A Day At The High Museum of Art ♥ Photo Diary

Over the weekend, I went to the High Museum of Art located in the heart of Atlanta. Every second Sunday of the month, the High hosts UPS Sunday and offers free admission to all visitors including family-friendly activities. Since this event was held a few days before my birthday, I decided it would be fun to attend and then follow up by having my birthday dinner somewhere in midtown. It was so inspiring! Nothing motivates me more to create than artists expressing themselves!

I didn’t get to see all of the special exhibitions, which I didn’t realize until afterwards. There were a lot of people, and this was our first time at the High, so the layout was slightly confusing. I didn’t get to see the Isamu Noguchi: “I am not a designer” nor the Amy Sherald: American Sublime exhibits because they were closed. However, I did get to see some of Amy Sherald’s artwork via the High gift shop and even bought the Trans Forming Liberty postcard. At the shop, I also bought a cute Frida Catlo (lol) card by the artist Angie Rozelaar. I plan to display these on my wall or a future mood board.

I didn’t take too many photos and videos because I’m a live-in-the-moment gal, however. I did take some pictures of my favorite artistic pieces and will be sharing them in this photo diary to recap my adventures at the High. I definitely want to go again soon!

About The HIGH Museum of Art

Located in Atlanta, the High Museum contains three buildings and multiple floors with different special exhibitions, engaging community-focused programs, and more than 20,000 works of art. Including African art, American art, European art, decorative arts, folk and self-taught art, modern and contemporary art, and photography. 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.

"The sculptures become a living metaphor for resilience, understood not as rigidity, but as adaptability: the capacity to move with others, to be displaced and to return to balance."

Outside of the entrance of the HIGH, at the HIGH’s Carroll Slater Sifly Piazza, we were greeted with the first exhibition, Los Porfiados (The Stubborns), created by Chilean creative studio gt2P. There were 14 colorful inflatable sculptures that you could actually interact with. When we arrived at the museum, it was pretty gloomy and looked as if we were about to get drenched by a summer shower. However, these woobly rainbow blobs brighten up the atmosphere, and by the time we left, the sky was all blue and sunny!

When we entered the lobby, there was a line of people who were getting Explorer Cards. I assume this was one of the family-friendly activities that you could participate in. If you participate in this activity, you will receive a prize! The objective was to create a drawing inspired by Molly Hatch’s hand-painted ceramics. My drawing was obviously inspired by cows. The prize was a faint rainbow crayon.

Left to right: Landscape (Fervaques) – Eugene Louis Boudin, Ornamental Lake at Kew Gardens, London – Camille Pissarro, The Cliffs of Pourville, Rough Sea and Houses of Parliament in the Fog – Claude Monet

Left to right: Holy Family with a Garland of Flowers – Jan Brueghei the Elder, St. Nicholas of Tolention, St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Lucy, St. Sebastian, and St. Roch – Lorenzo Costa, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Other Insects, and Flowers and Butterflies, Other Insects, and Flowers – Jan van Kessel, and Bric-a-Brac from Damascus, Rome, and Seville – George Henry Hall

Left to right: Paper Dolls – Frank Weston Benson and Eleanor Perry Benson, Seascape-Isles of Shoals – Childe Hassam, Untitled (Horses and Rattlesnake) – Lawrence Lebduska, and Sally with Skull – Milton Avery

Left to right: Untitled (July II A/82) Viola Frey, and The Three-Headed Girl: A Comprehensive List of Everything That Will Try to Kill You on a Sunday, or, The Three-Headed Girl Knows Exactly How to Stay Alive – Vanessa German

As a trinket girlie, I resonated with the sculpture on the right! lol

Left to right: Untitled – Charlie Willeto, Spider King Devil House – Frank Jones, Untitled (Rita Ora) – Marlon Mullen, and Untitled (Lion) – Felipe Benito Archuleta

A sculpture that stood out to me was this painted wooden figure created by Charlie Willeto. Charlie Willeto was a Navajo tribal healer who carved animal and human figures from pine trees and painted them with bright colors. Willeto’s figures bear similarities to dolls made for a Navajo healing rite known as ‘awééshíín’análnééh, in which the dolls were buried to alleviate the afflictions of people suffering from illness. However, he used painted figures like this outside of ritual traditions and bartered them for goods near his home on the Nageezi Navajo reservation in New Mexico. You know I love some good doll lore!

Left to right: Doll Armoire, Case Clock, Horses Like No One on Earth Has Seen Before, The Angel of the Waters, In My Father’s House Are Many Mansions – Howard Finster

My favorite floor was the highest, the Skyway Level. Here’s where the African Art, Folk and Self-Taught Art, and Photography were displayed. The Folk and Self-Taught artists’ work was the one that captivated me the most. A lot of these artists didn’t attend any fancy art school. Some weren’t educated at all! Nor did they have the traditional art tools. They simply created for the sake of expression and because they needed to get it out. I forgot what artist said this, but they mentioned on their wall plaque that the only way to get something off their mind was to create art. I really needed to hear this!

A lot of these artists on this floor were also inspired by their spirituality, and it showed in their work! An artist whose work captured my attention was Howard Finster. Several of his works appeared and had this heavenly glow that I can’t quite explain. His love for his god was on full display in many of his pieces. Whilst I often repel organized religion, I was drawn to his work because it just seemed ethereal! In My Father’s House Are Many Mansions, Doll Armoire, and Case Clock by Howard Finster were my favorite works of his because they remind me of dollhouse miniatures!

Left to right: Dollhouse, Don’t Worry My Boy Dont Cry, and Untitled (Blue Plant Women) – Nellie Mae Rowe

A miniature recreation of Nellie Mae Rowe’s home, aka the “Playhouse”, created by Judith Alexander. Featuring some of Nellie’s dolls.

Speaking of dollhouses, my favorite finds from this trip to the High museum was Nellie Mae Rowe. She had a small room with a collection of her work, including a miniature doll room! So obviously, I love her! When I was researching her, I also found out she was born on July 4th, so she’s a fellow Cancer. I love her even more! Nellie Mae Rowe ‘s art is very whimsical, fantasy-like, colorful, and explores the themes of gender, race, girlhood, as well as her faith. She used what she had lying around to create her artwork. She would transform trash and recycle the material to give it a second life. Sh uses shoeboxes, scraps of wood, socks, yarn, and chewing gum in her work, which included handmade dolls and miniature rooms for them! She didn’t start devoting herself to her work until 48! So inspiring!

To learn more about Nellie Mae Rowe, check out the High’s post here. After viewing her work in person it made me want to learn more about her.

Overall, I had a wonderful time! Since visiting the High Museum of Art, I’ve been feeling so inspired and motivated to craft something. I’ve written down so many ideas that I can’t wait to bring these ideas to life!

Have you ever visited the High Museum of Art?