Museum of Design Atlanta: Italian Motorcycles!

MV Agusta 500cc Grand Prix

I have never seen so many Ducatis in one place! The Passione Italiana: Design of the Italian Motorcycle exhibition at the new location of the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) is a motorcycle and design enthusiasts dream come true.

I had been looking forward to this day for several months, since I first discovered MODA at its previous location downtown. My first visit was immediately prior to the temporary closing and I was totally blown away by the Kristofer Laméy exhibit, Serving Form, as well as the courtesy of the museum staff.

That caliber of exhibition and the same staff courtesy has transferred to the new space, which is mind-blowing amazing.



I had the great fortune to attend one of the construction-phase visits to the new space. I was impressed with the museum even when it was drywall, hanging cables, and unpainted. The transformation, the finished space, embodies the word "design." To those who made it happen…"Kudos and congratulations!"

Museum of Design Atlanta

I arrived on opening day, Sunday, March 20, 2011, very excited to see the Italian motorcycles. Had there been nothing else, I would have been ecstatic just to see the Ducatis and the Agustas. But there was more.

On opening day, if visitors were not sure of the address, they knew they’d reached their destination when they saw the multitude of large, white balloon bouquets (can we say "Up"?), the motorcycles parked out front, the food vendors on the side street, and the MODA logo prominently displayed (Yeah for marketing!).

Welcoming guests were the Executive Director, Brenda Galina, Ph.D. and Associate Director, Laura Flusche. It may seem "mandatory" for museum directors to be present at an opening, but I'd previously met Brenda and Laura both, on more than one occasion, and it was heart touching to see their excitement of the plans for the new location come to fruition.

MV Agusta Brutale Oro

Brenda and Laura have given more and sacrificed more than most visitors will ever know to ensure the survival and success of the Museum of Design Atlanta. If you have the honor of meeting either or both of them when you visit, please thank them for all they've done to give Atlanta a world-class museum of design.

The exhibit space is itself brilliantly designed. Located in the public library building at 1315 Peachtree Street in the Midtown Arts District (another brilliant move on the director's part!) exactly across the street from the High Museum of Art, MODA is nestled between other office entrances on the first floor.

Upon entering the museum, visitors pass through an enclosed entryway into the main reception area. There’s a front display window, where for this exhibit there are two Ducati motorcycles enticing passersby into the museum. There’s also the welcome station where visitors may obtain information about the museum and current and upcoming exhibits, as well as purchase tickets and memberships.

MODA

At the welcome desk, I and my friend were greeted by Jeffrey Adler, the museum’s Office Manager and a friend. Jeffrey is also an artist as are many of the people I’ve met who are associated with MODA. Within seconds we were on our way into the exhibit.

Behind the welcome desk is a full wall bearing the MODA logo (you know without a doubt where you are) in its signature red color.

There are several galleries throughout the space, each numbered. You’ll also see "ribbons" throughout the museum, another brilliant design element, in the form of horizontal, shoulder height bands of red with gallery and exhibit information embedded within.

Interactive Station

There are also interactive touch-screen displays throughout the museum that provide information about the museum and current and upcoming exhibits. They've really gone high-tech. I first learned about QR Codes at their former location…I'm anxious to see what they introduce next.

Also in the new space are multiple video projection units, all of which were in use during opening day of Passione Italiana.

The gallery at the far end of the museum has an abundant amount of natural light as well as observation windows from the public library upstairs. You might think you just went to the library to check out a book then you learn you get a sneak peak of the current exhibition downstairs…a nice perk for our learned friends.

Just so you know, tours of the Museum of Design Atlanta are self-guided. I recommend allotting approximately one hour, probably more, to view Passione Italiana.

The Exhibit

Bimota V-Due

One of the great cool-factors of visiting MODA on opening day was the number of motorcycle riders (you could tell by their attire) who were there to see Passione Italiana: Design of the Italian Motorcycle, an exhibit made possible by the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, of Birmingham, Alabama.

I shouldn't have been surprised because I had heard about the Moto for MODA event…a motorcycle route through Midtown (a great way to remind locals of the exhibit) that included complimentary parking, helmet check, and half-off admission, capped with a host-bar viewing of the Moto GP race in Qatar.

Now, to the motorcycles! This is what the new location inaugural exhibit is all about…Italian motorcycles, or more specifically, the design of Italian motorcycles.

Ducati 1098 S Tricoloree

The exhibit includes nine Italian motorcycles that span five decades, including four Ducatis, three Agustas, one Bimota, and one Morini, not including the two Ducatis in the front display window.

As I write this, it's been several days since seeing the motorcycles and I've given much thought as to which I would consider my favorite. Even now, if I were given nine sets of keys and told I could only keep one set, I would be hard pressed to choose.

Ducati Supermono

But if I had to choose or lose, I would ride away on the Ducati Supermono. That bike was built for racing and there were reportedly only 30 ever made…so, you get to see not only Italian motorcycles, you get to see rare Italian motorcycles!

