Film: An Invitation To Connect: Turning The Museum Inside Out

The High Museum’s 2005 expansion featured a public piazza intended to serve as the heart of its campus. However, the space initially felt austere. From installing sculpture to offering art-making activities, the Museum has creatively experimented with integrating the space into the visitor experience.

In 2013, design curator Sarah Schleuning and education director Virginia Shearer established a designer-in-residence program to culminate in an annual installation on the piazza that activates the space and creates a sense of belonging and joy for our visitors.

This project now plays a pivotal role in engaging our visitors and generating creative capital. Each design intervention is free to the public and serves as a gateway to the High’s diverse offerings, encouraging our visitors to experience the wonder of art. Who wouldn’t want to spin in a colorful top, swing in a hammock house, or slide through the belly of a twenty-two-foot high monkey-bear?

Virginia Shearer,
Eleanor McDonald Storza Director of Education, High Museum of Art

Sarah Schleuning,
Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, High Museum of Art