Opens July 4, 2009 at the Millennium Gate Museum and remains on view through December 6, 2009. The exhibit is on loan from Bank of America through its Art in Our Communities Program. The exhibition explores both the dissemination of Impressionism from its French roots into the American idiom and its reinterpretation of American landscape painting, including more than 50 important works by a diverse group of artists such as Childe Hassam, Arthur Wesley Dow, Robert Spencer and others. These pieces trace both the development of Impressionism in the United States and the development of a truly American style of painting.
"NON SIBI SED ALIIS" - General James E. Oglethorpe, 1733, founder of Georgia
-"Not for ourselves, but for others."
Beginning with Native American history and Spanish exploration of the coast, the Georgia Pioneer Gallery focuses on General Oglethorpe's creation of the Colony of Georgia and the enlightenment ideals which were so instrumental in its inception. The gallery contains documents and historical artifacts from the native Indian, Spanish, British colonial and American Revolutionary periods that compliment and add dimension to the history exhibit panels.
"A magnificent inland city will at no distant date be built here." -Alexander H. Stevens, 1839
-Governor of Georgia and Vice President to the Confederate States
The Atlanta Pioneer Gallery narrates the story of Atlanta's early history and the bold leadership that has helped it grow into one of the most important cities in the world. The exhibition features photographs and artifacts from twenty of Atlanta's most pioneering families associated with Atlantic Steel; names such as Adair, Candler, Glenn, Herndon, Rich, Woodruff as well as many others that have helped shape the social, economic, political, and philanthropic landscape.
In partnership with Georgia Tech's Interactive Media Technology Center, the Millennium Gate has created an Interactive Philanthropy Gallery that allows visitors to explore Atlanta and how philanthropy has changed the various neighborhoods that comprise this thriving metropolis. Using cutting-edge Wii technology in an immersive theater setting, visitors will come to understand how Downtown, Midtown, and Atlanta University have grown and evolved over the past 150 years. The second interactive component, developed by Playmotion, Inc., shows the impact of major philanthropy in the city on the built environment. With the wave of a hand over the screen, visitors can experience Atlanta's evolution with historical perspective of multiple philanthropic locations. Come erase the present and find windows into the city's past.
The Millennium Gate features three period rooms: an 18th century Colonial study from Midway, Georgia, the 19th century office of Thomas K. Glenn when he was president of Atlantic Steel, and the 20th century drawing room of Pink House, the Rhodes-Robinson home designed by Philip Shutze.
