Values and Methods

Core Values and Methodologies

The High Museum of Art’s Learning and Civic Engagement department connects Atlantans with art and ideas to inspire better civic life. We activate the Museum’s collection and exhibitions with inclusive learning opportunities, and we collaborate to share creative practices alongside art and artists. Our work cultivates growth through inquiry and strengthens people’s connections with themselves, one another, and the wider world.

Core Values

Responsibility and Connectivity: Our department is a collective that includes many perspectives, and we are stronger because of it. We center our responsibilities in respect for what each colleague offers, in stewardship of the art and ideas the Museum advances, and in sustaining collaborative relationships with communities across Georgia.

Curiosity and Empathy: Our work is rooted in seeking goodness alongside one another. In this pursuit, and to understand art and one another more fully, we strive to approach each engagement with generous curiosity and perceptive empathy.

Thoughtfulness and Reliability: Our reliability is forged in knowledge paired with skill. With each person we engage, we co-create understandings of art and ideas and continuously work to broaden and deepen our experience so we can be more thoughtful, adaptive partners in meaning making.

Methodologies

Listen: We root our work in listening, engaging in dialogue, and building consensus with internal and external stakeholders.
Convene: We design spaces for all Atlantans to come together with creativity, including experiences co-created with specific community or affinity groups as well as those open to all.
Facilitate: We employ pedagogical knowledge and skill to cultivate growth—aesthetic, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual—through inquiry, catalyzing deeper connections.
Experience: We prioritize experiences that welcome people to embrace curiosity, cultivate empathy, and spark joy.
Experiment: Our work is an ongoing practice, and we regularly monitor and adjust to learn, teach, and embody better civic life.

Our core values and methodologies are simultaneously foundational and aspirational; we agree to prioritize these values, and we employ these methodologies to realize our values. This is an ambitious goal, and we may experience disagreement or conflict in this pursuit; we will admit when we fall short, and we may consciously amend our methodologies considering new context, resources, or stakeholders. Learning with art is a lifelong process, and we commit to this path toward deeper understandings, stronger relationships, and a better Atlanta.