Two hundred artists, collectors and art lovers from Georgia will unfurl banners, signs, and costumes to wave and wear as they parade down Peachtree Street on foot and kick off an all-art weekend in Atlanta. MOCA GA will host the parade rain or shine.

The walking parade will begin at 6 p.m. at the MOCA GA building, located at 1447 Peachtree Street, travel down one side of Peachtree and return to the museum on the other side of the street. Upon their return to the museum, MOCA GA will open its doors with nearly 275 pieces of its permanent collection on the walls together for the first time in the museum’s history. The permanent collection exhibition will be on display Sept. 14 to Nov. 10, covering all museum walls, hallways, offices and storage spaces. Museum Co-Founder and Director Annette Cone-Skelton will curate the show.

“MocaMotion kicks off an exciting arts weekend in Atlanta as well as our largest exhibition since MOCA GA’s opening,” Cone-Skelton said. “We believe it’s important to understand the evolution of Georgia’s artists, and this show helps to achieve that.”

With MocaMotion in Midtown as a vibrant start to an art-filled weekend, many other galleries around town will also host openings. MocaMotion in Midtown marks the beginning of several fall events for MOCA GA, including its Nov. 13 Off the Wall Pinup Show, an informal, non-curated show and sale of unframed, small works on paper. The show is open to all Georgia artists on a first-come, first-served basis.

MOCA GA, which opened in February, aims to provide a place to exhibit works of Georgia artist and to serve as a home for them as well. David Golden, co-founder and chairman of the MOCA GA board of directors, said the museum represents “the evolution of what we started 12 years ago.” Working together Golden and Cone-Skelton determined to build the finest possible collection of Georgia artists. Through the acquisitions made by Golden, real estate investment firm CGR Advisors (of which Golden is a founding member) and other private contributors, the collection grew. The extensive collections of Georgia artists donated by Atlanta-based CGR Advisors and Golden are the centerpiece of the museum’s permanent collection.

“Although the collection was exposed to a significant number of people outside of the CGR organization, it remained housed in a corporate environment,” Golden said. “The museum is simply the next step in promoting Georgia artists within our home environment of Georgia.”

The mission of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia is to collect and archive significant works of the artists in Georgia. MOCA GA seeks to make contemporary visual art more accessible by connecting local, living artists with diverse audiences in order to promote the understanding and appreciation of the visual arts in our state. The museum’s permanent collection contains nearly 275 works of art by more than 100 artists who were born or spent a significant portion of their careers working in Georgia. The collection encompasses a wide range of media, including paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, installation art and photographs.

MOCA GA is located at 1447 Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. MOCA GA can be reached at 404.881.1109 and online at www.mocaga.org.