• My overall favorite work of art at the High was New Figuration (1985) by Tony Cragg, a British born artist. It was made up of ordinary plastic forms such as plastic plates, bottles, toys, toothbrushes, lids, etc. The shape of it was almost like a snake on the wall but with a head and arms like a human. It took up an entire wall in the gallery and made me feel like my students and I could easily try to recreate in the classroom.
• A work of art that I really liked but wouldn’t take home was Rocking Chair (1895) by H. Wilson from West Virginia located in the American Art: 18th to Mid-19th centuries gallery. It was a painted bent wood rocking chair painted bright red, which is my favorite color. I liked it because it reminded me of the mountains and being out in the country like I grew up. It felt cozy.
• A work that taught me something that I did not know was Piano (1822-1845). It was a beautiful mahogany and brass piano in the American Art: 18th to Mid-19th centuries gallery and was built by Thomas Gibson. In the 19th century, there was a rise in the merchant class and the women were more leisurely with their time. I learned that during this time, the addition of a piano to the parlor in a home was an indication of wealth and status. However, a suitable case was even more important than the instrument itself and was therefore made separately by leading cabinetmakers.
• A work of art that felt very sad to me was Hallelujah Door (1993). It was a painted wood relief by Herbert Singleton and located in the Fay S. and Barrett Howell Gallery. It depicted a New Orleans funeral, which is usually joyous, but it showed mourners, including a mother, and the grave diggers. Funerals in general are just a sad occasion to me so this is why I chose this artwork.
• A work of art that identifies a historic moment in time was Life in the South (Negro Life in the South, ca 1870). It is oil on canvas painted by Eastman Johnson and located in the J.J. Haverty Memorial Gallery. It represents the eve of the Civil War and shows blacks in the interior yard behind a tavern in Washington, DC. Slavery was not big there; however the presence of them in the nation’s “shared capital” was very controversial at this time.
• A work of art that reminded me of something was My Parent’s Farm (1980) by Mattie Lou O’Kelley. It is oil on canvas located in the Fay S. and Barrett Howell Gallery. It reminds me so much of my grandparents’ farm that I spent a lot of time on as a child. There is an old white farmhouse in it, just like theirs, barns, cows, horses, gardens, a creek, hay fields and men plowing. Every bit of that was on their farm and makes me reminisce about those good old days.
• A work of art that shocked me was Translating Substance No. 16 (2005) created by Richard Jolley. It is located in the American Modern Art Gallery and is made of hot sculpted glass. To me, it looks like Adam and Eve maybe but it’s shocking because they are completely naked and there is a head lying on the ground at the man’s feet. It’s also shocking because of the ornate glasswork – I never knew glass could look like that which is pretty amazing!
• When walking through the High Museum there was two galleries that were drastically different – the folk art gallery and the contemporary gallery. The folk art was very easy to understand – the art told stories and had emotions. However, the contemporary art did just the opposite for me – I could not understand hardly any of it. Some of it was just one color on a canvas or a bunch of blocks put together in an odd shape. As for the rest of the museum, it was kind of like the medium between the two. Some was easy to follow and admire, while some artwork was just strange to me. I feel that the High does a good job of presenting all kinds of art to its visitors though.
• My favorite gallery was the American Art – 18th to mid 19th centuries Gallery. It was made up of lots of beautiful furniture, silver, crystal pieces, and American paintings. Everything in it contained a lot of detail and great wood work. It stood out to me because it shows me where I came from and tells the history of the nation I live in. I was amazed by everything in it!
• By far the most meaningful part of this experience was seeing artwork by an artist from my hometown displayed in the High Museum. When walking through the folk art gallery, I was admiring all of the great woodwork and stories told through the art. Next thing I know, I walk up on two wood relief carvings by Leroy Almon from Tallapoosa where I was born, raised and still live. I recognized the name but wasn’t sure if it was him so I came home and looked him up. Turns out, it was him – I never knew he had such talent. I had always heard talk over the years and used to ride by his house as a child and think a crazy person lived there because of all the bright colored art and odd things in the yard. I was just amazed at his work in the museum. One was a carving of the Ten Commandments – he put a spin on it that made them so easy to understand. They were compared to modern day sins and depicted in his work. I find that now I appreciate folk art a lot more and was glad that I got to learn more about a man that I lived only 5 minutes away from and never knew.
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