There are several bikes in the exhibition that are older than I am…and they're stunning (motorcycles don't get crows feet). The one that I'm sure will be a crowd favorite (judging by the number of comments it received when I posted its photo to my Facebook account) is the 1964 MV Agusta 500cc Grand Prix.

As a museum of design there are clever details everywhere. You'll not be surprised when it dawns on you that all of the motorcycles in the exhibit are primarily red in color…appropriate given MODA's signature red.

Motorcycle Race Suits

This exhibit has more than motorcycles.

One of the very cool features is a collection of driver suits. One of the suits, worn by Casey Stoner of Australia in 2010, is scuffed the length of the left side. Casey finished fourth in the Championship that year, so the scuffing was evidently not too detrimental, but it shows the danger and required skill for sport racing.

Also in the main hallway, there's a photo exhibit that chronicles the 50 year span of the motorycylces on exhibit showcasing Italian fashion, industry, furniture, and motorcycle design, featuring other Italian designers including Versace.

50 Years of Italian Design

The only thing that could make this exhibit better would be if they would loan me the Ducati Supermono, just for the day even. Given that is unlikely to happen (especially since one sold last year for US$92,000 and the fact that I'm not an experienced rider), I am perfectly content to occasionally visit the Supermono and its entourage at MODA and will do so frequently through Monday, June 13, 2011 when the exhibit closes.

The Return

Am I motivated to return to MODA? On my first visit, at their former downtown location, I purchased a membership…I was that impressed with this museum, so, yes, I will definitely be back. There are a number of upcoming exhibits that have piqued my curiosity, so I imagine I'll return rather frequently.

Touring the Museum of Design Atlanta

Date toured: Sunday, March 20, 2011
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Thursdays open until 8:00 p.m.); Sundays 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location: 1315 Peachtree Street (directions and map)
Cost: $10 adults; $8 seniors and military; $5 students and children
Parking: Street parking and nearby parking garages
Website: http://www.museumofdesign.org/



"Passione Italiana"



Museum of Design Atlanta: MODA is Moving (Up)

Lamey Chandelier

One of Atlanta's best kept secrets is about to come speeding out of silence on a sexy Italian motorcycle.

The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) is captivating, fascinating, and instills a sense of wanderlust for the design industry that I certainly had not expected when I visited.

I discovered the museum quite by accident—through a random Web search. Having dabbled in design (web graphic design, specifically), the finding piqued my curiosity. But having not heard anything about this destination from anyone, I assumed that this would be a brief tour…which is exactly what I told the friend I recruited to come along.

When we arrived, we were told that the museum was actually closed (I hadn't read the website information closely enough), but the administrators welcomed us in and gave us a private tour—I could not have been more impressed, especially given that they're in the middle of a move!

The Museum

MODA

MODA is currently located in Tower Two of the Marriott Marquis Atlanta, on the lobby and garden levels. I say "currently" because they're in the process of moving to their new location, which I'll comment on momentarily.

The Museum is "officially" closed until the re-opening in March, so this post is telling not only of my visit but also foreshadowing what's to come in the next couple of months.

The Museum of Design Atlanta is also a member of the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, as is Georgia Aquarium and the High Museum of Art, so they're in very good company.

This was a fantastic discovery because having lived in Washington, D.C. for nearly nine years, I was accustomed to having the prestigious Smithsonian museums in my back yard. As it turns out, they still are…in the form of MODA exhibits.

The Exhibits

The upcoming exhibits are adrenalin-rushing exciting, but the current (now closed) exhibits are equally technically intriguing and aesthetically pleasing. We had the opportunity to see two exhibits, Lamey and Adler.

Serving Form

Serving Form

Serving Form, an exhibit by Kristofer Lamey, combines precision engineering, physics, artistic lighting, and beauty.

Lamey is an artist who creates one-of-a-kind or six-of-a-kind (as told in a video presentation) works of art, with the sixth always being black. So, to see any of his work on display is a rare treat indeed.

Lamey has several projects on display at MODA. The one that stands out the most vibrantly is an interpretation of a SMPTE test card…known best by persons of a more seasoned generation (before cable television) as the pattern displayed on television sets when a station went off the air for the night.

For the first time ever, I got to actually stand on a table (another Lamey project) on display in a museum! Sounds a little gauche, but the artist, Lamey himself, I was told demonstrated the table's strength, purposely designed, by jumping up and down on it…how's that for an interactive exhibit?

The tables on display are sleek, elegant, and "I-want-to-take-one-home" beautiful.

ladder

One of Lamey's ladders is also on display. At this point he notes his observation of the basic building blocks of art…the square, circle, and triangle. The glowing rungs of the ladder we saw were inspiring…my tour companion and I both commented on numerous ideas that were sparked from seeing this one simple artistic expression. You never know where inspiration will come from.

