Art
Atlanta’ s
A CENTURY IN THE MAKING
“ Over the past decade, we have made SIGNIFICANT STRIDES toward becoming a PROFOUNDLY DIFFERENT magnet in Atlanta and to being the art museum that our city deserves.”
“ We are poised to enter our next 100 years as a DYNAMIC, INTENTIONAL and ESSENTIAL contributor to the CULTURAL FABRIC of our city- an organization, in fact, dedicated to connecting and
STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITY”
- Rand Suffolk
Director, High Museum of Art
L
Museum
ong before the High Museum became one of Atlanta’ s most recognizable cultural landmarks, its beginnings can be traced to a small group of women who believed a growing Southern city deserved a place devoted to art, education and creativity.
In 1903, artist and educator Nannie“ Lally” Boyd gathered nine civic-minded women to discuss creating an art museum and school for Atlanta. Two years later, the Atlanta Art Association was formally established, with Boyd as its first president. Mildred McPheeters Inman followed, helping expand arts education, support local artists and build public interest in a permanent museum. Their persistence laid the groundwork for the defining act that followed.
In 1926, Harriet“ Hattie” High donated her Tudor residence on Peachtree Street to become the High Museum and School of Art. After several months of renovation, the ground floor became galleries and the rooms above were converted to classrooms. On October 18, the doors opened to the public.
A century later, the institution bearing her name remains on Peachtree Street. What began in a gracious Atlanta home has grown into a museum with more than 20,000 works spanning centuries, continents and media, yet its original purpose endures: to make art an essential part of the life of the city.