ATLANTA, February 1 -- The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA), the first major venue to specifically feature the work of Georgia artists, has opened at 1447 Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta. Its inaugural exhibition is a one-person show that features new work by Martin Emanuel, a noted Georgia sculptor and professor at The Atlanta College of Art.

Co-founder and director Annette Cone-Skelton said that the exhibition schedule for the museum's first year also includes: a tribute to the artists of the Heath Gallery and its legendary owner and arts leader David Heath; one-person shows by Athens, Georgia's Cheryl Goldsleger, and by recent Whitney Biennial artist Kojo Griffin, also a Georgian; and a visual perspective on race relations in Georgia, co-curated by native Georgian Dan Talley, gallery director of Pennsylvania's Kutztown University, and Ed Spriggs, executive director of the Hammonds House Galleries in Atlanta.

Located on the lobby level of 1447 Peachtree Street, MOCA GA features 3,000 square feet of exhibition space, with an additional 1,200 square feet for educational programs, offices and storage for its permanent collection. The museum offers a membership program with several levels of participation, and admission is free. MOCA GA is a 10-minute walk from the Arts Center MARTA Station, and two blocks from the High Museum of Art.

MOCA GA specifically features Georgia artists, with more than 250 works in its permanent collection as well as important exhibitions.

David Golden, co-founder of MOCA GA along with Ms. Cone-Skelton, said the museum represents "the evolution of what we started 11 years ago." Working together, the two Atlantans determined to build the finest possible collection of Georgia artists. Through the acquisitions made by Mr. Golden, CGR Advisors (of which Mr. Golden is a founding partner) and other private funders, the collection grew. "Although the collection was exposed to a significant number of people outside of the CGR organization, it remained housed in a corporate environment," said Mr. Golden. "The museum is simply the next step in promoting Georgia artists within our home environment of Georgia."

The inaugural exhibition is Mr. Emanuel's first one-person show since his High Museum of Art appearance in 1980. Curator for Mr. Emanuel is John Howett, a professor emeritus at Emory University, and Catherine Howett, a professor emerita at the University of Georgia. A highly respected sculptor, Mr. Emanuel created much of the show on site at MOCA GA, constructing two large rammed earth sculptures inside the museum itself. One of these sculptures is a representation of a miner's shaft with a granite roof carved by Mr. Emanuel. Another work is a 16-foot mixed media sculpture with stretched synthetic transparent "skin," lit from the interior, which is patterned after canoes built by the Inuit tribes.

"I have been watching his career for many years and have the utmost respect for his integrity and craftsmanship," said Ms. Cone-Skelton. She believes it is important to start with a one-person show "because there's a great need for Georgia artists to have a significant institution showcasing their work in depth."

The extensive collections of Georgia artists donated by Atlanta-based CGR Advisors and Mr. Golden are the centerpiece of the new museum's permanent collection. Artists from the permanent collection will be exclusively featured in an exhibition opening in July 2002. Ms. Cone-Skelton will serve as this show's curator and select new work by Georgia artists by visiting studios across the state. "We believe it's important to understand the evolution of Georgia's artists, and this show hopes to achieve that -- balance the artists' new work with their work from MOCA GA's permanent collection," said Ms. Cone-Skelton.

MOCA GA's collection features more than 250 works by Georgia artists and includes a variety of media -- paintings, prints, sculpture, photography, computer generated images and installation pieces. The museum will continue to collect, document and archive significant works of contemporary visual art by Georgia artists.