There were other incredible fascinating exhibits on display, too many to write about in a single sitting, but I would be remiss if I did not share with you the Sisters project, examples of which are also on display.

While substantial in size, the Sisters chandelier on display is smaller than some of his other works in this series. Chandeliers, made of a minimum number of elements and no electrical wires, have new meaning through Lamey's artistry.

Sisters Project

Reminiscent of Chihuly, Lamey's chandeliers are sleek and flowing. And the platforms on which he builds them stand quite beautifully on their own (a couple of those were also on display).

Although mostly uninstalled, we were escorted to a multi-media room and treated to a 10-minute video of Lamey presenting his exhibition to an audience in Berlin. In the video he explained some of the techniques of his work and, successfully, demonstrated that he in fact has a sense of humor.

QR Code

One of the features of the exhibit, rating quite high on the "cool-factor" scale, is its use of QR Code technology.

QR Code is a two-dimensional coding system developed in Japan primarily for package tracking. Today, its uses are much more broad, including pairing the codes with museum pieces.

QR Code for Sisters Project

It works beautifully, for those who have a camera phone with Internet connectivity. You'll first need to download the QR Code application (free) to your phone and then simply hover your camera  over the code and presto, you have more information about the object d'art in front of you.

This comes in really handy if you're in a hurry. You can snap a photo of the code and look up the information about the piece later. I love modern technology!

Adler Arts

Jeffrey Lee Adler, also exhibiting at MODA, is a local artist with a colorful background, and he sings too. He gave us a tour of Gallery 4, and one of the museum volunteers joined us, a lovely young lady who happens also to be an artist.

Adler

Displaying several techniques, Jeffrey's works that are on display are part whimsical, part homages to other artists, and part self-designed furniture embellished with his unique stroke of the brush.

I personally was most impressed with his foray into glass painting. Jeffrey explained that his watercolor experience helped him with the "reverse" approach to glass painting…you have to paint on the glass the last layers first. I think a degree in stellar cartography would be easier than painting backwards, for me at least.

New Location

MODA is about to become a household acronym in the city of Atlanta. Privy to prominent tourist foot traffic, MODA's new location will be directly across the street from the world-famous High Museum of Art.

The downtown location is officially closed, but "might" be open tomorrow for First Thursdays Arts Walk. If you'd like to catch a final glimpse of the closing exhibits (and they're worth seeing), give them a call first to make sure they are indeed open.

Doors to the new space open on Sunday, March 20, 2011 (or the day before if you're a high-level supporter) to what I expect to be enormous fanfare.

Upcoming Exhibits

Lamey SMPTE exhibit

Three of the museum's 2011 exhibitions have been announced.

Water Dream: Experience the Bathroom Like Never Before promises to deliver exactly what its title implies. From the image associated with the announcement, I assume its focus is on the design of water-emitting bathroom fixtures…we'll soon see.

Opening in fall of 2011, Graphic Intervention: 25 Years of International AIDS Posters is timely in its opening…it will be running through the end of 2011 and during World AIDS Day, December 1. 

This exhibit is important for many reasons. AIDS has claimed the lives of countless friends, family, and fellow citizens of Earth and the spread of the disease continues, at a frightening pace in younger generations. Awareness is our greatest tool in the campaign against the spread of AIDS, so I applaud MODA for what I'm sure will be a sobering exhibit.

Lamey table

The piece de resistance of MODA's 2011 season, in my humble opinion, will be its opening exhibition, Passione Italiana: Design of the Italian Motorcycle. Through a partnership with Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, MODA will share the passion of Italian motorcycles with an exhibit of nine bikes that span five decades...sounds like a great ride to me!

The (membership) Deal

The best deal in town right now, MODA is offering a year membership for only $9. That's a major bargain given a regular adult ticket for admission is $10. Why is a $1 savings a bargain? Because you get member benefits that include:

• Unlimited free admission to MODA galleries
• Two (2) museum guest passes for one-time use
• Free/discounted admission to MODA events
• Special invitations to member-only preview/events
• Subscription to MODA's e-newsletter
• 10% discount on museum merchandise

There are of course several levels of membership, which have specific benefits including Smithsonian Institution membership, invitations to special events, and even discounted space rental for your special event.

The Return

Will I return to MODA, you ask? "Italian motorcycles" scream "Yes!" I will be there on opening day when the doors of the new location are flung open...surely day-dreaming of touring Tuscany on a Ducati.

Touring the Museum of Design Atlanta

Date toured: Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Location: moving to Midtown
Hours: closed for relocation
Cost: $10 (special $9 annual membership, for a limited time)
Website: http://www.museumofdesign.org/

Lamey Ray Gun

(Correction: 01/08/2011, "Something Borrowed, Something New: A World of Bridal Fashion" will not be showing. The mention of "Graphic Intervention: 25 Years of International AIDS Posters" has been added.)