Let me put you on to one of the best decisions I've made all year
During the fall of my 9th grade year, I visited the High Museum of Art for the first time.
I was fourteen and ecstatic to experience Midtown on a Friday night, which felt like such a grown folk activity at the time. I, alongside other metro Atlanta teens, flooded onto the Woodruff Arts Center campus on a chilly fall evening for what was truly such a freeing and joyous experience filled with teenage angst, creative expression, and art education redefined.
The High is the largest museum of visual art in the Southeastern United States. It truly is a premiere center of art history and art education and apparently a really big deal in the regional, national, and perhaps even international art scene. But beyond those Teen Nights once or twice a year, I never took the time to appreciate the beauty of a major art museum being within a 20-minute drive of my house.
Not until February 14th of this year, that is.
Upon my return to Atlanta after earning two degrees in South Carolina over the course of 4.5 years, I found myself having to relearn a place I thought I knew so well. A part of that process was finding things that adult Thalia would enjoy.
The High was an early stop on that journey to find my footing in my own city. But what really changed the game was becoming a member.
After attending a few High Frequency Fridays (the adult version of Teen Night), I realized the ticket and parking were running me $50 every time. That felt wasteful and I was using cost as an excuse for not visiting more frequently. It was only once I retrieved an advertisement for membership in my mailbox one afternoon that I realized there was indeed a better way to interact with my local art museum.
I paid my $83 dollars and a member I became. These are the three ways in which that decision has improved my lived experience.
That membership paid for itself within two months.
I went to two High Frequency Fridays and parked once to visit the galleries on a weekday. That alone satisfied the cost I put in.
There are very few events that are not free for members at the High, and even those are severely discounted. But the regular events that I find most interesting, such as Oasis on second Fridays, feel so much more accessible to me because everything's already paid for. I just snag $6 street parking since it's after hours and call it a day.
During business hours, though, that free parking comes through every single time. After spending my teens and early young adult life fighting for my life trying to park in Midtown, access to the Woodruff Arts Center parking garage for free gave me a sense of ease that’s hard to come by on Peachtree St.
The good folks at the High really know how to engage their community frequently enough that there's a sense of routine and regularity, but not too frequently that I feel overwhelmed. It's truly just the perfect amount.
I'm on a journey to live and engage with the world more thoughtfully, so I really value the events rooted in conversation, curiosity, and community. For example, they have a monthly series called Conversation Pieces in which a small group of people come together once a month for just thirty minutes to simply discuss one piece of art in the museum selected by a staff member.
I go so often now, the folks who organize that event welcome me by name. That brings me a lot of joy, as you can imagine.
The one in July was focused on a 19th-century cabinet and I, being a bit of a decorative arts girly myself, found vocabulary flowing off my tongue that I didn't even know I had to describe the art piece in front of me. I was really engaging with the work, the facilitator, and the rest of the group in a way that was such a pleasant surprise. I felt like I could feel my neuropathways lighting up with activity. I felt so engaged and it was nice to take just a small amount of time (literally 30 minutes) to nourish my intellectual wellness in that way.
They also have a variety of programming for folks of other interests. I really enjoy small, quiet, intimate events so I attend the monthly Oasis, Conversation Pieces, member previews, talks, and panels. If you enjoy a more lively, party-type experience, check out High Frequency Fridays and Friday Jazz. They also have Art Making programs that I’ve yet to attend. Soon and very soon!
I go to the museum more often because my membership makes it easy to do so.
Being a member has galvanized me to be an active member. The monthly member newsletters keep me informed of the upcoming events I can experience. As I continue to visit and engage, I feel more connected with the High and confident in navigating the galleries within the building. I keep discovering new things I’m interested in seeing or participating in. I keep finding reasons to visit.
I’m also able to engage directly with people who share interests with me! As I continue to find events at the High that resonate with me, I naturally run into people who share the same curiosities I also have dwelling in my head. A smile and introduction later, and now you made a friend! I don’t walk away from every event with a new bestie, but it’s a really cool opportunity to expand your community organically.
If you're local to the Atlanta area and interested in engaging with the local art scene, I highly suggest becoming a member of the High.
If you're not local, I'd implore you to engage with the local museums in your area in a way that feels good to you. I've been to some of y'all cities. Some of y'all got some real cute museums!
Not ready for a membership, but still want to visit your local museum? Get a library card! Museums in many cities offer free admission for folks with a library card. Every system is different, tho, so double-check with your local public library.
Cheers to art!
Thalia, 24, is becoming a true art girly and enjoys building her vocabulary around topics of style, art, fashion, and design. Can’t wait for y’all to see her first independent project: her first home!
