Atlanta Botanical Garden ~ Moore in America Sculpture Exhibit (Photo Essay)

Eventhough the weather was less than favorable yesterday, Kat W and I set off to visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden again. A new exhibit, Moore in America, opened last weekend and a new expansion section of the garden was opened to the public as well. I wanted to see both before I move to South Carolina next month.

Set among the lush plantings of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Moore in America presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the sculpture of one of the 20th century's greatest artists. The show features 20 magnificent pieces on loan from The Henry Moore Foundation and is the largest special exhibition of Moore's monumental sculptures ever presented in the U.S. The selection of works explores these major themes: mother and child, reclining figurines, organic forms, interlocking forms and figures as landscape.

Henry Moore (1898-1986) was not simply a well-known sculpture. He was also a cultural phenomenon. Moore is often considered the first sculpture of fine art intended to be displayed outdoors that were not memorials, monuments or garden ornaments. Moore was already 50 years old when these peices were created, and they are said to respresent some of his finest work.

The pieces in this exhibit were very large and really meshed well with the garden landscape.

It's too bad Atlanta's fickle springtime weather wasn't a bit more cooperative, but I don't know that the contrast in my photos would have been very good with bright sunlight anyway. Even with the overcast skies, these artworks were still a sight to behold.

The art gallery area also contained about 15 or so framed sketches by Moore. Due to the low level lighting in the building, I only opted to take photos of my favorites.

The smaller pieces looked so beautiful set among the indoor orchid and tropical plant areas of the garden.

Plus the mother and child themed pieces were especially poignant with the celebration of Mother's Day this weekend.

Hope you enjoyed viewing these wonderful works of art. I know I was very happy to have seen these beautiful sculptures in person.

Regarding the new sections of the garden...

The newly opened areas of the gardens were the Southern Season Garden, Alston Overlook and the Hardin Visitors Center. The gardens were so freshly planted, that there wasn't much in bloom in this new area yet, but the nature trails combined with the paved walking trails are sure to be a real haven as the plantings mature. 

Along with this new expansion, the cost of admission has gone up a few dollars and a parking fee is now being charged in the new and only accessible parking garage. The garage also is parking for Piedmont Park and there is a walkway that directly accesses the park adjacent to this new parking area. This is great news for Piedmont Park visitors as parking in the area has always been an issue. It's just not good news for frequent garden visitors who are used to paying no fees for parking.

The parking fee for us was nearly $9, which was quite a shock when you're used to parking for free. We had spent about 4 hours in the gardens. If you're a garden member, I know you can receive parking discount coupons. However, I hope the ABG figures out a way to reduce this cost for all visitors in the future, as I think the hefty fee will be a deterrant for enjoying this beautiful downtown Atlanta oasis for many area residents.