The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) is one of the South’s only museums dedicated to the study and celebration of design in its many forms, and with a new year on the horizon, it’s 2014 schedule focuses on the positive impact design and design thinking can have on the lives of humans and other living beings.
MODA will also present a diverse schedule of events and educational opportunities that expand on the material covered in the exhibitions. Design thinking workshops, guest speakers and programming for children and students are among the offerings the museum plans to host during the coming year.
The 2014 exhibition schedule is as follows:
Paul Rand: Defining Design—open now through January 30
Extended for an additional week, this exhibition juxtaposes the artist’s iconic designs with some of the writings from his books: Thoughts on Design, A Designer's Art, Design Form and Chaos and From Lascaux to Brooklyn. Through short films, interviews and access to the official Paul Rand website, visitors get a deeper insight into Rand's work through his own words and discover what can elevate an ordinary design into something to be considered art. The exhibition is curated by Daniel Lewandowski, creator of Rand's website.
The closing party, “Come as Your Favorite Font,” takes place Saturday, January 25.
Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things—February 23 - May 11
This exhibition highlights the stories behind the design of 36 ordinary objects that have revolutionized the way we live. From the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, the exhibition illuminates four aspects of everyday objects: innovation, production, evolution and inspiration. A “hidden hero” could be anything from a paper clip to an adhesive bandage or an umbrella.
The opening reception take place Saturday, February 22.
Design Revolution: Innovating for a Better World—May 25 - August 3
This show offers a view into the ways designers, engineers, students, professors, architects and social entrepreneurs from the Southeast are designing solutions to the problems of the 21st century. In 2008, Philippe Starck announced to a German newspaper that he would shift his focus from the design of luxury objects to the design of useful things such as wind turbines, adding that “everything that I designed is absolutely unnecessary.” In declaring himself to be finished with the late 20th-century trend of design for design’s sake, he heralded a design revolution as he joined a cadre of designers who were shifting their focus from the creation of highly-priced and highly-styled objects to the use of design processes to solve the problems of everyday life.This MODA-curated exhibition will feature local designers, but their solutions might be used in any part of the world.
The opening reception takes place Saturday, May 24.
A Visual History of AIGA: 1913 – 2013—August 17 - October 5
During the last century, AIGA (initially known as the American Institute of Graphic Arts) has grown to become the leading international communication design organization. As the graphic design profession and society evolved, so did AIGA. The groundbreaking work featured in this exhibition was created for the organization by the industry’s greatest talents including Andy Warhol, Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Ivan Chermayeff, Alvin Lustig, Stefan Sagmeister and Michael Vanderbyl. The exhibition will present a walk through the history of graphic arts and design.
An opening reception takes place Saturday, August 16.
Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair—October 19 - January 4, 2015
For more than half a century beginning in 1958, the Ebony Fashion Fair brought couture designs from Paris, Milan, New York and London to African Americans in more than 70 American cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Montgomery and Savannah. Founded by Eunice Johnson, wife of publishing mogul John H. Johnson, the Fashion Fairs exposed ordinary African Americans to high fashions they otherwise would have never been able to see, and thus changed the way black people thought of themselves. Organized by the Chicago History Museum, Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair is the first major fashion exhibition of its kind in Atlanta. Through the story of the Ebony Fashion Fair, the exhibition demonstrates in an unprecedented way how fashion became a vehicle for African-American empowerment, pride and achievement.
The opening reception took place Saturday, October 18.
The museum is located at 1315 Peachtree Road in Atlanta. It is closed Mondays; open from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday; and 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.
