Mission
MODA is the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design. MODA examines how design affects our daily lives through engaging exhibitions, K-12 educational outreach and exciting adult programming. MODA regularly features exhibitions on architecture, industrial and product design, interiors and furniture, graphics, fashion and more.
History
MODA was formerly known as the Atlanta International Museum of Art & Design. In 2003 the MODA Board of Directors, staff and community advisors made the decision to redefine the museum’s mission and direction and MODA was born.Since 2003, MODA has been bringing Atlanta unique and engaging exhibitions on topics such as:
- The Furniture of Eero Saarinen: Designs for Everyday Living
- Made in GA
- In the Bag
- The Graphic Imperative
- Shaping Shadows: Contemporary Ichiyo Ikebana
- Emerging Voices
Check the calendar often for updates or join the mailing list for updates on future exhibitions and programs.
Location
The Museum of Design is located in downtown Atlanta within the Lobby and Garden Levels of the Marquis II Office Tower near the Marriott Marquis Hotel and the Peachtree Center Mall. Easily accessible by MARTA public transportation (N1/ Peachtree Center Station) Mailing address: 285 Peachtree Center Avenue, Marquis II Tower, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1229 (View a map) Phone: 404-979-6455Fax: 404-521-9311
Directions
MARTA
To get to the Museum by MARTA, please exit at the Peachtree Center Station and follow the signs to the Marquis II office tower.
Coming from the north
If you drive to the Museum from the north, take exit 249A (Courtland Street), turn right on Baker, and park at the public parking deck immediately on your right. Take the elevators to the Bridge level food court and cross over Baker using the sky bridge to the Marquis II office tower.
Coming from the south
If you drive to the Museum from the south, take exit 248C (International Boulevard). Turn right on Piedmont, then left on Baker. Cross over Courtland and park at the public parking deck immediately on your right. Take the elevators to the Bridge level food court and cross over Baker using the sky bridge to the Marquis II office tower.
Museum gallery hours
Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Occasionally, the Museum Galleries are open for extended hours during opening receptions (free to the public), Turner’s First Thursday Art Walk (the first Thursday of each month with the exception of September), or other scheduled events. See our calendar for details. Please note that the Museum is usually closed during holidays so please email info@museumofdesign.org for specific holiday hours information.
Admission
Admission is $10/person to the MODA galleries. $5/student with valid ID. Members free.
For Group Reservations please call 404.979.6455 Ext. 2.
Jobs at MODA
If you would like to volunteer for special events or to help with exhibition installations, please email Raja Schaar at rschaar@museumofdesign.org.
MODA offers a number of 4-month unpaid internships for both graduate students and upper-level undergraduates interested in arts administration, fundraising/development, and marketing. For information on the opportunities below, please send a resume and cover letter stating your interest and relevant experience to Raja Schaar at rschaar@museumofdesign.org.
Exhibitions and Programs Internship
The Exhibition and Programs intern works closely with the Museum’s Director of Operations, assisting in the coordination and installation of exhibitions and coordinating the general operations of the Museum. Other duties will include assisting with the planning and organization of events and programs, volunteers, and other administrative duties as needed.
Development Internship
The intern in Development will work closely with the Museum’s Development Officer in MODA’s fundraising efforts. Duties will include development and maintenance of the Museum’s membership database, assisting in general membership activities, and providing assistance in the research and development of grants from corporations and foundations.
Marketing Internship
The intern in Marketing will work closely with the Museum’s Executive Director, Director of Operations, and Public Relations Consultant in the coordination and execution of various marketing efforts and events to increase awareness of the Museum to the public and specific design communities. The efforts include but are not limited to maintaining MODA’s social networks outlets, designing and distributing e-blasts to our mailing lists, and keeping all Museum information and exhibitions listings up-to-date.
Online
MODA on Facebook: Become a fan! MODA on Myspace: Add us as a friend!
