A new chapter in Atlanta's cultural landscape is set to begin when the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) opens its state-of-the-art facility at The Goat Farm in 2026. This transformative project, supported by a $2 million investment from the City of Atlanta, will provide Georgia's artists with a world-class home for contemporary art.
Annette Cone-Skelton, MOCA GA's founding director, president, and CEO, has spent more than two decades building an institution dedicated entirely to supporting the state's artists. Since founding the museum in 2000, Cone-Skelton has assembled a collection of more than 1,600 pieces, along with an extensive library and archive documenting Georgia's contemporary art movement.
The new Goat Farm location represents the culmination of a capital campaign designed to expand MOCA GA's reach and impact. The Goat Farm, a historic industrial complex turned arts hub on Atlanta's Westside, provides an ideal setting that honors the museum's commitment to accessibility and artistic community.
Cone-Skelton's contributions extend beyond MOCA GA. She is a respected artist whose work is collected in the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the High Museum of Art. She received the Governor's Award for the Arts & Humanities in 2012 and Atlanta Contemporary's Nexus Award in 2019.
Before founding the museum, the LaGrange, Georgia native spent more than 15 years curating projects in unconventional spaces throughout Atlanta—shipping containers, an underground parking garage, a church, and even a U-Haul storage facility. This experimental spirit continues to infuse MOCA GA's approach.
Additionally, MOCA GA and Northside Hospital are developing a groundbreaking arts therapy program called 'Art for Healers,' which recognizes the unique challenges facing Georgia's healthcare workers in the post-pandemic environment.
When the new facility opens, it will stand as a testament to one woman's vision and the city's commitment to its artists.