I had a delightful day of exploration last week. My husband Tom took me on a date to the Buckhead area of Atlanta. This is the rich part. The shopping centers have all the really fancy good stuff that none of us can afford any more. But we didn't go shopping. He took me to a beautiful place called the Swan Coach House. It is located on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center so I got a full dose of lovely lunch, art, history and gardens! My favorites.
The Swan Coach House is operated by the Forward Arts Foundation and consists of a restaurant, retail shop and gallery. The gallery exhibits only Georgia artists and the retail shop has some wonderful things and the food was great. The Forward Arts Foundation was founded in 1965 as a non-profit organization by twelve visionary and community-minded Atlanta women. These dedicated art patrons selected as their home the carriage house of the Edward Inman estate, Swan House, located on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center. The home was the masterpiece of Atlanta’s internationally renowned architect Philip Trammell Shutze. The Foundation renovated the carriage house creating a restaurant and gift shop which opened in 1967. In 1984, an art gallery was added to the complex.
Through the management of the Swan Coach House restaurant, shop and gallery, along with revenues from an annual fall Flea Market, a holiday Fashion Show, and the Swan’s Palette Cookbook, the Foundation fosters and supports the visual arts in Atlanta.
Among the beneficiaries are the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta History Center, the Michael Carlos Museum, and Savannah College of Art and Design. The indelible mark begun over 40 years ago has continued to positively influence the Atlanta cultural landscape. What a great idea for supporting the arts. I love it. I think that is what we know as synergy!
Then we strolled over to the Atlanta History Center through the gardens. Things are beginning to bloom and it is really beautiful.
While the Atlanta History Center has lots of wonderful exhibits, two stand out in my memory. The first was the Native American exhibit called Native Lands: Indians and Georgia.
"Native Lands: Indians and Georgia celebrates the state’s original inhabitants beginning with the Mississippian peoples and continuing with their descendants, the Creeks and the Cherokees. Unlike most accounts of Native American history, which end with the Trail of Tears, this exhibition explores the Native Americans’ recent history through the voices and artistry of contemporary Creeks and Cherokees.
Long before European settlers came to what is now called Georgia, the Mississippian Indians developed complex societies on these lands - complete with art, agriculture, architecture, and trade industries. Native Lands seeks to commemorate the rich culture that once dominated this region. Highlights include an eighteenth-century Creek town square replica and a nineteenth-century Cherokee family hearth scene that reveals the blending of native and European cultures. The exhibit also features video of contemporary Native Americans discussing issues of particular significance to their communities." I learned something really interesting here. The Creeks and Cherokees had their own language that was invented by one of them. It was a written language that used not only Latin letters but Greek as well and symbols from mathematics. It looks a bit like Egyptian hieroglyphics. These were complex people and advanced in their civilization. Yet, we chased them off their land and into Oklahoma. Big mistake, they got the original oil rights. Oops.
The second great exhibit was on the Civil War. As my friend and former History teacher has pointed out to me, "History is always written by the victors." Well here you get the prospective of the loosing side as well and the specific points in history that were turning points. You find out why the South fought. It wasn't just over slavery, it was that they didn't want any government dictating to them how to run or manage their businesses and families. They didn't want to be dictated to by others. That sentiment still is strong here. It's a great and very powerful exhibit.
They have others too. All this is well worth a day where you can get all the elements of history, art, gardens, art and wonderful lunch too.
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