Current
Marcel Breuer: Design and Architecture
Designer and architect Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) is considered the inventor of tubular style furniture and one of the 20th century’s leading designers. Born and raised in Hungary, Breuer headed up the furniture workshop at the Bauhaus from 1925 to 1928, where he produced a number of furniture pieces, including the classic Wassily club chair that brought him international fame. His second career as an architect began when Breuer immigrated to the United States in 1937. His buildings were recognized the world over in the 1950’s and 1960’s for their unique character and flourishes of modernism. This exhibition pays homage and brings to light the many contributions Breuer brought to both furniture design and architecture, and it does so in the last building Breuer designed. The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library was dedicated in 1980, just a year before Breuer passed away.
This Exhibition will be held at both MODA and the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library.
PR Contact: Amanda Leesburg, amanda@leesburgpr.com
Read Cathy Fox’s Exhibition Review Here.
Upcoming
LoveNests: Photographs and Objects
MODA will present a photography exhibition developed by the Portfolio Center in conjunction with the Georgia Tech Industrial Design Program under the direction of Raja Schaar and Michael West. This exhibition will highlight, through one-of-a-kind displays, fascinating individuals and the objects they can’t live without.
LoveNests will showcase the lives of a colorful collective of Atlanta locals through design. The exhibition is a collaborative effort between Portfolio Center photography and Georgia Tech industrial design students. Through interviews, storytelling, and photography, the curators will delve into the personalities and histories of popular Atlantans and discover what objects define, inspire, and capture the essence of their individuality. Once this process is complete, the photographers and designers will work together to translate and engineer each person’s symbolic spirit, so to speak, into a three-dimensional representation. Structural, abstract, graphic and diverse, each Atlantan is tangibly personified at MODA through designed environments. LoveNests serves as an engaging, illustrative biography of our Atlanta favorites.
Past
MADE in GA
This exhibition is curated by Carie Davis, Design Manager for Coca-Cola & President of IDSA Atlanta and is in conjunction with the Industrial Design department at Georgia Tech. Building off the success of Japanese Design Today, Raymond Loewy: Designs for a Consumer Culture and Design at Play: The High Design of Cartoon Network, MODA’s most popular product design-based exhibitions, MADE in GA will look close to home and feature contemporary product design that has its roots in Georgia.
Including the work of freelance designers and consulting firms as well as corporations and design schools, MADE in GA will highlight the myriad of product design that originates in our home state.
This exhibition will take the viewer inside the world of the industrial designer, and demonstrate the processes and importance of industrial design. MADE IN GA will feature design concepts, works-in-progress, final designs and off-the-shelf products. The audience will be exposed to the processes via concept sketches, renderings, study models, prototypes, digital models, and marketable products. The products showcased will come from Georgia’s varied industries that utilize industrial designer’s skills.
The breadth of the exhibition will further demonstrate the versatility and importance of industrial design. Product examples featured in MADE IN GA will further demonstrate industrial design’s role in social, environmental and economic issues and inspire consumers to think critically about the products they buy and the manner in which they are produced.
In the Bag
The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) will open its newest exhibition, “In the Bag,” on February 5. The exhibition will run through May 2, 2009, and will explore the origin, evolution and design of the handbag.
Curated by Atlantans Clint Zeagler and Kevin Knaus, the exhibition takes the visitor from “design to delivery” of the handbag, showcasing top bags from the Friends and Sex and the City sets and from both local and leading designers, including Hermes and Oscar de la Renta among others.
“Atlantans will have the chance to see a unique and captivating showcase of handbags,” says Zeagler, owner and creative director of Pecan Pie Couture, an Atlanta womenswear line. “It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to really delve into the design and appeal of the handbag.”
The exhibition will begin by emphasizing the development and construction of different handbags and will move into the works of leading designers, displaying their collections within categories that highlight the handbag’s emotional significance, iconic status and societal role.
The exhibit concludes with handbags designed by students in the Master of Accessories Design programs from the Domus Academy in Milan, Italy, and the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.
“The handbag plays such an important role in our society, and yet many people are unaware of the process that goes into its design,” says Knaus, vice president of Global Fashion and trend director for Material World, a leading global textile, trim and apparel sourcing show in the Americas. “With ‘In The Bag,’ viewers will understand that process and – hopefully – recognize these bags as the works of art that they are.”
