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 "Fanner Basket," African-American maker, Nineteenth Century. Woven sweet grasss and palmetto, lowlands of South Carolina.
Collecting Folk Art at The High
ATLANTA, GA. - The High Museum of Art is continuing its momentum in the field of folk art with "Collecting Folk Art at the High," an exhibition in two parts, featuring works of both folk art and Southern decorative arts drawn primarily from the museum's permanent collection. From the colorful whimsy of Nellie Mae Rowe's sculpture "Fish on Spools" to the patterned complexity of traditional Gullah baskets from Charleston, the High has a large collection of art treasures. On view at the High's folk art and photography galleries at Georgia-Pacific Center is "The Last 40 Years," the broad historical runs through January 2. The second section, a closer examination of the decorative arts called "Recent Acquisitions in Southern Decorative Art," continues through February 27. The High, which established the first folk art department of any major, general art museum in the United States in 1994, is known for being forward-thinking in recognizing the art form's importance, specifically in the Southeast. The works in the exhibition are overwhelmingly the productions of artists from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. The South is not known for its bounty of self-taught artists alone, but also as a favorite haunt of avid collectors. "Collecting Folk Art at the High" acknowledges the landmark gifts from area collectors that have buoyed the High Museum of Art's folk art collection to national prominence, from 1956 to the present. "Collecting Folk Art at the High" was organized by the High Museum of Art.
The Last 40 Years"The Last 40 Years" celebrates the museum's history of collecting, researching and exhibiting folk art over four decades. The wide spectrum of American folk art from the permanent collection is on view, including early American portraits, contemporary paintings, and works on paper and sculpture by a celestial roster of artists: Ned Cartledge, Ulysses Davis, Thornton Dial, the Reverend Howard Finster, Lonnie Holley, Mattie Lou O'Kelly, Nellie Mae Rowe and Bill Traylor. A small selection of decorative objects includes a piece of Meaders pottery.Explored is the monumental gift from Atlanta businessman T. Marshall Hahn, Jr., received in 1996. That acquisition catapulted the High to the forefront of the folk art field with 130 significant pieces by Contemporary self-taught artists. The final section of "The Last 40 Years" looks to the future of collecting folk art at the High. Works by new artists, and artists not already part of the High's permanent collection are featured. While drawn from private collections, these works unveil future possibilities.
Recent Acquisitions"Collecting Folk Art: Recent Acquisitions in Southern Decorative Arts" celebrates the beauty and originality of the South's domestic artifacts in a small, closely focused presentation. In the past decade, the High has significantly expanded its holdings and diversity in the area of Southern decorative art with acquisitions in ceramics, painted furniture, textiles and basketry, mostly dating from the Nineteenth Century."Recent Acquisitions in Southern Decorative Art" includes examples of early Nineteenth Century Germanic pottery from Winston-Salem and pottery from the Edgefield district of South Carolina. Nineteenth Century African-American Gullah baskets from Charleston and several extraordinary quilts are also on view. Many of the works reflect an unexpected Nineteenth Century Southern diversity. Bold patterns and colors brighten painted furniture from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. These furniture pieces were often made from several different types of wood, and were painted to give a uniform, more elegant look. The alkaline glaze on Edgefield pottery is of Chinese derivation, and the American South is the only other place it is known to have been used. This small exhibition contains many other exciting discoveries in special exploration of a facet of Southern craftsmanship. The folk art and photography galleries are at 133 Peachtree Street (at John Wesley Dobbs Avenue), in the Georgia-Pacific Center. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 am-5 pm. Closed Sundays. Telephone, 404/577-6940.
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