A Discussion With the Founders
David Golden and Annette Cone-Skelton
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) is among the first organizations to specifically feature the work of Georgians -- those born and raised here as well as artists who have created much of their work in the state. The museum, serving as both an exhibition home and an educational facility, will enable artists and visitors to enjoy the impressive collection of artwork and to learn about its roots.

The organizers of MOCA GA, David Golden and Annette Cone-Skelton, are busy preparing this important cultural facility, which will give Georgia's rapidly growing contingent of artists a place to call their own. Located in Atlanta, MOCA GA is scheduled to open in early 2002

Creating a museum is a very difficult job. Why did you decide to do it?
David Golden: It was a product of at least two years of discussions. Part of it was the result of some practical issues. CGR Advisors, which has housed this wonderful collection, was moving to a new location, and we had to decide what to do with the collection. Although we considered giving or selling the collection to various groups, we also recognized the gap that existed in showcasing Georgia artists. So, there was a need. Then, Annette searched for a model for this kind of museum, and there was none quite like this whose focus was contemporary art from the state in which it is located.

Annette Cone-Skelton: This is the evolution of what we started 10 years ago. As the curator of the CGR Advisors art collection, I worked with David (the president of the company) who believed in Georgia artists and wanted to build the finest collection possible. The collection grew and has remained housed in a corporate environment, so the museum environment seemed like the next logical step. Georgia artists really need a place of their own. It's so important to protect and to archive the history of this state because so much of it is getting lost. This collection already has preserved a great deal. And as an artist, it's important to have an institution that believes in what you are doing. It helps you do your best work.

Why are we in danger of losing this piece of Georgia's culture, and why don't we pay more attention to the contributions these artists are making?
Annette Cone-Skelton: As an artist, part of it is that other Southern cities like Birmingham, New Orleans, and Asheville really believe in their art, and they support the artists. Those artists remain in that city and become nationally prominent. Atlanta often looks to the country's biggest cities, such as New York, and tries to match the art scene there. We hope that MOCA GA will help turn Atlanta's and Georgia's attention back to the homegrown talent we have, which, frankly, is enormous.

David Golden: One of my earliest experiences in which I knew I was a collector involved my son, who was eight at the time. I was looking for something we could do together. Although I wasn't interested in spectator sports and he was a baseball fanatic, I thought we could collect baseball cards together. To do it right, we needed a focus. That focus was Hank Aaron, who really represented greatness and Georgia.

When Annette and I began assembling this art collection, we likewise decided to focus. My business partner, Cecil Conlee, and I both felt that companies had a responsibility to communities. We wanted to create a connection between CGR Advisors, our employees and our community. By focusing on Georgia art, we established a link between our employees and the Georgia artists, artists whom we came to know and love.

Let's talk about the Georgia artists themselves. As you launch MOCA GA, what are the distinctive characteristics of Georgia artists and makes them stand out as prominent contributors to the fabric of American art?
Annette Cone-Skelton: Many curators and other art supporters have tried to answer that question, so that they can support the fact that Georgia art is different. In fact, we've found that it is not different. The artists in Georgia -- from the 1940's to the present -- have faced the same issues as artists at the national and international levels. That's part of the history that MOCA GA will show. Some people look at folk art and want to make it a "Southern" thing, but in reality we've enjoyed a much broader spectrum of work.

David Golden: In my view, it's not what distinguishes Georgia artists that makes them so important; rather, it's what does not distinguish them. I agree with Annette that these contemporary Georgia artists were skilled, they were serious, and they satisfy the many aesthetic attractions to art that me and countless others feel. We hope that through the MOCA GA collection, everyone will see that the strength of Georgia's creative masters lies in their interpretation of the same events, obstacles, challenges and issues tackled by their peers around the world.

When visitors enter The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia for the first time, what do want them to feel? What will the experience at the museum be like?
David Golden: "This is cool." We want people to say, "Man, this is good art." We're going to open the museum with a one-person show, so right away MOCA GA will demonstrate its ability to focus, giving visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the vision and creative process of a single artist. We think that will be a tremendous experience. This museum will be a living, breathing organism, and not a place where you can say, "Well, we've been to MOCA GA so now we don't need to go back." You will want to go back.

Annette Cone-Skelton: We learned from having the collection in a corporate setting that the artist and the businessperson don't always mix, but they are certainly curious about each other. We want people to come to MOCA GA and be curious, to express their curiosity with the art and the artists. Then, when people reflect on their experience at MOCA GA, they hopefully will enjoy a satisfaction, yet still retain enough curiosity to return -- perhaps for a different experience or emotion.

How can MOCA GA help to inspire broader support for the arts, not only in Georgia and Atlanta but also around the country?
Annette Cone-Skelton: David has set a very good example of how companies can take the lead in arts patronage and education. Now, we have another venue for artists. All of us who love the arts -- whether it's opera, bluegrass music, ceramics, painting, poetry -- have an obligation to help it evolve. One of the aspects of MOCA GA is to hang art, but it's not the only role we have.

MOCA GA, in a very significant way I hope, will provide a physical forum in which artists can come together. They can come together to share ideas and work, but also to meet, to educate and to inspire the public.

David Golden: Here in our office space (where the MOCA GA collection has been housed), you had the collision of the artists' creativity and the professionals' analytic nature. It developed many positive and rewarding results, and that was a big part of developing MOCA GA. It's become more than just a building with paintings hung on the walls. We look at MOCA GA as being the core of a dynamic relationship between those who create art and those who want to understand why it is created.

What sort of advice and counsel would you give to the young artists in Georgia, particularly regarding their interaction with the general public?
Annette Cone-Skelton: For young artists currently in school of just out of school, I strongly urge them to just keep working. Set very high standards and goals. Be true to their own vision and their own direction. Do their homework before seeking a gallery to show their work -- learn what the gallery's niche may be and determine if that is suitable for their work. But most importantly, keep doing the work and the best work possible.

David Golden: I genuinely believe that the exposure to the other side of the brain can help all of us grow intellectually and creatively. If we look at things in a different way, maybe we can make better decisions, whether we're artists or CEO's. So, in believing that credo, I have an obligation as a CEO to nurture the artist as the artist is developing. Likewise, the artist should accept a role to enter a corporate or technical or community setting and teach us -- through example and discussion and a shared view.

What has been the secret of your success -- as collaborators and business partners, but also as advocates of Georgia art?
David Golden: That's easy. I always give in.

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) is now open at 1447 Peachtree Street in Atlanta.