100 years ago, in October of 1926, Mrs. Hattie High donated her stately residence on Peachtree Street to the City of Atlanta, bringing the iconic High Museum of Art to life, right in the heart of the city.
Now, after 100 years as the cultural and artistic hub of the South, the High is looking forward to a future filled with innovation, progress, and community. Keep scrolling to learn all about the High Museum’s centennial year!
The history of the High
The High’s history actually goes back a bit further than just 100 years. In fact, the story starts a little closer to 1905, when a group of prominent women in the city saw the need for an artistic center in Atlanta and established the Atlanta Arts Association–the AAA.
The AAA hosted art pop-up exhibitions across the city until Harriet ‘Hattie’ High donated her Peachtree Street home to serve as the museum and art school for the city.
The High as we know it
From there, the High’s first ‘purpose-built’ building was constructed in 1955. By 1968, the High was already too small to host the exhibits it wanted to, quickly growing into a cultural hub and artistic center that needed more space.
A campaign quickly developed with the phrase “build a museum big enough for Atlanta.” In fact, at the groundbreaking for the new museum building on July 30th, 1981, thousands of kids “helped build a museum big enough for Atlanta” with little red plastic shovels printed with just that phrase: “I helped build a museum big enough for Atlanta.”
The museum grew. In 1993, ten years after the new building had opened, the museum constructed a long-range planning committee to further its growth. And in October of 2005, three new buildings and a transformed Woodruff Arts Center were revealed.
How is the High celebrating 100 years?
So… what’s next? Where do we even start! The High is celebrating a 100-year-history by looking to the future.
Here are some of the amazing things you can expect from the High, to celebrate its iconic centennial:
- Sweeping Reinstallations of the American and African Art Collection Galleries
- The High’s collection galleries will debut new installations that expand traditional categories and unite cross-disciplinary approaches, organized by thematic and material connections as opposed to purely chronological or linear presentations.
- In the American galleries, these include a rare painting by Jacob Lawrence, a quilt by Carolyn L. Mazloomi, and a work by Grandma Moses
- In the African galleries, these include paintings, textiles, prints, drawings and ceramics by artists such as Ben Enwonwu, Ladi Kwali, Nike Okundaye, Bruce Onobrakpeya and Jimoh Akolo.
- Additional Centennial Acquisitions:
- In addition to African and American Art, the High will introduce more than 200 important additions to the museum’s holdings across photography, contemporary design and contemporary art.
- Publication Celebrating the High at 100
- The High is producing a book featuring 100 large-scale reproductions of landmark artworks in the museum’s collection alongside accompanying texts and a photo-rich timeline of the institution’s history.
- Art Activations and Partnerships
- The High will stage public art installations and activations with local, regional and international partners including MARTA, the Atlanta Beltline, the Atlanta Hawks, Havertys, UPS and Delta Air Lines, with product partnerships still to be announced.
- Free Admission for Atlanta Public Schools
- To demonstrate its continued commitment to arts education and access, the High will provide free admission to all Atlanta Public Schools for K-12 field trips throughout the 2026-2027 school year. The High welcomes an average of 4,000 APS students each year.
- A Revamped Brand
- The High will introduce a contemporary rebrand this fall to mark 100 years and lead the institution’s visual identity into the future.
The Centennial Community Block Party
In addition to all of these wonderful future happenings at the High, Atlantans can celebrate 100 years of the High Museum of Art at the Centennial Community Block Party on Sunday, October 18th, from 12 – 5pm!
This free 100th birthday bash will feature:
- activities on its piazza
- live music
- DJs
- art-making
- food vendors
- special surprises
You don’t wanna miss out.
Snag tickets if you want to tour the galleries at the same time!
You can learn all about this 100th birthday party on the High’s website, here!
Don’t miss out on all the fun, Atlanta! Celebrate 100 years of the High this October, right here in the heart of the ATL!
Happy Birthday, High!