ATLANTA, GA.- The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia’s (MOCA GA) staff and board were joined by friends, supporters, and artists on Wednesday, December 18, for a special groundbreaking ceremony marking a new chapter for the organization.

Throughout the duration of the capital campaign to fund the facility’s construction, donors were given vials of an original artifact from a rammed earth sculpture featured in MOCA GA’s inaugural exhibition Martin Emanuel: Sculpture, which opened to the public on February 3, 2002. To symbolically unite MOCA GA’s legacy and history to its prosperous future, all attending emptied the contents of their vials onto the ground that will hold the entryway of the new museum. Immediately following the ceremony, concrete was poured over the earth, cementing MOCA GA’s future on this property.

MOCA GA has grounded itself in the community for over 24 years as the only institution dedicated solely to supporting Georgia’s artists and providing the community with the opportunity to experience Georgia’s contemporary visual art through its exhibitions, collection and archives, and educational programming. Located at the Goat Farm Arts Center, in the center of Atlanta’s new and growing cultural scene in West Midtown, MOCA GA will magnify its ability to provide resources to the creative community and attract art lovers from around Georgia and beyond. "The building will be a beacon for all who love art and will truly reflect Georgia’s luminous contemporary art history and ever-brightening future. We greatly appreciate the many people who understood the importance of making a new home for Georgia artists and came together to make this a reality.” - Annette Cone-Skelton, MOCA GA President, CEO, and Director

In 2019, MOCA GA signed the contract to purchase its 1.05-acre site at the Goat Farm Arts Center, using funds donated by the late Elkin Goddard Alston, and in December 2023 closed on the land purchase. Significant gifts from Carol and Ramon Tomé, Susan and Ron Antinori, Lucinda Bunnen, and many other supporters of contemporary art quickly followed.

In April 2023, the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation awarded MOCA GA $2,000,000 to endorse Atlanta’s need for the museum. This gift inspired many others to follow. In July 2024, the City of Atlanta announced its generous contribution of $2,000,000 to the campaign.

In October 2024, MOCA GA celebrated the start of its 25th year and announced a new partnership with Northside Hospital to launch Art for Healers, an art therapy program that connects healthcare professionals with local artists through rejuvenating, creative experiences.

December 2024 marks the groundbreaking with contractors H.J. Russell and Company to begin their work and pour the first concrete slab for MOCA GA’s forever home.

Exceptional cities have—or should have—exceptional contemporary art centers. In a space specifically designed for MOCA GA that will enable it to achieve financial stability, the museum can do what it does best—better and for the long term.

In 2019, MOCA GA signed the contract to purchase its 1.05-acre site at the Goat Farm Arts Center and December 2023 marked the closing of the land purchase. The new museum is a triumph of collaboration two decades in the making that unifies the visions of MOCA GA’s cofounder Annette Cone-Skelton, the design genius of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, and the early investment of the late Elkin Goddard Alston.

The broader Goat Farm property will feature a robust mixture of residential, office, and retail developments and numerous spaces devoted to artists and arts activities. MOCA GA will thus become an anchor institution at a cultural landmark, joining a vibrant creative ecosystem filled with exciting cross-pollination opportunities for its artists and patrons.

Atlanta is a big city with a growing cadre of collectors and a growing body of home grown talent. MOCA GA is building a museum and an art ecosystem simultaneously for the city and state’s residents, including their children, and all those who appreciate and enjoy contemporary art.

For 24 years, Cone-Skelton, the board, and the staff of MOCA GA have approached their mission with a remarkable level of care, understanding, and deep appreciation of the significant talent that exists in Georgia, creating a landmark out of a dream.