and changed in the years since the Museum’s expansion, so has our collection. It is essential that our galleries recognize and reflect those changes and celebrate the diverse artistic achievements represented in our holdings, drawn from across the region and well beyond,” said Rand Suffolk, the Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director of the High. “We are thrilled to embark on this project, and we look forward to debuting presentations that will welcome audiences from all walks of life to form deep connections with the Museum.”
Since the Museum’s expansion in 2005, the High has added nearly 7,000 artworks to its collection, now totaling more than 16,000. The reinstallation will feature iconic masterworks and present recent acquisitions across departments, including artworks never on view before at the High, such as Kara Walker’s monumental cut-paper installation “The Jubilant Martyrs of Obsolescence and Ruin” and paintings and sculptures from the 2017 Souls Grown Deep Foundation acquisition of folk and self-taught art.
“A museum collection is dynamic — always growing and evolving — so this opportunity has allowed us to thoughtfully revisit our existing presentations to reinstall the works in ways that resonate anew with our audiences. Importantly, the reinstallation will highlight the strengths of our collections and connections between our curatorial departments and will address much-needed updates that ensure our visitors have more engaging, meaningful and memorable experiences in the galleries,” said Kevin W. Tucker, the High’s chief curator. “From design to interpretation, these new presentations will embrace equity, diversity and approachability throughout.”
The new gallery organization will utilize a combination of interlinked chronological and thematic constructs with dedicated spaces to explore connections across genres and time periods or, alternately, emphasize distinctive strengths within the collections.
The interpretation of the collections will be guided by ideas and narratives that exemplify the Museum’s enduring dedication to diversity and inclusivity as well as its commitment to reflecting communities from Atlanta and beyond through its holdings. In addition to featuring key works by artists of color and women artists, the galleries will incorporate important selections from the High’s unparalleled holdings of works related to the American South, from historical decorative arts and American paintings to civil rights photography.
The Museum will make changes to interpretive elements, including writing new wall labels to resonate with diverse contemporary audiences. As the Museum observes and learns from visitor feedback, it will expand its interpretation program in future phases to adapt to the evolving needs of the public. To further enhance the visitor experience, the High will add “pause” spaces throughout the collection galleries with seating to encourage reflection, conversation and connection.
Additional gallery improvements, changes and collection highlights will include:
- Revised wall configurations in the Stent Family Wing to create new pathways and improve sight lines
- Light abatement and system upgrades throughout the facilities to better protect light-sensitive artworks
- A new special exhibition space on the Stent Family Wing Second Level, which will feature a rotating schedule of exhibitions organized by the High to highlight various aspects of the collection
- A new photography gallery location on the Wieland Pavilion’s Lower Level, which provides additional space to present exhibitions from the growing collection of more than 7,000 photographs
- A new works on paper gallery on the Wieland Pavilion’s Lower Level
- A “black box” space on the top floor of the Anne Cox Chambers Wing for the Museum to present works from its significant new media collection
The New Greene Family Learning Gallery
In October 1968, the High introduced its first dedicated space for families to learn, play and explore. Since then, the Museum’s family spaces have taken on many forms and incited the curiosity of millions of young visitors. To mark the 50th anniversary of its commitment to family spaces, the High will complete a total redesign of its Greene Family Learning Gallery with new interactive environments in collaboration with Roto design firm. The Gallery will close for renovation on May 20, and the new spaces will debut in October 2018 to coincide with the collection reinstallation.
Located adjacent to the Robinson Atrium in the Stent Family Wing, the Greene Family Learning Gallery will expand to include a 2,000-square-foot space across the hall from its current footprint. During renovation, the High will continue to offer a wide range of family programming, including the popular Toddler Thursday and Second Sunday events.
The High’s Education department worked with Roto to design the Gallery’s two distinct spaces based on a set of goals, informed by years of visitor observation, community expert input and research. Each space will be a welcoming, safe and fun environment that is child-centered and child-directed with age-appropriate activities for children from infants through age 8. The open-ended, intuitive, multi-sensory elements, designed to be inclusive for all, combine cutting-edge technology with hands-on activities.
The current Greene Family Learning Gallery space will become CREATE, a bright and open studio devoted to developing young visitors’ art-making abilities and encouraging the creative process. The newly created second gallery space, EXPERIENCE, will be a deeply immersive gallery that enables visitors to explore what art means, how it feels, and where it can take us. Each gallery will feature a quiet space with activities designed for reflection as well as an area specifically for infants and toddlers.
Related Publication
In conjunction with the reinstallation, the High will publish a 144-page book highlighting the growth and strengths of the Museum’s collection. With a Director’s Foreword by Suffolk and a brief history of the High, the book will feature a section for each of the Museum’s seven collecting areas with full-color images of key works.
About the High Museum of Art
Located in the heart of Atlanta, Ga., the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions, and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High features a collection of more than 16,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from pre-history through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. 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. For more information about the High, visit www.high.org.
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DIGITAL IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Media contact:
Marci Tate Davis
Manager of Public Relations
404-733-4585
marci.davis@high.org