2025 is looking peachy for the good folks over at the High Museum of Art. Located in the heart of Midtown, the High Museum has remained one of Atlanta’s most beloved artistic institutions since it first opened in 1905.
And now, as we draw closer to the new year, they have plenty of news to announce and reasons to celebrate.
Announcements
The High Museum of Art recently invited Emory University to join the Academic Affiliate program which provides access and benefits to students and faculty at the university. In place for more than a decade, this program offers free general admission for university-sponsored field trips and individual walk-up tickets; discounted memberships for students, faculty, and staff; an annual student art exhibition in the Greene Family Education Center; up to four lectures or conversations by High Museum staff at Emory; and access to the dedicated meeting and event space called Hub @ the High.
“The Affiliate program opens new pathways for personal and professional growth for Emory students,” said Andrew Westover, the High’s Eleanor McDonald Storza deputy director, learning and civic engagement. “Students, staff and faculty will now find it easier to study and enjoy the High’s world-class art, and we look forward to collaborating with Emory faculty to welcome more classes to the museum.”
Caroline Maddox has also recently accepted a position as Deputy Director, Philanthropy. Maddox brings a wealth experience working with complex, multimillion-dollar fundraising initiatives at similar institutions such as the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Georgia Museum of Art, and a recent role as vice president of advancement for South Arts.
Maddox will lead the team responsible for continued revenue which includes individual, corporate, foundational, and governmental support, as well as supporting the museum’s Wine Auction and David C. Driskell Prize Gala fundraisers.
In early October I shared the news that Anni Pullagura, Ph.D. had been selected for the role of Margaret and Terry Stent Associated Curator of American Art at the museum. She has been in her new position since Nov. 11, and is responsible for growing and developing the museum’s collection of American paintings, sculpture, drawings, and prints.
Pullagura is the inaugural postdoctoral fellow with Yale Center for British Art at Yale University and the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and also served as consulting assistant curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA /Boston)
In August, the High Museum also welcomed Bergan Burnett as Chief Financial Officer. Responsible for the development of financial strategy and ongoing financial reporting and operations, Burnett joined the Museum’s senior leadership.
“We are delighted to bring Bergan on board as a member of our senior leadership team,” said the High’s Director Rand Suffolk in a statement. “Bergan comes to the museum with more than 15 years of sophisticated accounting experience and a proven track record of leadership in the non-profit sector. As a member of the High for many years, she also brings a passion for our mission and familiarity with our work that make her well-positioned to help us grow in a fiscally responsible and sustainable way.”
Selections from the 2025 exhibition calendar
The High Museum of Art has plenty of amazing exhibitions to look forward to in the new year. I wanted to highlight a few upcoming shows that I am particularly excited to see come to the walls of the museum in 2025.
1️⃣ Starting Jan. 17, 2025 the “Thinking Eye, Seeing Mind: The Medford and Loraine Johnston Collection” will bring forth one of the finest collections of postwar American drawings and objects. In this exhibition of then-contemporary artists which the Johnstons began collecting in the late 60s and 70s, expect to see works by legendary American artists such as Sol LeWitt, Ann Truitt, Martin Puryear, and Elizabeth Murray, among others.
2️⃣ Debuting on March 7, 2025, the “Ryoji Ikeda” exhibition is the United States debut of Japanese artist Ikeda’s immersive sound and light installations, featuring his “data verse.” Exploring the progressive digitization of society on a global scale, Ikeda’s carefully synchronized and mathematically composed installations combine music and video projections that immerse viewers in the art itself. The viewer is invited to ask questions about the depth of the universe and our place within it.
3️⃣ South Korean master painter Kim Chong Hak will also debut his works for the first time in America at the High Museum of Art next year. Starting on April 11, 2025 the “Kim Chong Hak, Painter of Seoraksan” exhibition will feature more than 70 works including new acquisitions within the High’s permanent collection. Spanning Hak’s career, his works highlight his evolution from early abstract paintings to a deep love for traditional East Asian mountain imagery fueled by his attunement to the natural world and love for Mount Seorak near his home in Gangwon Province.
Read more about the 2024-25 Advance Exhibition Schedule on the High Museum’s website, and stay in the loop with all the latest news from the museum by joining their mailing list.
