COVID-19 Update Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
COVID-19 Update from Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)’s Executive Director Laura Flusche.
Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Laura Flusche
Executive Director
“When the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) closed to the public on March 13, the plan was to stay closed for two weeks,” says Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) executive director Laura Flusche. “When the severity of the pandemic became clear, within a week, we launched MODA Online, starting with children’s programming and quickly expanding into adult offerings.”
MODA’s Drink in Design series, which features designers and creatives from Atlanta and elsewhere, has attracted more than 1,000 attendees from 40 states and 18 countries. The campMODA program for youngsters will continue until the situation regarding school openings in Georgia shakes out.
Recently, MODA raised $20,000 for campMODA scholarships from individual donors, the OxBlue Foundation, the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs and DeKalb County. The funds sent (virtually speaking) 80 children to campMODA for free. A partnership between MODA and 100 Black Men of North Metro Atlanta and with DeKalb County facilitated distribution of the scholarships.
MODA’s first virtual exhibition, Learning from Nature: The Future of Design, should be online by the time the CL Fall Arts Preview hits the streets. Online visitors navigating the exhibition will learn how designers are discovering sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. MODA will also offer virtual field trips, lifelong learning opportunities, and other special programs related to the exhibition.
“Until we reopen, COVID-19 has inspired us to build online programming that reaches a broader audience,” says Flusche. “Going forward, we’ll incorporate online content into exhibitions to continue bringing design to people beyond Atlanta.”