Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design, announces Learning from Nature: The Future of Design. This new exhibition will demonstrate how designers are finding sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies.

On view March 1 through May 23 and developed in collaboration with The Biomimicry Institute, Learning from Nature marks the first exhibition in MODA’s 2020: The Year of Climate & Change, the museum’s unprecedented, year-long initiative confronting climate issues and showcasing the pivotal role design plays in reversing climate change around the globe through exhibition tours, active learning and hands-on activities.

Learning from Nature will invite visitors to learn about biomimicry, the imitation of nature to solve complex human problems, while engaging with global climate challenges and exploring creative design solutions. A range of notable design examples inspired by nature will be presented throughout the exhibition, such as Japan’s high-speed Shinkansen bullet train, which is modeled after the kingfisher bird’s seamless travel between air and water; wind turbines by WhalePower that are 30 percent more efficient because they are shaped like the fin of a humpback whale; and the Biomimetic Office Building by Exploration Architecture that will use less materials in construction by imitating the strong bone structure of bird skulls and the cuttlefish. Additionally, the exhibition will feature ongoing research from designers, professionals and students as well as a variety of coinciding design workshops for children, teens and adults. Georgia Tech professor Lane Duncan will offer Drawing from Nature classes for teens and adults, Girl Scouts will be able to earn nature-related badges and MODA will be partnering with the Atlanta School of Photography to offer Nature Photowalks.

During this exhibition, MODA also invites visitors to interact with Requiem, a sound installation in the museum lobby. Created by Maine-based sound artist and musician Steve Norton, the piece combines the noises of birds and frogs thought to be extinct. Norton sourced the recordings from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and The Amphibian Foundation in Atlanta. Included is the sound made by “Toughie,” the last known Rabbs’ fringe-limbed tree frog, who resided at the Atlanta Botanical Garden until his death in 2016.

Learning from Nature: The Future of Design was developed by MODA in collaboration with The Biomimicry Office Building. The exhibition was curated by MODA staff members Veronica Klucik and Malaysia Marshall and designed by Susan Sanders. Dr. Jeannette Yen, Director of the Center for Biologically Inspired Design at Georgia Institute of Technology, acted as exhibition advisor.

Learning from Nature is sponsored by Interface, Structor Group and Sto Corp. Funding for this exhibition is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioner. Major support is provided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

 

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. MODA offers an extensive range of adult programs, as well as educational programs and camps for children. This year, MODA is celebrating 2020: The Year of Climate & Change – a year-long initiative addressing the intersection of design and climate issues through exhibitions, workshops and events to demonstrate the crucial role that design can play in slowing or reversing climate change. For more information, please visit www.museumofdesign.org or call 404.979.6455.

Museum Hours:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: Noon-6 p.m.

Wednesday: Noon-6 p.m.

Thursday: Noon-8 p.m.

Friday: Noon-6 p.m.

Saturday: Noon-6 p.m.

Sunday: Noon-6 p.m.

 

Address:

1315 Peachtree Street

Atlanta, Georgia 30309

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