“In the Bag” sponsors are Atlanta Magazine, YKK Zippers, American Tanning & Leather Co., Lee’s Signs and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
The Graphic Imperative
International Posters for Peace, Social Justice and the Environment 1965–2005
“The poster is the prime field for experimenting with visual language; it is the scene of changing ideas and aesthetics, of cultural, social and political events.”—Pierre Bernard, French designer
Every movement for social change in the past hundred years has begun with the arts. Theatre, poetry, music and posters have been central, but political and social posters in particular, are living reminders of struggles for peace and justice. Whether they communicate, exhort, persuade, instruct, celebrate, or warn, graphic posters still jar us to action through bold messages and striking iconography.
The Graphic Imperative is an exhibition of international sociopolitical posters that stir our emotions yet cause us to reflect. The exhibition of examples of Agitprop provides a window to an age of change, utilizing the power of visual metaphor and at times, savage irony and humor. Themes from the past four decades include dissent, liberation, racism, sexism, human rights, civil rights, environmental concerns, AIDS, war, literacy and tolerance.
These posters have transmitted the ideals, hopes and dreams of millions who have dared to raise their voices in protest or concern. They have helped empower and propel important movements for social change. Some have become icons that have changed the way we view our institutions, our world and ourselves. Because graphic designers need to express their individual views about a cause or issue, their posters are a form of personal expression in a field that often prefers the bland.
By selecting 100+ posters, we have endeavored to show the social, political and aesthetic concerns of many cultures in a single exhibition. In delineating themes and contrasting political realities, we hope to focus the issues of our turbulent times as Cuban poster designer Raul Martinez stated: “putting a graphic face on a movement.”
We have chosen work that is conceptually strong, yet with a direct message. All of the posters selected exhibit a combination of the following qualities; the work is innovative in some way. The work embodies and reasserts the value of a particular way of imparting a point of view to its public. The work is a highly accomplished example of its type in its discipline. The work is of lasting rather than transitory interest. The work contributes strongly to the context of an exhibition. The work exemplifies the exhibition’s key argument that creativity through graphic design is a force for cultural emancipation.
The Graphic Imperative is perhaps the first poster exhibition that offers the public a chance to savor and compare a magnificent body of powerful messages, a seamless blend of text and image.
Authors & Curators:
Elizabeth Resnick, Associate Professor, Communication Design
Massachusetts College of Art + Design, Boston, MA
Chaz Maviyane-Davies, Professor, Communication Design
Massachusetts College of Art + Design, Boston, MA
Frank Baseman, Associate Professor, Graphic Design Communication
Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA
SHAPING SHADOWS: Contemporary Ichiyo Ikebana
THE ATLANTA CHAPTER OF THE ICHIYO SCHOOL OF IKEBANA presents
SHAPING SHADOWS: Contemporary Ichiyo Ikebana
A flower’s expression changes with different environments
and depending on each expression the surrounding
atmosphere also changes.
—Akihiro Kasuya, Headmaster of the Ichiyo School in Japan
Shaping Shadows is a week-long exhibition that will showcase contemporary ikebana–Japanese floral art and design. Ichiyo styles add new interest to traditional asymmetrical forms of ikebana through a strong emphasis on modern and creative three-dimensional designs which harmonizes with various spaces in our living environment. Shadows are given significance in this exhibit for added artistic impact.
The goal of the ikebana artist is to communicate an idea, thought, or feeling through creative form. This requires an understanding of the characteristics of nature, a sense of imagination, and the technical knowledge to transform these features into artistic form with rhythm, balance and harmony. The higher the level of artistic expression, the greater the encounter between nature, the flower arranger, and those who view the arrangement. Thus, ikebana is an art of personal enrichment and an art to be shared and interpreted by others according to their own individual imagination and experience.
Curators:
The Atlanta chapter of the Ichiyo School of Ikebana is under the direction of Executive Master Elaine Jo.
Emerging Voices 2009
The Museum of Design Atlanta’s (MODA) Emerging Voices 2009 showcases the masterful design work of young Atlanta architects. Winning entries from The Young Architects Forum (YAF) of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Atlanta Chapter’s architectural design competition (bldgs, Rutledge Alcock Architects, and Nodus) and the winner and entries of the first AIA Atlanta 48-Hour Design Competition will be displayed.
