Amid COVID-19, MODA Will Offer New Visitor Experience with Health & Safety Protocols in Place, Plus a Virtual Version of the Exhibition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) – the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design – is set to reopen this spring. After closing due to the pandemic in March 2020, the museum furthered its mission to bring design to the community by offering online exhibitions and virtual children's and adult programming, including designer talks, camps and more. Now, the museum is reopening with the launch of Bike to the Future, an exhibition showcasing the latest in bicycle design, along with a new visit experience and COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place.
Jointly developed by Design Museum Gent and the IMF Foundation and curated by Elisabetta Pisu, the exhibition will present a collection of contemporary models from the new millennium, including Philippe Starck's electric bike 'MASS' and Tobias Knockaert's laser-cut bicycle, as well as prototypes and experiments made with unusual materials to serve a variety of functions. Bike accessories will also be featured, such as the 'Hammerhead' navigation system, the 'Hövding' airbag helmets and the magnetic bicycle light 'iFlash One,' designed by the Danish studio Kibisi.
"There's been a bicycle boom during the pandemic as more and more people ride for exercise and use bikes as a form of transportation; that means we need more safe places to bike which will impact the design of cities and towns," says Laura Flusche, Executive Director of MODA. "Bike to the Future will go beyond two-wheeled innovations to showcase how bicycles are provoking new design typologies and urban infrastructures that range from novel forms of parking and bike-specific bridges and tunnels to interventions like rain sensors for bicycles at traffic lights."
An online version of the exhibition will be available, and throughout the exhibition, the museum will offer virtual programming for people near and far to join, including:
Ride the Future: VanMoof Bikes (March 25, Noon EST) – This virtual conversation will cover how electric bicycles are becoming an increasingly popular way to move around urban centers. VanMoof, a Dutch tech-meets-bike company, has emerged as a leader in the design and manufacture of VanMoof Bicycles, and during the talk, Daan Rekkers, a business leader at VanMoof US, will talk about the design of the company's e-bikes and his organization's mission of getting the next billion people on bikes.
Civilized Cycles with Zachary Schieffelin (May 20, 6pm EST) – This online event will feature a conversation with Zachary Schieffelin, founder & CEO of Civilized Cycles, an e-bicycle company with the goal of proving that our low carbon future isn't a sacrifice, it's an upgrade. Zach will talk about his work as founder as well as the company's first bike, the Model 1, which will be part of Bike to the Future and was designed to have cross-appeal with both urban dwellers looking for an easier way to get around than Uber or the subway, and suburbanites who are looking for a way to reduce their car use, but still need space for passengers or cargo.
About Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Located within the Midtown Arts Corridor since 2011, MODA is the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design. The museum defines design as a creative process that inspires change, transforms lives and makes the world a better place, an idea that informs all of its exhibitions and programs. The museum offers an extensive range of adult programs, as well as educational programs and camps for children.
For more information, please visit www.museumofdesign.org or call 404.979.6455.
