The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia

More of a gallery than a museum, MOCA Georgia usually has something interesting showing. It’s a not a large space, so it doesn’t take long to visit. There are a few other galleries in the building (the TULA Art Center) as well, including the Atlanta Photography Group Gallery.
The new location is more accessible than the one near the High.

This museum should:
1) be free
2) should not be called a museum (as that title is misleading) given that they only showcase two (and a half) artists.
We visited the two exhibits Upstairs: Cathetine Wilmer’s Just Passing Through, and Sheila Pree Bright’s Working Artist Project were uninspired mediocre student art at best.
The Catherine Wilmer exhibit was like flipping through someone’s Instagram photos (and I don’t think that was intentional), and the Sheila Pree Bright exhibit, though an incredibly important and current topic that should not be overlooked, and should certainly be expressed through art– was unsuccessful and uncreative. It’s not enough to bring up social issues, what makes an artist a great artist (in my opinion) is when they can raise social issues in creative ways that inspire emotional reactions from their viewer. It’s not enough to educate– that is not art. Art should move the viewer in some form. There was a similar exhibit to the Sheila Pree Bright done by a different artist that showed at the Smithsonian and another similar one that showed at MOCA in LA but those were larger than life, and really affected the viewer.
Downstairs there was another large room but half of the walls were empty. The girl at the front desk apologized and said they were preparing for an event, but that there were still two rooms with some work in them. The art in these two rooms was mostly from the early 80s and nothing you would find at a reputable museum, most of it looked like the kind of art you might find in a Days Inn hotel (and this was certainly not the intention), a couple of pieces from the 60s and a couple from the 70s but again mostly uninspiring.
Two weeks whole star because:
1– The staff was extremely nice!
2– there was free parking.
3– the two artists in the upstairs galleries (though not great work) were women artists, something that is hard to find in most art museums today — that show great body of work by male artists and few pieces by their female contemporaries.
4– they are conveniently located near the Sunflower Café (which is fantastic), and numerous other FREE galleries (some of which have much more inspiring work), and they are free!
5– close enough to several antique shops that are worth checking out if you are in the area.
You can get through this entire «museum» in about 15 – 20 minutes, and feel like:
1– you took entirely too long
2– you wonder who curated this stuff? It’s awful.
3– how did I just pay $ 8 (regular), $ 5 (Seniors and students) for this kind of work?
I have to say this r fir is purely based on the work exhibited, not the employees. One of the galleries was empty and I asked for half of our money back and they refunded us the full amount since the entire gallery was empty. They explained they had had an event the night before called PinUp where artists (who are members) get to pin their work to the walls for collectors. This sounds like a pretty cool event, however, the art we saw and the many empty galleries (not just downstairs, but also an entire empty gallery upstairs), did not excite the creative mind, nor did it warrant a return visit.

We visited the Museum of Contemporary Art for the first time on a recent weekday. We were looking for an art museum which we hadn’t visited before. MoCA had the benefit of being slightly closer than others, plus it opened earlier; hence we decided to check it out before lunch.
It is located on Bennett Street, towards the far end of a series of small shops. Once you arrive at their building, it is fairly confusing as to how to access the museum. Take the middle door, which says it is also for the TULA Gallery; the entrance to the MoCA is just inside, down the hall, on the right. They could really use some additional signage outside.
Entry fee is $ 8 per person. This struck me as a bit steep for the size of the museum. The upstairs is composed of two galleries with rotating exhibits. One was a more political set of photo-​faces on the floor + video; it had chalk boards inviting audience feedback. At least one foreign language entry stated that the person didn’t like the exhibit…
The second was more of a travel-​related theme, with an interesting depiction of photos shown in rear-​view mirrors from cars. There were also random street scenes from various world cities in small box-​frames.
The permanent collection of the museum is housed downstairs. You have to descend a tight spiral staircase to get down there. Most of this is in one large open gallery, with a few side-​rooms. Overall, there were a few pieces I liked and a lot that were in the general category that make me question modern art.
There are also working artists in studios around the complex, though none were open at the time we were there.
Overall, I’m not sorry we went but I doubt I’d return.

This place was stellar awesome. If you’re into contemporary art, you HAVE to visit this place. Admission prices are $ 8 for a regular one time admission. If you’re a student, tickets are $ 5 with a valid ID. If you purchase a family membership, you’re allowed to bring one family member with you for free, and I think it is many times as you want as long as the membership is active.
If you’re asked to make the final left or right turn in the directions, drive all the way down the narrow street towards the «Antique» billboard. You’ll see it in the distance… MOCA GA will be to your right with a black canvas overarch and white letters. Enter the lounge looking entrance, and you’ll see the door on the left hand side. There is also a downstairs area (photography and the permanent collection).
Here you will find photographs, sculptures, 3D pieces, objects, and so much more unique artwork. While admiring at one of the photographs, a gentleman came up and asked if we liked his work. It was cool to have this brief chit chat with him. This museum features local artists: students, upcoming, and established artists. This place is small and will take you a tad over an hour even if you hit the two areas (upstairs and downstairs) with reflection time at each piece.

This is really a hidden gem!
We enjoyed all the exhibits.
There are other things happening here so make sure you check out the calendar.

Went to the Georgia artists choosing Georgia artists exhibition. Some really interesting pieces. $ 1 for students is great and even $ 5 regular is very cheap for what this museum has to offer.
Be aware that this is a small space and will not take more than 30 – 40 minutes to look at everything.
Make sure to go next door to the studios and talk directly with the artists. I found Paul Light Jr. s work very interesting and he’s a great guy to speak with too.

Excellent art institution, very important for Atlanta and Georgia. The best show of 2012 was Martha Whittington ‘deus ex machina’, result of one of the three grants the museum gives to local working artists every year.
It is important to get to know, visit and support this institution because they collect works and therefore help to write and preserve local history. This is about consolidating art and culture that serve the present: right here, right now.
I wish museum visitors could see beyond the entertainment factor and understand the cultural function and importance that institutions like this have.

Tiny «museum» that seems more like an art gallery, except that the paintings are not usually for sale.
Admission is $ 5 ($ 1 if you are a student or a senior; free for members of the US military). They also have free admission on the First Thursday of each month.
Some great contemporary art is shown here. They also host a wide variety of different arts events, and their space is available for event rentals.
The tiny space makes for a limited amount of artwork on display. But, it’s worth checking out, and will take 30 minutes or less to go through. you can also see digitized versions of their whole collection on their website.

This is a very small museum, but it’s worth visiting occassionally to check out some modern art mostly by Georgia artists. I’ve seen some great paintings and sculptures here, and one terribly impressive installation. I believe the museum is free as far as I can remember. It’s just a short walk from the High, so it makes a nice addition to an art-​filled day if you’re in the area.