About Emerging Voices
Emerging Voices is an annual portfolio based competition established by Atlanta’s Young Architects Forum (YAF: ATL) and the AIA Atlanta Chapter, highlighting exemplary work of young architects and designers in Atlanta today. Projects of all types, theoretical or real, built or unbuilt, are welcome.
Emerging Voices has a mission to recognize works of high quality at the early stages of one’s career and provide a public forum for its exhibition. The competition rewards emerging professionals who are striving to practice their craft and considering the peculiarities of a specific geographic environment: Atlanta.
Emerging Voices has established a record of accomplishment among architects in Atlanta as the singular, local competition that identifies a bright new spot on the metropolitan design scene.
Plaza Towers: MODA Tour of Homes & Silent Auction
On Sunday, October 18th, MODA invites you to discover Atlanta’s best-kept design secret. For the 2009 MODA Tour of Homes, we’re giving you an inside look at Plaza Towers. On the outside, it’s Atlanta’s first high-rise and best example of mid-century architecture. On the inside, it could be modern. It could be traditional. But it’s guaranteed to be fabulous. You won’t want to miss this tour of more than a dozen homes – or the silent auction, hors d’oeuvres and wine. All proceeds benefit MODA.
Preview auction items at plazatowersatlanta.com.
Tours 1pm–5pm, Auction 4pm–6pm
Plaza Towers
2575 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30305
First Thursdays
Join MODA for Turner First Thursdays, downtown Atlanta’ s monthly arts walk. MODA’s galleries open and free to the public from 5pm to 8pm.
AVANT!
Join MODA’s Avant Guard for a monthly evening of dinner, drinks, and design discussion. Held every third Thursday at the Shed at Glenwood Park at 6:30 pm.
2010
EXHIBITION
October 27, 2009 – January 30, 2010
Marcel Breuer: Design and Architecture
As a designer and architect, Marcel Breuer (1902—1981) is one of the most influential and important designers of the 20th century. By virtue of his innovative furniture alone, Breuer could be ranked among the most influential designers of the modernist period. This presentation of Breuer's prolific and varied career offers a balanced exploration of his furniture, interiors, and buildings, revealing that he was a powerful force in the architectural theory and practice of his era.
EXHIBITION
Wednesday, February 9, 2010
Atlanta: Beyond Bricks and Sticks
Sponsored by The Kendeda Fund, this traveling exhibition will highlight Atlanta’s status as the city with the most LEED certified eco-friendly buildings. It will be traveling throughout Atlanta to such locations such as the World of Coke Museum, the Woodruff Arts Center, the CNN center, and the Cobb Galleria.
LECTURE
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
7pm
Barry Bergdoll Lecture
Marcel Breuer and the Invention of Heavy Lightness: From the Bauhaus to Atlanta
Central Public Library, Auditorium
1 Margaret Mitchell Sq
Atlanta, GA 30303-1022
Park Free after 6pm at the Lanier Parking Deck behind the Library. Visit the AIA website for more information about this event.
Cost: Free
EXHIBITION
February 12 – March 13, 2010
Objects of Desire: Making Beyond Representation
EXHIBITION
February 27 – June 26, 2010
LoveNests: Photographs and Objects
MODA will present a photography exhibition developed by the Portfolio Center in conjunction with the Georgia Tech Industrial Design Program under the direction of Raja Schaar and Michael West. This exhibition will highlight, through one-of-a-kind displays, fascinating Atlantans and the objects they can’t live without.
EXHIBITION
March 26 – April 24, 2010
Sense and Sustainability
EVENT
Saturday, March 6, 2010, 7 to 9:30pm
Moon River: An evening with Johnny Mercer
Join MODA for an elegant evening of dinner, drinks, and dancing to the music of Johnny Mercer.
Tickets: $100 individual, $125 couple | Members $75 individual, $100 couple.
The Museum of Design in downtown Atlanta offers a variety of educational programming and resources. The following activities are available or in the development process.
Beltline Project
This on-going project is modeled after the City of Neighborhoods Program developed by The Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City. The Beltline Project is made possible by a matching grant from the Nation Endowment for the Arts. Click here to see a slideshow of students working on this project.
Guided Tours
Museum-trained volunteer docents will offer guided tours throughout the Museum’s galleries.
