08/15/2025
MMFA remembers Helen Till
(October 30, 1921 - August 14, 2025)
“We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time” - T.S. Eliot, from “Little Gidding” Four Quartets
Open to exploration, Helen Till grew up in Wisconsin. She later served in the Red Cross in Japan after World War II and embraced her husband Jack’s home state of Alabama. Essential to their family, the Tills transformed the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts with the Till Terrace Garden and Fountain. Rededicated last year, the elliptical pool inscribed with T. S. Eliot’s words is inhabited by Frank Fleming creatures; the garden respite sits beside the pond. Since the celebration of her 103rd birthday last fall, Helen enjoyed the new landscape in the garden as it changed from season to season. Recently, on what would be her final visit, Helen spent the day communing with her children at the Museum.
Over the years, Helen returned again and again to MMFA exploring the ArtWorks Interactive Gallery with her grandchildren and celebrating special moments with her family. As a museum volunteer, Helen welcomed first-time and seasoned visitors with care and warmth. Witnessing visitors engage with art and each other in our galleries was to her, a great joy. In addition to her love for MMFA, Helen took pride in being part of many other aspects of the community, from lending a hand at the voting polls to assisting health care organizations in their efforts.
The deep meaning Helen Till found and crafted at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts reminds us of why Museums exist. It speaks to why so many people and entities create this special place in Montgomery, with the Till’s magical garden overlooking the pond. In life, Helen connected to people and fascinating things in boundless ways. We invite you to help us carry on her work and joy at the Museum. Encourage someone or a community organization to experience it; return yourself, again and again. Enjoy MMFA with the constants in your life. “Know the place for the first time.”
- MMFA Interim Dir. Alice Novak
