MODA (Museum of Design Atlanta) — Attraction in Atlanta

Took a group of our high school students on a field trip here yesterday. They had apparently tried to cancel our trip but this message was not relayed to us. The exhibition was about hip hop and architecture, when we arrived we had a guide who awkwardly had little idea what she was talking about. We had teachers with doctorates in the the arts who could have guided their own students just fine, but there was a group of all white students ahead of us who hadn't been cancelled and right behind us they were taking a group of big donors through the exhibition, I literally heard them thanking them for the money they'd contributed. The whole thing was extremely awkward and disappointing for our students. For an exhibition that is supposed to counter racism in architecture and the history of hip hop, the irony of a largely black public school group getting the shaft was felt strongly. To add insult to injury, our second group was supposed to come today but was cancelled at the last minute due to "short staffing" despite us offering to do the tour with our experienced teachers ourselves. They apparently have no idea what the coordination of permissions, lunches, buses, and substitute teachers takes. I feel like the curators of the exhibition would be appalled. This is Atlanta, there was hardly a person of color in this space apart from us and one person in the donor group behind us. The disappointment for the students today not going is deep! No attempt by them to reach out and make things right, it's clear where their priorities are. This...

What an absolute delight! I wandered over here after the High over the road (also great) perhaps expecting a bigger place, but found this small but exquisite little museum that I can only say visit if you have any opportunity. There’s not an ounce of fat on this place, it’s small and streamlined and perfect.

Everyone working here was lovely, from the person outside who helped me find the way in (Google Maps is very slightly inaccurate) to the two running the ticket counter and store. The exhibition I saw (CHARACTERS: Type in Action) couldn’t have been better. Small but perfect - with some items, such as the Bayard Rustin story, absolute gems of knowledge that I’ll keep with me.

On top of that, rather than a gift shop full of tacky junk like some museums, this place had a store of wonderfully curated bits and pieces that I hope they (as promised!) soon sell online. I bought a few bits and walked off with a list of items I hope to be able to buy from them in the future.

A totally unexpected pleasure in Atlanta that I really hope others also find and appreciate.

(Little note for the museum - I noticed a couple of bad reviews mentioning AI art, which I didn’t see in this show. I’m sure the feedback has already been absorbed as the team seem attentive and great, but yeah… don’t use or...

Massively disappointing trip to the MODA. Luckily my husband and I are both students and got our tickets at the student rate (which is believe was $4-5 a ticket) and the parking we found nearby was a flat rate of $10. So, the entire trip wasn’t overly pricey, but the museum itself was dissatisfying. The building is large, the museum is tiny. It’s a gift shop, a hallway, and one room. From my understanding they offer classes and small events for the community to come in and create and I think that is awesome. However, if it’s a museum I feel like it should be more than a single room. This is more of a creative center with a gallery room. The exhibit currently is labeled as ‘graphic design,’ but it seemed more politically charged than graphically charged. I love graphic design and was ready to have my mind blown and honestly, it was beyond lack luster. I’ve been to the HIGH on numerous occasions for school trips and just random days of fun and was so confused as to why I’d never known MODA existed. I’ll assume it’s because it’s hard to make a trip out of ten...