Peachtree Street Architectural Walking Tour, Presented by AIA Atlanta Chapter
Traveling between the Central Library and MODA, this tour examines the development of Atlanta's most famous street and its architecture through the twentieth century. All tours will start at the Central Public Library.
Saturdays, 1p-5p; 4 tours at 1p,2p,3p, 4p
Please check the AIA website for available dates.
Download your self-guided tour map HERE!
Gallery Talks
Museum curators, independent scholars, and art scholars present gallery talks that focus on specific aspects of our various special exhibitions. Gallery talks are free with Museum admission.
Group Visits
Docent-led and self-guided tours are available for school, adult, college, and senior groups and programs offered by tour hosts. Tours are appropriate for all audiences and can be adapted to meet the needs of special groups and groups with disabilities. Please call 404-979-6455 Ext. 2 for more information.
Programs for Visitors with Disabilities
The Museum’s exhibitions are always accessible to all regardless of limitation. Special programming can be designed to address specific special needs.
Member Events
Each year, the Museum organizes events and programs exclusively for its members, from private viewings of its exhibitions to exhibit-related events and receptions.
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Mailing address
285 Peachtree Center Avenue
Marquis Two Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1229
Phone: 404-979-6455
Fax: 404-856-5960
Email: info@museumofdesign.org
Other ways to support MODA: Volunteer
Policies and permissions
Access to and use of text, artwork, photographs, and other files on this Web site are subject to the following terms and conditions:
Documentation, electronic text and image files, audio and video clips, and other materials are protected by copyright laws and may be covered by other restrictions as well. Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) retains all rights, including copyright, in data, image, text and any other information contained in these files. Copyrights and other proprietary rights in the material on this Web site may also subsist in individuals and entities other than, and in addition to, MODA. MODA expressly prohibits the copying of any protected materials on this Web site, except for the purposes of fair use as defined in the copyright laws and as described below.
Fair use of copyrighted materials includes the use of protected materials for noncommercial educational purposes, such as teaching, scholarship, research, criticism, commentary, and news reporting. Unless otherwise noted, users who wish to download or print text and image files from the Museum’s Web site for such uses are welcome to do so without the Museum’s express permission. Users must cite the author and source of this material as they would material from any printed work; the citation must include the URL: www.CelebrateArt.org. By downloading, printing, or otherwise using text and image files from this Web site, users agree that they will limit their use of such files to fair use and will not violate the Museum’s or any other party’s proprietary rights.
Unauthorized commercial publication or exploitation of the Museum’s files is specifically prohibited. Anyone wishing to use any of these files or images for commercial use, publication, or any purpose other than fair use as defined by law, must request and receive prior written permission from the Museum. Permission for such use is granted on a case by case basis at the sole discretion of the Museum. A usage fee may be involved depending on the type and nature of the proposed use.
To request permission for reproduction, please write to Museum of Design Atlanta 285 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1229.
MODA Staff Contacts
Brenda Galina, PhD
Executive Director
bgalina@museumofdesign.org
Brenda Galina joined MODA in January of 2007 after many years of experience in administration and education. Brenda is dedicated to growing MODA’s organization, particularly the education and development departments. Brenda is an avid art collector and a proud grandmother.
Raja Schaar
MODA Director of Programs andOperations
rschaar@museumofdesign.org
Daaimah Jones
MODA Development Officer
djones@museumofdesign.org
Contributions
Contributions to the Museum’s Annual Fund provide much needed operating support for the Museum.
Individual giving provides more than 30% of the Museum’s yearly operating budget and is crucial to our continuing financial stability.
To take the next step and ensure the Museum's future, the Museum counts on contributions to the Annual Fund. If you wish to make a contribution, click here. The confidence you show in awarding the Museum your support really does make a difference.
Appreciated Stocks
You may donate appreciated stock to the Museum at any time. No capital gains are incurred with such a donation, and you may deduct the full value of the stock at the time it is donated. Please contact Executive Director, Brenda Galina for more information 404-979-6450 bgalina@museumofdesign.org
Volunteering & Internships
For more information about volunteering at MODA, or internships with the museum, please email Raja Schaar at rschaar@museumofdesign.org.